Anglais

Ford government will make big polluters pay with $500-million environmental plan

Published

5 années ago

novembre 29, 2018

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The Progressive Conservatives are introducing a $500-million environmental plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions — including an industrial “polluter-pay” component — and ensure Ontario meets federal reduction targets, the Star has learned.

Senior government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss Thursday’s announcement, said the 53-page blueprint will help the province cut the carbon pollution that contributes to climate change.

“Ontario will hit Justin Trudeau’s targets that he agreed to in Paris,” a high-ranking official said Wednesday.

That means the province’s carbon emissions will drop from 161 megatonnes this year to 143 megatonnes by 2030, which is 30 per cent below 2005 emissions as agreed to by 175 countries at the Paris climate change conference three years ago. Ontario is now at 22 per cent below 2005 pollution levels.

Within the plan, sources said there will be an “industrial performance standard” that will force big carbon-emitting businesses to pay to pollute, but families won’t face any new levies.

Also contributing to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be a new federal fuel standard increasing the levels of cleaner and cheaper ethanol in gasoline.

Environment Minister Rod Phillips will formally release Preserving and Protecting Our Environment For Future Generations: A Made-In-Ontario Environment Plan on Thursday afternoon at the Cold Creek Conservation Area in Nobleton.

“There’s not going to be a carbon tax,” Phillips told reporters at Queen’s Park.

“But obviously, we’re going to lay out a comprehensive environmental plan that includes our approach to reducing greenhouse gases and preparing Ontario families and communities to deal with climate change,” said the minister.

“Climate change is a big deal. We really went around the world and saw what’s working,” he said.

“There’s no silver bullet in terms of dealing with something as complicated as climate change.”

After winning the June 7 election, the Tories moved quickly to extricate Ontario from its cap-and-trade environmental alliance with California and Quebec, which brought in $1.9 billion to provincial coffers.

The proceeds went toward environmental initiatives such as retrofitting schools, public buildings, and homes as well as subsidies of up to $14,000 toward the purchase of electric cars.

In a cap-and-trade system, businesses have greenhouse-gas emission limits — or caps — and those that pollute less can sell — or trade — the difference to those that pollute more. Over time, an industry’s cap is lowered, creating an economic incentive to curb emissions.

But Premier Doug Ford decried it as a “carbon tax” and eliminated it.

Killing it helped lower gasoline and natural gas prices, but it has also exposed Ontario to the federal carbon pricing plan that the Tories are now spending $30 million to challenge in court.

Under Trudeau’s federal plan, the average Ontario household will pay $244 more annually on gasoline, natural gas and home heating oil, but will receive $300 back in rebates for a net gain of $56 a year.

That payout will be bankrolled by big industrial polluters.

In the provincial plan, there will be new natural gas conservation measures to encourage homeowners to burn less fuel to save more money.

But the Tory environmental roadmap will tackle more than just greenhouse gas emissions — there are elements aimed at cleaning up the water supply and reducing litter.

The government will force municipalities to do “real-time monitoring” of sewage to reduce the waste that is going into the water supply.

“They haven’t had to tell people,” said the senior official, emphasizing “transparency” is key to guaranteeing Ontario’s water and air are clean.

Municipalities will also be given greater say over where landfill sites can be located.

As well, there will be unspecified improvements to municipal blue box programs as recycling systems evolve.

And the government will push to increase annual visits to provincial parks to 11 million from 10 million through more campsites and extended camping seasons.

Ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner insisted the best solution to reduce greenhouse gases is putting a price on carbon pollution and returning the proceeds to citizens.

“That gives the incentives for businesses not to pollute, and by putting the money back in peoples’ pockets it helps people manage the transition to the low-carbon economy,” said Schreiner, predicting Ontario will adopt an Australian model that makes it easier for industries to pollute.

“Pollution’s gone up and I think it’s wrong to basically take money from taxpayers, put it into a fund and then companies can apply for money to reduce their emissions,” he said.

“That’s like reverse cap and trade, but worse. Essentially, it is corporate welfare and essentially it is picking winners and losers.”

NDP MPP Peter Tabuns (Toronto-Danforth) cautioned against looking Down Under for solutions.

“In a recent speech, the minister of the environment … mentioned that the government might use Australia’s climate-change policies as a model for Ontario. This would be unfortunate because Australia’s emissions have been going up, not down,” said Tabuns.

“Not only that, instead of a polluter-pay system, Australia forces taxpayers to pay polluters with what is known as a ‘reverse auction’ system,” he said.

Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers said “we are very worried about seeing the report.”

“If you are not going to use market tools like carbon pricing or cap-and-trade then you are forced to do either nothing, or do the Australian model, which uses government money to create incentives,” said Des Rosiers (Ottawa-Vanier).

“There’s a lot of contradiction in this government — they say they are against corporate welfare, and then let’s see (Thursday) if they provide any incentives for greening the economy.”

Des Rosiers noted that without revenues from the previous Liberal government’s cap-and-trade system, Queen’s Park is “losing a lot of money” that was earmarked for environmental projects.

It looks as if you appreciate our journalism. Our reporting changes lives, connects communities and effects change. But good journalism is expensive to produce, and advertiser revenue throughout the media industry is falling and unable to carry the cost. That means we need you, our readers. We need your help. If you appreciate deep local reporting, powerful investigations and reliable, responsible information, we hope you will support us through a subscription. Please click here to subscribe.

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

Published

3 années ago

août 10, 2021

admin

Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline.

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors.

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity.

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement.

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level.

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet.

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

Published

3 années ago

juillet 23, 2021

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

Published

3 années ago

juillet 23, 2021

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.