Harper cuts EnerGuide.(Letter from Kitchener-Waterloo)

STUNNED NGOs, angry municipalities, bewildered academics and taken aback homeowners--all evidence of a disturbing development in the Conservative government's environmental policy. On May 12, 2006, Ottawa announced the termination of funding for the popular EnerGuide for Houses home energy efficiency program, creating a gaping hole in Canada's climate change policy. To fully understand the implications of this decision, it is necessary to consider the effects both nationally and locally.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Tories continue to reiterate their tiresome refrain that they prefer an accountable, science-based and "made-in-Canada" approach to climate change. Does EnerGuide for Houses meet these criteria? Certainly. EnerGuide for Houses is both very effective and very Canadian.

In the mid-1990s, the government of Canada worked with energy experts to develop a state-of-the-art system for rating the energy efficiency of homes and …