Colin Guldimann

Sustainable Finance @ RBC, formerly RBC Economic & Climate Action Institute, former public servant. Views are my own.

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

@TMFanSupport bought tickets to Tove Lo Estrus Tour in Toronto. Wanted to exchange for GA Floor, but call centre said I can’t because the floor tickets are $1 cheaper. Help!

[Nick Bloom @I_Am_NickBloom]

Important paper showing the gains to mothers and society from WFH. A 10% increase in WFH is shown to increase mothers employment by 1%. This is particularly true in professions which are more family unfriendly, like finance and marketing. Two implications:

1) WFH is driving faster economic growth by increasing the labor-supply of mothers. This is a huge benefit to society, and likely one reason for the post-pandemic surge in US economic growth.

2) WFH supports children's development by allowing parents to spend more time with them. This provides individual family benefits, and also wider social and economic benefits.

So the big-name CEOs and Politicians claiming WFH is damaging growth have got it 100% wrong. WFH is likely powering the current economic boom by increasing labor supply and productivity, while also improving personal and family time.

Paper: https://t.co/Izk1XjpQIK

[Matt Elliott @GraphicMatt]

New data from the city suggests the presence of traffic agents on the King Street transit corridor reduced average eastbound streetcar travel time in the evening rush from 45-65 minutes to 17-21 minutes.

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

And in Toronto it takes 45 mins to go 10 blocks on the 504, and we give them tickets for blocking intersections while drivers unabashedly do so every light cycle at King and Bay all day 🙄

[Brent Toderian @BrentToderian]

Paris is getting a whole new Metro network. It’s huge. And built fast.

“The venerable Paris Métro is about to get its most significant upgrade in decades with the arrival of the Grand Paris Express, a new 200km system with 4 new lines & 68 new stations.”
https://t.co/ytTP5zX9RO

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

Now if only Toronto would extend & strengthen the King Street pilot. Fewer cars & (no) parking on King, faster transit, more spending for businesses.

[Hayden @the_transit_guy]

Last December, when NYC made 11 blocks around Rockefeller Center car-free for 3 days, businesses saw $1 million more in spending than other days. Due to its success, the city is now proposing to redesign Fifth Ave. Why? Because fewer cars are better for business and people!

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

Seeing this @FedEx electric truck in Toronto made my commute (on foot!) way better. Transition is happening!

[Ian Griffiths @icgee]

Swiss officials reported to our study group that ridership has fully recovered in Switzerland - it now *exceeds* 2019 levels. They explained, it's not because the Swiss didn't embrace remote work– a significant share of Swiss are still working from home many days, commuting less.

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

@PaperBagEric @RBC Looking forward to seeing CEF’s work!

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

Great to talk to #CBTU2023 today about the coming boom in trades work to house 5.5 million new Canadians and retrofit existing homes. We need to do it without raising emissions, something we talk about in a forthcoming @RBC Climate Action Institute report. Stay tuned!

[Insulators Union 🦎 @InsulatorsUnion]

Thank you to @CGuldimann and RBC for their commitment to supporting economic growth and job creation in the building trades industry and creating job opportunities across Canada. #CBTU2023 #jobsfortomorrow23

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

@Naomi_Powell This wrecked me

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

We need more #heatpumps in Canada. Economics often don't quite work, yet, for cold climate versions bc of up front costs. But if we install more, costs for them will come down. Great to see @MarcoOved covering this cool technology and about how it can help speed transition!

[Marco Chown Oved @MarcoOved]

David Perrigard got a $500 natural gas bill in February - more than double what it used to be

The good news is that there’s a way off this #FossilFuel price escalator: the #heatpump

Everything you need to know about the renaissance of this old technology
https://t.co/sjoKTZF6tz

[John Stackhouse @StackhouseJohn]

We’re looking for a clean tech keener to join our growing climate research team. Help us help Canada track the remarkable revolution that’s underway. All backgrounds welcome. Curiosity essential. https://t.co/54OTPPlbig

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

Something that isn’t getting nearly enough coverage: $1.3bn to help get projects through impact assessment and other regs faster. That could be a sleeper hit and pull back a big barrier to 2030 targets. We’ll have to wait and see. /end

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

Lots of coverage of #Budget2023 — link below to our thoughts. Big deficits driven by climate spending. Some areas of notable and important restraint: CCS tax credits and CCfDs were less prominent than many expected. /1 https://t.co/0S3naibn2V

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

Good, too, that the tax credits are (more) tech neutral and include nuclear in a big way. It’ll be a key transition tech that was previously left out of cleantech ITCs. We said as much: https://t.co/VxNjtOSorz /3

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

@bernstein_micha Big if! And increasing stringency may have consequences governments are not prepared/willing to bear. CCfDs for new projects (hydrogen?) where greater credit certainty levels the field with IRA subsidies are worth considering, but I’m less sold on broad credit CCfDs

[Colin Guldimann @CGuldimann]

Broad CCfDs on credit prices could be a big fiscal risk, and could quickly exhaust CGF envelope. Details matter and will determine whether they end up firming prices (like CfDs for renewables) or just pay big federal $ for emissions cuts that could have been achieved other ways

[Michael Bernstein @bernstein_micha]

Contracts for difference on credit values, especially if they are available broadly (not just for large emitters), would be a big step forward to unlock investments in decarb. Keen to see the exact text in tmrw's budget! https://t.co/mevm63cqIs

[John Stackhouse @StackhouseJohn]

How can Ontario be a low-emissions industrial heartland? #ON needs to come to grips with

1. Population growth — 62% increase in demand projected by 2035
2. Competition for capital from US subsidies and IRA
3. 🇨🇦 emissions reduction plan
4. Consumers who don't want to pay more