TORONTO — Rachel Doran, executive director at Clean Energy Canada, made the following statement in response to the 2025 Ontario Budget.
“The Ontario government is rightly seeing this moment to prepare Ontario’s economy for the future. The 2025 budget has made some strategic investments but is missing out on one of the biggest opportunities: doubling down on Ontario’s clean economy.
“We welcome the $92 million of additional funding for the ChargeON program, which has successfully supported the construction of over 1,300 charge points to date. Building Ontario’s charging network is key to help Ontarians unlock the fuel cost savings EVs provide while keeping demand for EVs strong at a time when the industry is dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Using more homegrown Ontario electricity to fuel our vehicles—as opposed to gas imported from the U.S.—is also a critical path to a more energy secure future for the province. We urge the government to expand support for chargers in condos and apartment buildings, in addition to public roads and parking lots. This way, all Ontario drivers have access to cheap, convenient home charging, regardless of their housing situation.
“We were also pleased to see $500 million in a new critical minerals processing fund to ensure that minerals mined in Ontario are refined in Ontario. Canada has one of the most promising EV battery supply chains in the world, in large part due to our critical mineral wealth. This funding will help attract investment into the midstream portions of our supply chain where we have significant competitive advantages—and more trade opportunities beyond the U.S.—ensuring Ontario is adding value to its natural resources and positioning us to better compete with countries like China.
“Ontario’s continued leadership in expanding interprovincial trade—including through the newly announced $50 million to create the Ontario Together Trade Fund that will focus on supporting investments in infrastructure, equipment and processes—will help realize the vision of “one Canadian economy.” However, as the government takes steps to unlock new economic opportunities, clean growth sectors—such as EV manufacturing, critical minerals and clean energy—should be prioritized to position Ontario as an export leader in a world that is increasingly shifting to clean energy.
“Finally, while we agree Ontario’s housing build-out should pick up speed, this must not come at the cost of energy efficiency and affordability—two priorities this government has emphasized. Green Development Standards in leading Ontario municipalities play a vital role in unlocking these opportunities. Taking this authority from municipalities, as proposed in Bill 17, without implementing strong provincial standards for building clean, energy-efficient homes, will cost Ontario families more in the long run. We already have options to build with cleaner materials at similar costs and to reduce household bills by electrifying homes and allowing people to power their cars with cheap, clean electricity.
“Building our economy, strengthening the resilience of our supply chains and protecting household affordability are the right intentions for this political moment. But thoughtful execution is what will truly protect Ontarians and set our workers and economy up for long-term success.”
