One of the biggest issues Northern Ontario faces with the potential cap and trade tax is the impact it will have on fuel costs when it comes to the transportation of goods.
City Councillor Mark King called the current state of affairs “chaotic”, and says if this tax is implemented it will get worse. King says freight companies in the North, like Ontario Northland, will have a much tougher time staying competitive with companies based around the core in Toronto if the plan goes ahead.
King doesn’t believe certain communities in the North can afford to deal with the potential cap and trade tax beginning next January. Sudbury currently has the highest unemployment rate in the province, and the problems in the steel industry have Sault Ste Marie in an “extreme” bind according to King.
The challenges faced by Northern Ontario are much different than Southern Ontario, and King believes things like the cap and trade tax haven’t been thought through enough by the provincial government.
