Wealthy, educated Canadians are worried about the threat of global warming - but not enough to give up their gas-guzzling SUVs or lower the thermostats in their homes, a poll being made public today suggests.

The online poll of 3,500 people conducted by Angus Reid Strategies suggests one-third of Canadians consider climate change to be the most important issue facing humanity.

The only other time the environment was this important to the nation was in the late 1980s, when fears about acid rain and overflowing landfills gave rise to widespread blue box programs, said chief executive Angus Reid.

"The environment has moved back into first place," Reid said yesterday. "And there is no question it has huge staying power."

But even though respondents said they are more concerned about the environment than the health of the economy, Reid said the survey - details of which were to be made public today in Montreal - suggests well-educated and wealthy Canadians are the most reluctant to change their behaviour to help the environment.

Most respondents weren't interested in driving more fuel-efficient cars, lowering the thermostat in their homes, cutting down on air travel or shortening the length of their morning showers, he said.

The same respondents played down Canada's contribution to climate change, pointing the finger at India and China as bigger polluters, he added.

"People who are wealthier and well educated often have the most to give up. They're also able to rationalize this thing away," Reid said. "But all those things that have come to be considered part of an affluent lifestyle are threatened."

Those people are going to be pitted against the growing number of green converts who were reflected in the poll, Reid said. The survey suggested people in Quebec were the most concerned about the environment and willing to do something about it, while Albertans were the least green-minded.

Three-quarters of Ontario respondents said they were convinced global warming was occurring and almost half said they worried it would significantly affect their lives.

The survey polled a sample of people online this month and is considered to be accurate plus or minus 1.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Chris Winter, executive director of the Conservation Council of Ontario, said that despite all the talk about the importance of the environment, there is plenty of evidence that some people aren't taking that to heart.

"You look all around us. you see Hummers, SUVs and everybody with their lights on at all hours of the night," he said.

"That would indicate that the message hasn't got through yet."

But Winter said it's just a matter of time. Right now, it's easier to convince someone to replace a fluorescent bulb with an energy-efficient one than it is to pry away the keys to a Hummer, he said.

That may change as global warming becomes a reality, Winter said.

"It's only going to become more predominant as gas prices continue to rise," he said. "This is just the tip of what we're going to be seeing."

David Martin, energy co-ordinator with Greenpeace, said he's optimistic that if people are truly concerned about the state of the environment, then a change in attitude can't be far behind.

Those well-educated, wealthy Canadians are the ones who are in the best position to "go green" by retrofitting their home or buying a hybrid car, he said.

"More disposable income gives you greater choice in green technologies," Martin said.

© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007

Tories may tinker with rebate

MIKE DE SOUZA, CanWest News Service

Published: Thursday, March 22, 2007

The Conservative government is ready to make changes to ensure its fuel efficiency program of rebates and taxes for new passenger vehicles is fair and effective, Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said yesterday.

The plan, unveiled in Monday's federal budget, offers an incentive of up to $2,000 for fuel-

efficient cars and a "scrappage" program for older cars that would be financed by a tax of up to $4,000 on most gas-guzzling vehicles.

But industry analysts have suggested the program doesn't go far enough because it only covers about 10 per cent of the cars on the Canadian market.

"We're going to be monitoring this quite closely," Cannon said at a news conference with Environment Minister John Baird and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. "We will see how this goes and if need be, adjustments will be made in the future. But we had to start somewhere."

While the three ministers staged their news conference at a Transport Canada test centre, using fuel-efficient vehicles that were eligible for the rebate as a backdrop, none of them could explain why they hadn't compiled a list of vehicles that would be subject to the tax.

"Finance or Transport should be able to give (the information)," Baird said.

While Transport Canada has posted a list of cars on its website, www.tc.gc.ca, that are eligible for the rebate, a government official, who asked not to be named, said it was not as easy to compile the list of gas guzzlers without making mistakes, adding that it might be available in a few days or weeks.

