McGuinty says no to carbon tax

GUELPH, ONTARIO - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says the province won't join British Columbia in creating a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He says while a carbon tax is well suited for B.C.'s economy and the direction it wants to go in, Ontario is pursuing a different strategy.

McGuinty says that includes a renewed commitment to shutting down the province's biggest polluters – its coal-fired generating plants – which his Liberals failed to accomplish during their first term in government.

The premier says his government is also investing heavily in public transit, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area.

McGuinty wouldn't say whether he would consider a carbon tax in the future, but says it definitely won't be in the next provincial budget, expected in the spring.

Alberta, by far the largest greenhouse gas emitter in Canada, also opposes a carbon tax on consumers, which became a North American first when British Columbia introduced it in its budget.