A peaceful rally is being planned by some Drayton Valley residents for Monday, April 1, in opposition to the planned Carbon Tax increase, set to happen the same day.
Organizers say the goal of this peaceful rally is to send a clear message to the federal government that Drayton Valley and area residents do not support the Carbon Tax increase.
Diane Huska, Executive Director of the Drayton Valley Chamber of Commerce says the increase in the Carbon Tax will have an effect on local businesses.
“With the rising costs, it’s going to be fuel,” says Huska. “Anybody that’s either commuting or living outside of Drayton has to commute in, again that’s more fuel. Anybody that is in a business that requires transport trucks bringing their goods in, it will impact them big time because it will be extra money that way. So the overall pricing is going to be changing fairly dramatically if they don’t do something about it”
When asked if any alternatives to the Federal Carbon Tax had been put forth to either the provincial or federal governments, Huska mentioned work being done by the Alberta Chamber of Commerce.
“I sit every Tuesday with the Alberta Chamber of Commerce. It’s a meeting once a week via Zoom and they actually talked about that on Tuesday, and they are working actively with the province to try and help push some of these changes forward. So it’s an ongoing thing with them.”
Albertans aren’t the only ones frustrated by the potential increase in the Federal Carbon Tax, the Premiers of Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edwards Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have all reached out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to pause the proposed increase.
The Prime Minister responded to those Premiers in a letter saying their governments failed to propose alternative solutions or pricing systems and were not able to meet emission reduction goals set in 2022.
The letter also said that it is critical to dispel the “misconception” that Canada’s carbon pricing system is a significant driver of inflation as there are many factors at play.
Trudeau also pointed out that as carbon pricing increases, so too will the rebates, and reiterated that his government is open to working with provinces to provide a “credible system” for carbon pricing that meets the federal standards.
The Alberta UCP Fuel Tax is also set to resume on April 1, raising fuel prices by an estimated 13 cents per litre.
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Story written with files from The Canadian Press
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