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OSEA poll shows majority of Ontarians expect renewable energy by 2018 - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

OSEA poll shows majority of Ontarians expect renewable energy by 2018

Jun 24th, 2008 3:45 AM

Media Release – For Immediate Release Majority of Ontarians expect Ontario to get their energy from renewables by 2018 Poll results released as World Wind Energy Conference 2008 begins in Kingston, Ontario (Kingston, Ontario, June 24, 2008) Over 600 people have descended on the City of Kingston today as the World Wind Energy Conference 2008 kicked off with a series of sessions which included speakers Dr. David Suzuki, Hon. Vilas Muttemwar, Indian Minister for New and Renewable Energy and Hon. George Smitherman, Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. In support of the Conference, the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association released new polling results showing a majority of Ontarians anticipate getting their power from renewable sources by 2018. The poll was conducted between June 7 and June 9, 2008 and questioned 1,170 people across the province. It has a margin of error +/- 2.9%. According to the results, if a Green Energy Act were passed by the Ontario Government, 49% of respondents indicated that they would like to see renewable energy account for 74% of Ontario’s total electricity production. Similarly, 70% of respondents stated that they believe that at least 50% of Ontario’s electricity generation should be produced by renewables by 2018. “The results clearly demonstrate a strong desire among a majority of Ontarians to include renewable energy production as a central ingredient in any future discussion of the provincial power supply system,” said Kris Stevens, Executive Director, Ontario Sustainable Energy Association. “We hope the Ontario Government recognizes the benefits of renewable energy and move quickly toward building capacity.” The World Wind Energy Conference will last until this Thursday and features presentations on technology advances, policy innovation, governance, stakeholder engagement, and the benefits associated with Community Power projects. The Conference also provides an opportunity for companies and organizations associated with all forms of renewable energy technologies in North America and around the world to build awareness of their products and services. For a full conference agenda, to arrange an interview or to review the full text of the poll results, contact: Rebecca Black, World Wind Energy Conference 2008 media liaison +1 (416) 535-2586 / rebecca@wwec2008.com OSEA works to initiate, facilitate and support the work of local sustainable energy organizations through membership services, province wide capacity building and non-partisan policy work. They work to catalyze the efforts of community organizers and raise awareness of the benefits of community power and renewable energy through various communication channels and by offering a variety of workshops and guidebooks on topics World Wind Energy Conference 2008 - The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) in partnership with the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), St. Lawrence College (SLC) and the Government of Ontario presents the North American debut of the 7th Annual World Wind Energy Conference “Community Power: Energy Autonomy for Local Economies”, in Kingston Ontario, on June 24 – 26, 2008.