The budget calls for a "green levy" of $1,000 on passenger vehicles with a fuel efficiency rating of 13 L/100 km, up to a maximum tax of $4,000 for vehicles with a rating of at least 16 L/100 km.

Trucks are not subject to the new tax.

"In the States, we see additional weight being put on SUVs so that they are classified as a truck. I don't know if that's what's going to happen here, but that's another concern that I have," said Christine Schuh, Canadian climate change leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers. "I think this is a budget that has been geared to basically try and get them re-elected."

Flaherty said trucks were excluded from the tax to avoid penalizing Canadians who use them for work.

Meantime, Baird said he wasn't worried about opposition threats to bring down the minority government if it refuses to accept recommendations from a Commons committee to impose tough targets that would force major industries to slash air pollution and greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

"I'm not going to predict what the committee will and won't do. We'll take it one day at a time," Baird said. "We have eight votes of confidence this week and next. We'll put all our focus on those eight votes of confidence."

NDP environment critic Nathan Cullen said he has found a lot of common ground with his counterparts from the Liberal Party and Bloc Quebecois regarding amendments to the government's proposed legislation to fight air pollution and climate change.

A special Commons committee will begin its final review of the legislation today.

© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007

Pulling apart Saturday 17 February 2007

Movies NTY Dreaming in Italian
Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini. Don't you just love the Italian language? Journalists were treated to test drives of various alternative fuel concept vehicles at the show in Los Angeles.

Wednesday 22 November 2006 OTTAWA: STONED DRIVERS TO BE CRACKDOWN TARGET
The Canadian government has introduced legislation to crack down on drug-impaired drivers. The legislation imposes several steps to detect if a driver is impaired, starting with a roadside test. If a driver appears to be impaired, police officers would take the person to be examined by an officer especially trained to recognize signs of drug use. The next step would be a blood or urine sample. Canada's justice minister, Vic Toews, says such demands are well within the constitution. The opposition New Democratic Party disputes that, fearing that some of the legislation could infringe on freedoms guaranteed under the Charter of Rights.

Saturday 11 November 2006 OTTAWA: GOVT. TO CRACK DOWN ON 'HIGH' DRIVING
Meanwhile, Mr. Harper says his government will present legislation to crack down on drivers who are under the influence of illegal drugs. Mr. Harper says the legislation will be introduced in the week after next and will give police more tools to detect "high" drivers, as well as to increase penalties for such behaviour. The prime minister says that just as once governments acted on the problem of drunk driving, the time has come to do the same toward those driving under the influence of drugs.

Friday 13 October 2006 ts Cellphone ban for new drivers on track
A private member's bill that would ban new drivers from using cellphones and MP3 players behind the wheel of a car is one step closer to becoming law after passing through the Ontario legislature today. [lets say all drivers! DTN]

Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary
Auto Sector Still has Underlying Strength - August 23, 2006
It’s hard to get a fix on the underlying situation in Canada’s automotive sector. One day there are announcements of massive production cuts, plant closings and layoffs. The next day, a major new investment is announced. So, where do things stand, really? Past issues | his WN page

Saturday May 20, 2006 Pedal to the metal
In the last three years, the big midwestern U.S. auto states — Michigan, Ohio and Indiana — have lost 64,500 auto sector jobs. By contrast, Ontario has fared much better.

Cars to automatically detect speed limit The system, expected to debut in as-yet-undisclosed cars in 2008, includes an onboard camera that reads speed limit signs. After it spots a sign, the system uses the car's navigation system to check whether the number it detected is plausible: Should the speed limit really be 55 in this urban zone?

Monday Apr 17, 2006 nyt Life in the Green Lane By JAMIE LINCOLN KITMAN
Just because a car has so-called hybrid technology doesn't mean it's doing more to help the environment or to reduce the country's dependence on oil.

Thursday Feb 9, 2006 ts Bill seeks ban on cell use while driving
Durham MPP John O'Toole says he's sick and tired of people being killed or injured while using cellphones in their cars and wants action. Jim Wilkes reports.

