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CBC
01-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Quebec becomes only province with a price on carbon, but it might not last
As Quebec becomes the last province in Canada that hasn't abandoned carbon pricing, the provincial government could start feeling pressure to align itself with the rest of the country. There has long been a broad consensus in Quebec on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the province's cap-and-trade system, launched in 2013, has never been especially controversial. But some say Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to scrap the federal consumer carbon price could change that — especially once Quebecers notice the difference at the pump. As of Tuesday, the federal carbon price, which applied in most provinces and territories, has officially been scrapped. British Columbia, which was the first province to impose its own carbon price in 2008, has also repealed its tax. Asked Monday about whether he should act in kind, Premier François Legault said he would wait to see the outcome of the April 28 federal election. "We definitely have to be competitive," he told reporters during a trip to Germany. He added that Quebec's cap-and-trade system "ultimately costs less for the consumer" than the federal carbon price did. With the federal measure now gone, however, critics of carbon pricing say it's only a matter of time before Quebecers start to feel pain at the pump. "When we compare prices between Gatineau or Montreal and Ottawa ... that difference is going to be striking," said Carol Montreuil, a vice-president with the Canadian Fuels Association. "I think a lot of people are going to be questioning whether maybe it's time to put a pause on that [cap-and-trade] system." He said many Quebecers will be "looking at the government for a break," especially with the added burden of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. It's hard to predict exactly how Quebec gas prices will compare to the rest of the country in the absence of the carbon price. In 2024, the federal levy accounted for 17.6 cents per litre of gas. Quebec's cap-and-trade system, which is linked to California's, currently costs around 10 cents per litre. But Pierre-Olivier Pineau, chair of energy sector management at HEC Montreal, the business school of Université de Montréal, cautioned that people outside Quebec won't necessarily see gas prices drop by a full 18 cents on Tuesday. "At least for a transitional period, the distributors and the service stations will keep a larger profit margin," he said. Will Quebecers notice? On March 31, the website showed Quebec as having an average gas price of around $1.53 per litre — among the lowest in the country. The average price in B.C. was a full 25 cents higher, around $1.78 per litre. One thing is clear, said Nicolas Gagnon, Quebec director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "Quebec will be going from one of the places where gas is relatively affordable right now to one of the places where the price is the highest in the country," he said. Gagnon is hoping to seize this "window of opportunity" to pressure the Quebec government to abolish its carbon price. But Normand Mousseau, a physics professor at the Université de Montréal and scientific director of an energy institute at the university, pointed out that no major political party in Quebec has come out against the cap-and-trade system. He said it's unlikely Quebecers will pay much attention to gas prices in neighbouring provinces. "There's a consensus in Quebec that climate issues are real and we must do something," he said. "So I find it hard to see it becoming a political issue right now." Pineau said if the government does start to feel pressure on carbon pricing, it could always choose to redirect some of the revenue from the carbon market to taxpayers. Currently, the money goes to Quebec's electrification and climate change fund, to be spent on programs that reduce emissions. That's another way Quebec's carbon price is distinct from the federal system, which returned most of the revenue directly to households. But Pineau added that one of the reasons Quebec's cap-and-trade system hasn't become a political lightning rod may just be that it's more complicated than a carbon levy, and the cost is less obvious.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Montreal Canadiens player Brendan Gallagher and wife Emma Fortin welcome baby girl: 'I'm a dad now'
After helping the Montreal Canadiens secure a win against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, the team's alternate captain, Brendan Gallagher, had more good news to share. The Edmonton-born hockey player revealed in a post-game interview that his wife, Emma Fortin, gave birth to a baby girl last week. "I'm a dad now. It's been a week now," Gallagher told media, explaining that was the reason he took a recent leave of absence from the team. "So it's new. Obviously, it's a little less sleep than I'm used to, but it's been awesome. ... I've enjoyed it. Emma's been awesome. We're learning on the go here, but so far we love every second of it." Gallagher, 32, and his wife, 28, first met in 2021. Fortin, who hails from Montreal suburb Sainte-Julie, studied at bilingual business school HEC Montreal and is a PhD candidate. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brendan Gallagher (@bgally.11) The pair got engaged two years later in July 2023 at Lost Lake in Whistler, B.C. Photos posted online showed Gallagher got down on one knee as he popped the question to Fortin on a trail. In an Instagram Stories post, Fortin shared that it was the same place her parents had gotten engaged nearly 30 years prior, calling it "so magical." They tied the knot this past July, throwing a stunning wedding reception at luxury event space Maison Principale in Montreal. The venue was beautifully decorated with white candles and flowers, giving the couple a celebration straight out of a fairy tale. Congrats Brendan Gallagher and his beautiful wife Emma on their wedding ❤️ #Gally #Gohabsgo — Habs Fanatics (@habsfanaticss) July 7, 2024 The baby is the couple's first child together. However, they also share a dog, Skye, who they adopted in 2022. The couple first shared the news that they were pregnant in an Instagram post in December. "Baby Gallagher coming this winter," the caption of the post read with a photo of the couple and their pup. The birth of their baby girl has garnered messages of congratulations on social media. Félicitations à Brendan Gallagher et sa femme, Emma Fortin, qui attendent leur premier enfant! 👶❤(📸: IG/emmafortin14) — RDS (@RDSca) December 11, 2024 "Brendan Gallagher has been a dad for a week. Congratulations to him!" TVA Sports reporter Anthony Martineau wrote in French on X. "Congratulations to Brendan Gallagher and his wife, Emma, who gave birth to a baby girl last week," reads a post in the r/Habs subreddit. "I knew it! I thought I noticed dad-strength Gallagher the past couple games! League isn't ready for Gally 2.0," wrote one commenter on the post. "Gally is a daddy now? This is great, now he's gonna be even more motivated. Congrats to the couple!" another person wrote. Following the Montreal Canadiens' 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, the team will now be on the road for their next four games. Those will be held in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle. Gallagher, who has been playing for the Canadiens since 2012, was asked during the media scrum if he's excited to go on the road and catch up on his missed sleep. He noted that "it's hard to leave," but added that being a parent comes with a feeling that's "hard to describe" but that he's "enjoyed every second of it."
