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A Summary of the Developing a Voluntary Carbon Offsets Program for OntarioDiscussion PaperOn December 5th, 2017, RSMIN was forwarded the EBR link 013-1634, “Developing a Voluntary Carbon Offsets Program for Ontario”. The Voluntary Carbon Offsets Program for Ontario is currently in the beginning stages of development, therefore the MOECC is looking to receive feedback and innovative ideas from our community to help steer the program’s development. The discussion paper highlights the purpose of the program and how it will help to combat climate change. The paper also outlines how the Voluntary Offset credits differ from the Cap and Trade off set credits; please see the link for full details addition, the discussion paper provides a list of 8 questions as jumping off point to get input from indigenous communities and the general public. The following report will summarize both the information provided within the discussion paper as well as the information provided by staff of the Indigenous Relations Branch of the MOECC. The province of Ontario is starting the transition to a “carbon neutral” starting January 1st, 2018. To reach the goal of being carbon neutral, Ontario is developing the Voluntary Carbon Offset Program that will be specific to the province of Ontario. Once the program is developed it will provide Ontario and the private sector the opportunity to reduce both their carbon and ecological footprints. Participating in this program will also promote broader environmental co-benefits, support climate resilient communities and support the innovation while transitioning to a low carbon economy. This program is entirely separate from the international “Cap and Trade” Offset Program, which involves compliance grade offset credits.The Voluntary Offset credits will be purchased by the Province of Ontario and private businesses looking to reduced their Green House Gases (GHG) emissions voluntarily. A single Voluntary Offset Credit will be equal to 1 tonne of GHG emissions reductions (sequestered or avoided). At this stage of development, the MOECC is working toward finding the most efficient way to quantify the exact amount of GHG emission reductions for a specific project. Since each offset project will be different, there is no existing method to easily determine the amount of avoided or sequestered carbon for any given project. Currently, statistical models must be created for each proposed project to determine how many offset credits it would produce. These models can be created by private contractors BUT this process is not yet regulated by the government so the quality of these models is entirely dependent on the contractor. Ontario is hoping that Voluntary Offset credits will provide several benefits to our environment including, reducing GHG emissions, protecting ecosystem services and building a province that is resistant to climate change. Since the program is in such early stages of development the MOECC has not created a definitive list of what constitutes an Offset Project that could be purchased for Voluntary Offset Credits. Though some potential offset projects include:Wetland Conservation and RestorationRe-creating and/or Rehabilitating Natural Systems (Re-planting an barren area with the proper native vegetation, closing a land file etc.)This program is in the very beginning stages of development, and the MOECC is looking for input and ideas on how to develop this program. RSMIN will be providing comments back to the MOECC on this discussion paper on January 11th, 2017. If you would like to provide input on this topic or are looking for more information please contact Kayla Searle at (807) 623-4635 ext. 220 or at environmentalcoordinator@rsmin.ca. The information the MOECC is looking for includes: What types of Offset Programs should the government focus on?How does the RSMIN community want to see Traditional Knowledge incorporated into program? On an offset project basis? Within the programs standards and regulations?Does the RSMIN community want to participate in the technical development of this program?Do RSMIN have any citizens wanting to create and manage offsets?Do citizens need more information about the program before they can decide on how they would to participate?Is the creation of Offset Credits a Valued Community Component? ................
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