Friday Feb 3, 2006 ts Gains Seen in Redesign of S.U.V.'s
By JEREMY W. PETERS
Deaths fell by nearly half when S.U.V.'s were lowered by as little as half an inch or equipped with impact-absorbing bars below the bumpers.\

Tue 2/7/2006 ts Mom on cell as SUV skidded
Police say Cassandra Read was talking on her cellphone when her car slid on an icy road and into a canal near Bradford where she and her 4-year-old son drowned. Jim Wilkes reports.

Tuesday Jan 31, 2006 wn

At Davos, while the glitterati (including, of course, Brad and Angelina) glitter, the pundits pontificate and Sir Richard Branson revels in his first experience of the event, the UN unveiled an ambitious plan to release untapped wealth of $7 trillion (and solve the world's problems at a stroke) , and Bono has unveiled a brand called RED designed to finance the fight against AIDS

Speaking of plans, we hope that some, if not all of you, saw Tom Friedman's wonderful proposal (New York Times, Jan. 27) for getting rid of SUVs and solving a good part of the gas consumption problem. "I propose creating a government agency that will buy up any gas-guzzling car or truck in America at the original new or used price, and crush it. This national buy-back program will be financed by a $2-a-gallon gasoline tax that will be phased in by 10 cents a month beginning in 2008 - so people know what is coming and start buying fuel-efficient cars right now." And his conclusion is positively delicious: "One last thing: I have accepted the resignation of Vice President Dick Cheney, who felt he could not be a salesman for the Energy Freedom Act. I am nominating Jeffrey Immelt — the C.E.O. of General Electric, who has focused G.E.'s innovation around "eco-imagination" — as Mr. Cheney's replacement."

Monday Jan 30, 2006 nyt G.M. Posts Worst Loss Since 1992
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
General Motors reported an $8.6 billion loss for 2005 on Thursday, rounding out one of the worst weeks in Detroit's recent memory.

Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 maisonneuve.org SMALL CONSOLATION
The Star, the Citizen, the Post and the Globe all lead their business sections with Ford’s latest round of job cuts and plant closures in North America. While job losses are never a good thing, the Big Seven finds solace in the fact that the cuts in Canada were not as drastic as feared. Ford has said it will cut its North American workforce by 30 percent (30,000 jobs), but only 1,200 were announced in Canada with the elimination of one shift at the St. Thomas plant in Ontario. Ford also confirmed that it will go ahead with plans to close a facility in Windsor, Ontario. With Ford’s big Canadian plants right in their backyard, it’s not surprising that the Star editorial staff gave this story the most play, including a front-section

2005

Thursday Dec 8, 2005 ts Ford cuts may be bigger than expected
Ford will likely cut more of its North American operations than initially expected, raising questions about its Canadian operations, reports Tony Van Alphen.

Thursday Nov 3, 2005 ts Big Three sales dip below 50%
For the first time in Canadian auto history, General Motors of Canada Ltd., Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. and DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc., have slipped below 50 per cent of Canadian market share. Tony Van Alphen reports.

Tuesday Oct 4, 2005 nyt Big S.U.V.=s Lag in Sales, Hindered by Gas Cost
By DANNY HAKIM
Sales of sport utility vehicles fell 43 percent last month as consumers reacted to surging gasoline prices and auto companies ended discount offers.

Tuesday Sep 27, 2005 globe Spanish city gets high-tech buggies
Alfredo Romeo, co-founder of the Blobject company, sits on a tourist buggie in Cordoba. The vehicle boasts GPS positioning technology that tells the computer where it is so it can provide background on nearby attractions through its tactile screen and audio system, giving information in Spanish, English and French.

