OTTAWA - The federal government is expected to produce a flurry of environment-related announcements in the next week or two, but they won't necessarily come from the new environment minister.
Sources say Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn -- rather than John Baird -- is set to announce several green-energy programs, including incentives to make houses more energy-efficient.
Planners at the Prime Minister's Office have tentatively set dates for three announcements: one related to heating on Wednesday, another on the theme of "renewables'' for Friday and another on energy efficiency next week, said a non-government source familiar with the plan, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
However, Prime Minister Stephen Harper might choose make some of the announcements himself, as the Conservative government attempts a green makeover following the departure of former environment minister Rona Ambrose from the key portfolio.
Baird, meanwhile, has been consulting interest groups, including the NDP last week in Vancouver, as he charts a new course for Tory environmental strategy.
Some of the imminent programs could resemble Liberal programs cancelled over the past year, and given new names.
Environmentalists say there's no shame in reviving good ideas even if they were originally implemented by another party.
"I don't think it will be a surprise to see old programs in new dress,'' said Julia Langer of the World Wildlife Fund. "There aren't that many programs possible.''
The coming round of initiatives is expected to rely on subsidies and regulation, not taxation, although many experts consider taxes a vital tool in changing energy-use behaviour.
A study by the David Suzuki Foundation says the federal government could cut 72 kilotonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year by placing a six per cent tax rebate on appliances that qualify as efficient under the Energy Star program. Appliances that don't meet the standard would be slapped with a six per cent fee.
Pierre Sadik, an analyst at the foundation, said tax policies could be used in the same way for many other products, applying the "polluter pay'' principle in the marketplace.
