After receiving a report that the City of Belleville has paid $1.5 million in carbon tax since the program was introduced in 2019, council approved a motion calling on the federal government to create a program for municipalities to be fully reimbursed on direct carbon tax costs incurred providing essential and public safety programs and services.
The initial report outlined the following on how much the municipality has paid in carbon tax since 2019:
2019 – $69,700
2020 – $147,400
2021 – $244,800
2022 – $317,900
2023 – $359,600
2024 Year To Date – $376,700
Total – $1,516,100
The amended motion was brought forward by Councillor Paul Carr who says that governments taxing other governments without a rebate doesn’t make sense.
“The important thing is an efficient administrative program,” Carr explained to council.
“We don’t need cumbersome bureaucracy to then eat up that cost that needs to come back to us. We have programs now with AMO and whatnot that are able to provide those direct costs back to us, and so this is simply allowing us then to not have to worry about paying that carbon tax to get that rebate back, that we can then turn around and use that money towards sustainability as well.”
As part of the amended motion, a letter would be sent to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Association of Municipalities of Ontario as well as to multiple members of government on the federal and provincial level including, but not limited to, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Bay of Quinte MP and MPP Ryan Williams and Tyler Allsopp respectively.
In a recorded vote, council unanimously voted to support Carr’s amendment to the motion.
