Incentivize electric garden tools
North Cowichan is considering to ban gas-powered garden tools sometime in the future, which is commendable.
I have been using an electric mower for years. What I hear from most people is the concern about the “cable”. There is no problem: you cut one path, throw the cable onto the path and carry on next to it. It works the same on curves in your garden, as long as you have a long enough cable. The advantages are numerous: they start easy, are less noisy, don’t pollute, and you don’t have to buy gas. I also have an electric chain saw and edge trimmer, same advantages with them.
In the meantime, I advanced to a battery-powered self-propelled lawnmower. (There is no self-propelled corded mower). While on the subject: Mainly to reduce the carbon footprint, since 2017 I drive an electric car. The cost of driving is 1/4 from what I paid before, today it comes to $2 of hydro for 100 kilometers. How much do you pay for the same distance on gas nowadays?
When/if the North Cowichan proposal materializes, for the incentive to switch, and not only to say you must, they should consider offering rebates when buying electric garden tools (the same as Canada and the B.C. government do for electric cars). It would nicely show that they also have the taxpayers in mind, not only the environment.
Wolfgang Lehwald
Mill Bay