Monday, September 26, 2005 gaz Tiny engine could be major advance
Quasiturbine, a local invention, is hailed as fuel-efficient, clean and inexpensive

Sunday Sep 25, 2005 ts Five cheap used cars ? good on gas
Now that gasoline prices have gone into the stratosphere, it may be time to rethink what you drive to work.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 gaz Can this man save the world?
Everyone wants to cut car emissions. Sooner or later, someone will find a way to do it. Joe Williams hopes it's him.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 rci HAMILTON: FORD CANADA OFFERING 'A GOOD DEAL FOR BAD TIMES' Unionized workers at Ford Canada looked hard on Saturday at a new three-year contract that offers the lowest wage increase in the company's history. The increase is CDN$1.05 an hour over the length of the contract. But union leaders were still urging workers to accept what they called a good deal for bad times. Ford has lost three per cent of its share of the North American auto market in the last three years. The Canadian contract offer also foresees job cuts, most of them in Windsor, Ontario. A plant in Windsor employing 700 workers is slated to close in 2008. The head of the Canadian Auto Workers union, Buzz Hargrove, said that the proposed contract was the result of difficult negotiations. The union lost one of its traditional bargaining chips when the Canadian dollar went up in value against the American dollar, eliminating a cost advantage that Canadian products and services enjoyed. Workers will vote on the deal on Sunday.

Monday Sep 19, 2005 nyt

AUTOMOBILES
	Multimedia Feature: Frankfurt Auto Show Are European automakers ready to get serious about hybrid technology? And have you seen the new Porsche?

Tuesday Sep 7, 2004 ec

Perpetual motion For much of the 20th century, carmaking was the “industry of industries”. Now it has to reinvent itself, says Iain Carson

Wednesday Aug 24, 2005 nyt Slight Shift for S.U.V. in New Rule on Mileage
By DANNY HAKIM and JOHN M. BRODER
The White House released a plan to overhaul fuel economy regulations for sport utility vehicles. Environmental groups responded with harsh criticism.

Saturday Jul 30, 2005 Fuel-cell industry on a roll
The head of Ballard Power Systems Inc. says Canada`s fuel-cell industry, after hitting some rough patches over the years, is regaining momentum despite naysayers who continue to dismiss the hydrogen economy as wishful thinking.

Thursday Jul 21, 2005 rci Manitoba's transport minister, Ron Lemieux, says his department is weighing the possibility of banning the use of cellular telephones for drivers. Mr. Lemieux says it's too soon to predict the outcome. The minister says the government could either impose a total ban or allow drivers to use "hands-free" technology. Mr. Lemieux also says he wants to study measures in effect in other jurisdictions. Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province to ban use of hand-held cell phones in vehicles altogether.

Tuesday Jul 19, 2005 Iacocca, Away From the Grind, Still Has a Lot to Say
By DANNY HAKIM
After remaining silent during Detroit's recent doldrums, Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler chairman, is talking about cars again.
[I Am Chairman Of Chrysler Cars of America.]

Friday Jul 1, 2005 globe
The car that drives itself (humans optional)
By designing a vehicle that can drive itself, it may look like the engineers at Volkswagen are going off on some strange but entertaining tangent.

Monday May 23, 2005 ts
Synthetic oils not always cost-effective choice
Q According to Motrlube, oil change intervals can be extended to 60,000 km between changes using their full-synthetic oil, with filter changes at the automaker`s suggested intervals. Other companies, like Amsoil, make similar claims.

Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary
Auto Sector Stronger than it Appears - May 18, 2005
Canada’s export outlook is pretty positive this year, given that the global economy is in the best shape it has been in for over eight years. But a key soft spot is the very important auto sector. Past issues

c|net Car_technology/

Apr 1, 2005 tt Self-Steering Cars A Possibility in the UK
Light Bulbs Soon Obsolete

Saturday Apr 16, 2005 globe Cellphone parking enjoying spot duty Using a mobile phone to pay on the lot starting to catch on, albeit slowly

Thursday Jan 6, 2005 China plans to start exporting cars to the United States---the cars would be the first made in China to sell in that country. The government-owned Chery Automobile Company has signed a deal with Visionary Vehicles of New York to export cars. The firm hopes to sell a quarter of a million cars to Americans by 2007. The chief executive of Visionary is an automotive entrepreneur named Malcolm Bricklin. Thirty years ago, he began a short-lived venture to produce sports cars bearing his name in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The province sank millions into the venture before Bricklin's firm went bankrupt.

