Carbon rebate 'double-double' helps Gananoque business

GANANOQUE – During a chilly, windy and cloudy Tuesday in Gananoque, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault took to the patio of Pistachio Café and announced the business would be receiving $10,000 as part of the Canada Carbon Rebate.

Jenn Lund, co-owner of the café, who was standing beside the minister, gasped. Then she did a double-take at Guilbeault.

“I didn’t know the number until he said it,” laughed an elated Lund afterwards. “And then I was like, ‘oh my goodness’, this is going to help so much!”

Guilbeault, Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change, was in Gananoque to announce that the latest quarterly Canada Carbon Rebate payments are being delivered to their bank accounts and mailboxes, with a one-time "double-double" rural top-up.

In the 2024 federal budget, the government doubled the rural top-up from 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the Canada Carbon Rebate base amount, in an effort to support Canadians who live in rural areas and small communities, as they often drive longer distances and have higher energy needs.

Given the delayed passage of the budget, on Tuesday, families received an added one-time 20 per cent to make up retroactively for the doubling of the rural top-up on the April 15 and July 15 payments, effectively adding a one-time 40 per cent top-up to the base amount of this quarter's Canada Carbon Rebate.

For a family of four in Gananoque, this means receiving a payment of $392 on Tuesday, and a total of $1,344 in Canada Carbon Rebates this fiscal year.

"The Canada Carbon Rebate is a cornerstone of our plan, which is holding big polluters accountable and putting money in the pockets of families – including here in Gananoque, Ontario, and other small towns across this country,” said Guilbeault.

“The facts are clear – every day, Canada's economy is growing stronger as we drive down emissions, thanks in large part to Canadians and their Canada Carbon Rebates."

The minister's visit comes as the Trudeau government lags in the polls and a federal election could be imminent. Atop the polls are Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives, who have made "axing" the carbon tax a key campaign promise.

The Liberals argue the Canada Carbon Rebate and the rural supplement are part of a broader government effort to ease financial pressures on Canadians while also supporting the government’s plan to combat climate change.

That’s music to the ears of the Lund family, who run a vegetarian and environmentally friendly café.

“I could see the things (the rebate) could go towards,” said Lund, still smiling from the news. “Because in the back of your mind, every day, you’re thinking to yourself, ‘how am I going to pay for that’, or, ‘is there interest on that?’ It all gets stressful. But knowing that (rebate) is coming, allows me to breathe easy tonight.”

Pistachio Café opened in 2021 on King Street East. The business is operated by Jenn and her brother, James, and the building is owned by their father, Jim.

“So, we’re still new, still paying off the debts, the loaning of the equipment, etc., so this rebate can go towards so many things, helping keep us open, helping us be a safe space for the community,” said Lund.

Keith Dempsey is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Brockville Recorder and Times. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Title image: From left, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault poses with James and Jenn Lund, co-owners of Pistachio Cafe in Gananoque. The minister was in Gananoque to talk about the latest quarterly Canada Carbon Rebate payments. KEITH DEMPSEY/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter