North to supply minerals for EV manufacturing in southern Ontario, minister says
At the same time a major electric vehicle announcement was being made in southern Ontario on Thursday, a federal minister was in northern Ontario hyping his government’s spending in the same sector.
Ahmed Hussen, Minister for International Development, was in the city continuing his northern tour, highlighting the 2024 federal budget.
This time he was speaking about incentives for those purchasing electric vehicles.
“The $607 million top-up to the incentive program is certainly going to encourage more people to consider electric vehicle acquisition and continuing down that road,” Hussen said.
“We need a cleaner environment and we owe it to this and future generations and that’s exactly what we’re doing to make that happen.”
Reducing emissions in the long term was key for future generations, he said. Hussen was joined at the podium by Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré and a half dozen Sudbury high school students.
Both federal politicians said northern Ontario will play a key role in manufacturing plans for the electric vehicle market.
“Greater Sudbury is a big part of that need,” Serré said.
“To make sure that we have the copper, the nickel, the lithium from northwestern Ontario. So we wanted to make sure we highlight a lot of those initiatives because these manufacturing batteries and EV vehicles in southern Ontario need to be fed by the mines and the supply and services companies here.”
Devin Arthur, an electric vehicle advocate from Sudbury and the director of government relations for EV Society, said there are still gaps, particularly in parts of northern Ontario.
Arthur said money needs to get into the hands of those who want to build charging stations, but it’s hard to make a case for getting charging stations in certain areas.
“Some of these businesses come back with: what’s the benefit to us? Do we really want this? Is this the technology that’s going to be used in the future?” Arthur said.
“But the reality is the money is there, we just need to get it into the hands of those who want to install the stations.”
The 2022 federal budget committed almost $4 billion for a critical mineral strategy, which it said set a course for Canada to become a global supplier of critical minerals and the clean technologies they enable.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
DEVELOPING Israel says Hamas deal is 'far' from meeting its demands as Rafah offensive looms
Israel said the terms of a ceasefire deal Hamas accepted on Monday remained 'far from' meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Concern over speeding in Fredericton neighbourhood grows after 2 teens, young adult killed in crash
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.