Monday Jan 3, 2005 ad Hang up and drive? Give me a break!
LIVING IT: If Brian wants to talk on his cell phone, send e-mail, and sip a latte while he's driving, why shouldn't he (as long as he doesn't cause any crashes)? Plus: Why HDTV still has a long way to go. General Motors of Canada Ltd. and Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. have not told workers about any new temporary stoppages in production here.

A Swedish company called Autoliv is working on the first under-hood air bag, which pops out to cushion the pedestrian you hit. The system also pops the hood open slightly if it detects you have hit someone. [Good for those idiots who drive and talk on cellphones] more

Sunday Sep 19, 2004 cbc
SUV PLOWS ONTO MONTREAL SIDEWALK, KILLS 2 An out-of-control sport utility vehicle knocked down pedestrians "like bowling pins" at a busy Montreal intersection Friday, instantly killing an 83-year-old man.

Tuesday Aug 31, 2004 This morning on the Interstate, I looked over to my left and there was a woman in a brand new Cadillac doing 65 mph with her face up next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner.
I looked away for a couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that makeup.
As a man, I don't scare easily. But she scared me so much; I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of my other hand.
In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my cell phone away from my ear which fell into the coffee between my legs, splashed, and burned Big Ed and the Twins, ruined the damn phone, soaked my trousers, and disconnected an important call.
Damn women drivers thanks to Ron Meisels

Wednesday 31 Mar 2004 ts
Steering to safety Should anyone over the age of 65 be behind the wheel of a car?
Based on his recent study published in the Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, Robert Hopkins estimated there are at least 45,000 drivers with dementia on Ontario roads today. He also forecast that number would increase to nearly 100,000 by 2028, emphasized that the system for detecting drivers with dementia is inadequate and called for better ways to assess older drivers.

Friday 11 Jun 2004 arc Paris Goes After SUVs
PARIS - Bulky four-by-fours could be banned from clogging up the chic streets of Paris after a top official in the capital's left-wing government described them as a polluting "caricature of a car" unsuited to city life.

Friday Apr 16, 2004 Road traffic deaths

Sunday 14 Mar 2004 cbcCAR'S BLACK BOX CONVICTS DANGEROUS DRIVER
For the first time in a Canadian court, a data recorder in a car was used to convict a man in Montreal of dangerous driving causing death.
The data recorder, also known as a black box, records the last few seconds of driving before a car's air bag deploys. In an accident in 2001 in Montreal, the black box in Eric Gauthier's car proved that he was driving 131 km/h in a 50 km/h zone when his vehicle hit Yacine Zinet's car, killing him and injuring a passenger. ...It also records other information, such as whether the driver was wearing a seatbelt and the force of the collision. [the hell with Privacy concerns you should use a seatbelt and be lawful! DTN]

Monday 29 Mar 2004 TORONTO: ECO GROUP LISTS BEST GREEN CARS A list has been released of the most and the least environmentally-friendly vehicles on the road. It was put together by Environmental Defence Canada, a Toronto-based eco group. It says the "greenest" vehicle is the Toyota Prius hybrid car, which is powered by an electric motor and a small gasoline engine. The second and third spots are occupied by two Honda hybrids -- the Insight and Civic. Sarah Winterton, the EDC's program director, says the Big Three are "really lagging behind" Toyota and Honda in developing green cars. On the other side of the coin, the EDC says the "meanest" or dirtiest vehicle is Volkswagen's diesel-powered Toureg SUV. Next is the Land Rover Range Rover.

Sunday 14 Mar 2004 bbcCars enjoy hi-tech entertainment
In-car entertainment is starting to rival what the best airlines can offer, reports BBC ClickOnline's North America Correspondent, Ian Hardy. ...."We're also building in 20GB hard drives Now you can take your home movies, and potentially other DVDS, record them onto a disc, record them onto a unit and keep them in the car. Now you don't actually have to bring in the DVD or the discs."

