Deadline for Ontario’s green renovation rebate extended to October 30

A series of rebates offered by the Ontario government for energy-efficient renovations will be extended to October 30, Premier-designate Doug Ford announced Thursday.

The rebate will be honoured for homeowners who have a signed work agreement with a participating contractor for work to be completed by Oct. 30 or who submit a rebate application by September 30.

Otherwise, the Ontario government cancelled the rebates since the program was funded through proceeds from the cap-and-trade program, which Ford scrapped.

The Executive Director of Reep Green Solutions is sorry to see some of the incentives go.

“They were really moving us to the next level. There were incentives for solar and for heat pumps, including geothermal and that was great to see. Once you made your home more energy efficient, then your look at how you're generating that electricity…Those incentives are really going to be missed, I think.” said Mary Jane Patterson, Executive Director of Reep Green Solutions.

She says she was frustrated and disappointed to learn the province was doing away with the rebates, adding she was really proud of the climate action plan that the province had in place.

“It was really forward thinking and went beyond the usual election cycle…We need that, we really need that kind of vision and action on climate change, we need that leadership.” Patterson told The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS.

But she points out there are still some incentives in place, including the natural gas companies that have incentives for insulation, furnaces and windows.

with files from 680 NEWS