On November 6, CPA's Atlantic Government Relations Director Jean-Francois Duguay and Vice President, Government Relations Allan Murphy met with Hon. Derek Mombourquette, recently appointed minister of energy and mines, to discuss the propane advantage in Nova Scotia. The minister was joined by his Deputy Minister Simon d’Entremont.

 

The focus of the presentation included a review of the recent Conference Board of Canada Report (CPA members, watch for your copy tomorrow!) which outlined the important contribution the propane industry makes to the economy both nationally as well as in Atlantic Canada.

 

Mombourquette was very interested in some of the key findings from the market study, including the fact that 20,000 plus households in Atlantic Canada rely on propane as their primary and affordable source of heating fuel.

It was also discussed that approximately $197 million dollars in propane sales occurs in Atlantic Canada. The industry also provides direct employment for over 1,000 families (labour income is worth $30 million in Atlantic Canada) and provides over $20 million to Atlantic Canadian governments in revenue every year.

 

Beyond the statistics themselves, the minister was briefed about opportunities the expanded use of propane can bring to the province of Nova Scotia. For example, by implementing a program that would incentivize consumers to switch from oil to low-emission propane, the result would be immediate environmental benefits with the reduction of about 38 per cent in GHGs. There would also be wide-spread economic benefits, as expanding the propane footprint would result in the creation of good paying jobs throughout the province.

 

The CPA will follow up these discussions with meetings with other senior officials to continue promoting low-emission propane.