Jan 2004 rci
TORONTO: CANADIAN AUTO SALES FOR BIG 3 SLUMP IN DECEMBER Canadian car sales slumped in last year for North America's Big Three Automakers. General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler say total new car and light truck sales in Canada were down 6.4 per cent from the record 1.7 million units sold in 2002. Auto industry analysts say the decline is a loss of market share to Toyota and Nissan, both of which posted record Canadian sales for 2003.

2003

Wednesday Dec 31, 2003 econ
America's motor industry The year of the car
troit's Big Three are serious about making cars again

Wednesday Oct 1, 2003 cbc
POLICE SOBER UP DRIVERS WITH VICTIMS' PHOTOS A police program in the Belleville area is using the photos of local victims to remind motorists that drinking and driving can kill.

Wednesday Oct 1, 2003 cbc
SILVER CARS LESS LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS: STUDY Avoid brown, green or black as colours for your car, if you want to reduce your risk of being in a serious accident, according to a new study.

Wednesday Oct 1, 2003 cbc
BIG THREE MARKET SHARE TO FALL THROUGH 2004: SCOTIABANK REPORT The Big Three automakers - Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler - will continue to see their market share fall over the next year in Canada and the United States, a Scotiabank economist said Tuesday.

Wednesday Oct 1, 2003 cbc
MANITOBA LOOKING AT BIOMETRIC DATA ON DRIVER'S LICENCES Manitoba is considering using biometric information such as retinal scans, fingerprints and facial features on its new driver's licences.

Thursday Sep 4, 2003 cbc
AIR BAGS WITH HEAD PROTECTION CUT DEATHS IN HALF: STUDY Side air bags that include head protection reduce deaths by 45 per cent among drivers, according to an insurance institute.

Friday Aug 22, 2003 cbc

'HYDROGEN HIGHWAY' FROM MONTREAL TO WINDSOR Canadian fuel cell companies say they're ready to build a hydrogen corridor between Windsor and Montreal so hydrogen-powered vehicles can fill up on the 900 km stretch.

Friday Aug 8, 2003 bbc
California eyes SUV ban
German cars 'not reliable' German cars, once famed for their reliability, have been given the thumbs down in a survey by Which? magazine.
Leading brands such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz all fared worse in the magazine's annual reliability survey than in recent times.

Tuesday Jul 15, 2003
A woman was killed in a traffic accident in the south-west of Montreal Monday night.
The driver was thrown from her four-wheel drive vehicle which fell on her. She was taken to the hospital where she died a few hours later.

Tuesday Jul 15, 2003 BAGSHOT: CANADA'S GENOCIDE PROPOSAL ACCEPTED The leaders of 14 nations have accepted a Canadian initiative aimed at preventing genocide and ethnic cleansing. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien presented the proposal at the Progressive Governance Summit at Bagshot, England. The leaders discussed a wide range of policies during the two-day conference, including health and education. Mr. Chrétien says the measures he has proposed could have helped prevent the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Under his proposal, criteria are to be set to trigger coercive action in a country's internal affairs by the world community. The coercion would not necessarily be of a military nature, but military action isn't excluded. The 14 leaders meeting in England say they want to focus on preventing such tragedies as that of Rwanda by monitoring warning signs.

Tuesday Jul 15, 2003
California eyes SUV ban
California could lead the United States in outlawing sports utility vehicles (SUVs).
The big four-wheel-drive cars are often depicted as Public Enemy Number One by environmentalists because of their high petrol consumption.
While green activists praise the proposal as a major step forward, critics predict the legislation will fail because SUVs are so popular with drivers. [ Now here's GOOD news if they get away with it DTN]

Friday Jun 27, 2003 w-n
U.K. TO BAN TALKING ON CELLPHONES WHILE DRIVING Britain is stepping up its campaign against drivers who use cellphones while driving.

see w-n on SUVs