Oil Substitution and Conservation Act

An Act respecting oil conservation and the substitution for oil of other energy sources Short title This Act may be cited as the Oil Substitution and Conservation Act. Definitions In this Act, Minister means the Minister of Natural Resources; (ministre) prescribed means prescribed by the regulations. (Version anglaise seulement) Application for payment On application therefor to the Minister by a person who establishes in the form and manner prescribed that he is, under this Act and the regulations, qualified to receive a payment in respect of the cost of materials used or labour employed in the conversion of a heating unit in or used in connection with a prescribed type of building, mobile home or structure for the purpose of eliminating or reducing the use of oil as an energy source for that heating unit, or to install a conservation improvement in a prescribed type of building, mobile home or structure situated in a prescribed region of Canada, for the purpose of reducing the consumption of energy used in heating that building, mobile home or structure, the Minister shall, subject to this Act and the regulations, make a payment to the applicant in a prescribed amount. Restriction Subject to subsection (4), no payment shall be made to a person under subsection (1) in respect of a conversion referred to in paragraph (1)(a) unless the conversion is completed during the period from October 28, 1980 to March 31, 1985. Idem No payment shall be made to a person under subsection (1) in respect of the installation of a conservation improvement referred to in paragraph (1)(b) unless in the case of a conservation improvement in respect of which a payment may be made in accordance with the Canadian Home Insulation Regulations (N.S. and P.E.I.) made by Order in Council P.C. 1983-3523 of November 17, 1983, the person applies for the payment on or before March 31, 1986; or in any other case, the installation of the conservation improvement is completed during the period from October 28, 1980 to March 31, 1985. Exception A payment may be made to a person under subsection (1) in respect of a conversion referred to in paragraph (1)(a) that is completed after the period referred to in subsection (2) and before July 1, 1985 if the conversion is carried out pursuant to a contract entered into on or before November 8, 1984 and cannot be completed during the period referred to in subsection (2) for reasons that, in the opinion of the Minister, are beyond the control of that person. Minister may provide financial assistance Subject to any regulations made under this Act and in accordance with such terms and conditions, if any, as the Treasury Board may specify, the Minister may provide financial assistance by way of payments, loans or guarantees for the purpose of assisting or enabling any person, government or institution to construct or extend facilities for the transmission or distribution of energy sources other than oil; increase sales of energy sources other than oil; buy, sell or transport energy sources other than oil; conduct research related to and discover, develop, produce, acquire, store or make available or more readily available for use energy sources other than oil; or use or effect conversions to enable the use of energy sources other than oil. Administration The Minister may in writing authorize any person to administer on behalf of the Minister all or such portion of this Act as the Minister specifies; and authorize the payment of the fees, costs and expenses of the person in carrying out that administration. Regulations The Governor in Council may make regulations defining, for the purposes of this Act and the regulations, the expressions “conversion”, “heating unit” and “conservation improvement”; establishing the qualifications of persons to whom payments may be made under section 3; specifying classes of persons who are not qualified to receive payments under section 3; specifying the terms and conditions subject to which payments under section 3 may be made; specifying the extent to which a heating unit shall be converted or a conservation improvement shall be made in order that a payment under section 3 may be made in respect thereof; specifying in respect of a province or any area within a province the type of heating fuel or energy source that is required to be used in converted heating units in that province or area in order that a payment under section 3 may be made in respect of conversions of those heating units; specifying the date on or before which an oil fired heating unit shall have been installed in order that a payment under section 3 may be made in respect of its conversion; for the purposes of carrying out any request of a province in relation to payments under section 3 that may be made to residents of that province; providing for payments under section 3 of differing amounts in respect of different types of structures, heating units or conservation improvements; prescribing any matter or thing that is by this Act to be prescribed; and generally, respecting any matter or thing necessary to effect the purposes of this Act. Moneys In addition to the amounts appropriated by Parliament for the purposes of this Act, the Minister may spend, for the purposes of this Act and in accordance with any agreement entered into between the Government of Canada and the government of a province relating to those purposes, any amount paid to Canada by the province under that agreement.