TORONTO — In a bid to accelerate purchases of upcoming low pollution engines — and save some manufacturing jobs in the process — the Ontario Trucking Association is taking its clean air blueprint to Queen’s Park.

In its 2007 pre-budget submission to the Legislative Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, the OTA calls upon the government of Ontario to work with the association to develop an Environmental Investment Plan, which would, among other things, promote penetration of new smog free engines and fuel efficiency devices into the marketplace.

In so doing, OTA President David Bradley says “the opportunity exists to significantly reduce smog and fuel consumption, while enhancing the competitiveness of Ontario-based trucking operators and providing a boost to the domestic heavy truck manufacturing sector.”

The OTA is pushing for temporary incentives to support accelerated acquisition of the 2010 ultra-clean vehicles and technology, such as retail sales tax rebates or equivalent grants.

This might also prevent a pre-buy binge in the run-up to the introduction of the 2010 engine emission mandate, notes OTA. A pre-buy wave to avoid new 2007 technology has precipitated announcements of lay-offs next year at both the Sterling plant in St. Thomas and the Navistar plant in Chatham.

OTA also wants longer-term tax changes to “better reflect economic realities of these new vehicles and the increasing demand for trucking services, such as more realistic capital cost allowances and the harmonization of the provincial sales tax with the federal goods and services tax.”

Also part of the OTA’s plan is promotion of changes at the federal level to compliment Ontario action and educational tax credits to create a better trained driver — driving technique is a key element of fuel efficiency, says OTA.

“But, the time to act is now,” says Bradley. “An enormous opportunity exists to do some things that will be good for the environment, by reducing both smog and GHG emissions, and for the Ontario economy, but we must lay the groundwork now.