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Greens Respond To State Of The Province

Saint John, NB, Canada / 97.3 The Wave
Brad Perry
Feb 11, 2021 | 2:19 PM
Greens Respond To State Of The Province

Image: Facebook



New Brunswick’s Green party leader says the premier drew a line in the sand on environmental action in his State of the Province address — and is standing against it.

David Coon released a statement late Wednesday in response to the State of the Province address presented by Premier Blaine Higgs earlier in the day.

Coon said the premier has firmly anchored himself on the wrong side of history in order to maintain the status quo.

“He is ignoring the efforts of local businesses to expand renewable energy development but handing $20 million to foreign nuclear power developers to weigh us down with more costly and dangerous waste-generating nuclear technology,” Coon wrote.

Higgs announced during the speech that the province is investing $20 million in the small modular reactor (SMR) field by supporting ARC Clean Energy’s technology believing it will boost private sector investment.

Coon said the premier’s revelation that the province will have a deficit of just $13 million this year is a “slap in the face” to small businesses struggling to survive and in desperate need of help to get through the pandemic.

The Green Party leader also addressed the promise of a three-month review into the province’s tenancy system announced by Higgs.

“The Premier should freeze rents and evictions until his three-month review of New Brunswick’s tenancy system is completed to avoid companies from jacking up rents in the interim for fear of future rent controls,” said Coon.

Coon said he agrees with the premier that we need to become more self-sufficient, but not on the backs of working people, small businesses and the environment.