Carbon Market - Minister Heurtel Warmly Welcomes the Appointment of Two Ontario Representatives to the Board of Directors of the Western Climate Initiative, Inc.

Québec, August 5, 2015 – The Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, David Heurtel, warmly welcomes Ontario’s decision to appoint two Assistant Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Jim Whitestone and Robert Fleming, to the Board of Directors of the non-profit Western Climate Initiative, Inc. (WCI, Inc.), whose mission is to facilitate the joint management of its members’ greenhouse gas emission cap-and-trade systems.

“In making these appointments, Ontario is joining Québec and California on the board of WCI Inc and is taking a major step in the direction of setting up a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emission allowances. It is thus demonstrating the attractiveness of this approach as a growth and sustainable development instrument for our economies at a time when several Canadian provinces and U.S. states are considering carbon pricing. It is by coordinating our efforts that we will be in a position to work together to counter climate change and ensure a better quality of life for our children,” stated Minister Heurtel.

The mission of the WCI, Inc. is to provide administrative, consulting and technical services to U.S. states and Canadian provinces and territories regarding the development and implementation of their respective greenhouse gas emission cap-and-trade systems. Québec, California and British Columbia are all founding members of this body, whose Board of Directors is comprised of directors from each of these governments.

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Guillaume Bérubé

Press Officer

Cabinet of the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change

Media Relations

Ministère du Développement durable,

de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre

les changements climatiques