Reader submitted question via the Saanich News Facebook site: How prepared is Canada going to be for peak oil?
Jared Giesbrecht (Green, Victoria) – "We're not very prepared. And how we're going to be prepared depends on how we're going to respond in the next few years. It's a matter of conservation and responsible management of these resources. One of the steps is a moratorium on oil and gas expansion, and then investments in alternate clean energy. We can turn our environmental challenges into economic opportunities."
Gary Lunn (Conservative, Saanich-Gulf Islands, incumbent) – "We have 15 per cent of the world's known oil reserves. We still have very, very large reserves that would last literally for decades. I think the more important answer is that it won't impact Canada. What we need to do is lead the world in becoming energy efficient, decreasing our dependancy, showing the world we can use technologies on so many different fronts."
Denise Savoie (NDP, Victoria, incumbent) – "The previous Liberal government gave lip service to alternative energy, but continued subsidizing the oil industry. The Conservatives have, despite their agreement at G8, done the same. We need a strong, green vision to put a price on carbon, and use the proceeds from that to move towards a green economy. It's clear that we need a transition and we're going to need to use the oil we have left to continue to build the infrastructure for that green economy."
Lillian Szpak (Liberal, Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca) – "What are we doing, as a society, to change our behaviour for when peak oil happens? Looking at infrastructure spending on alternative modes of transportation – improved road networks, HOV lanes, more funding for transit, bike lanes. Giving people travel choices, so they don't have to be reliant on their cars to get around. This is a societal problem. Not a one-off (solution) from government."