Teslas for politicians, diesel buses for New Brunswick kids

Tesla’s top-of-the-line models are full of luxurious features.

Marketed as having the “interior of the future,” these extravagant electric vehicles have remarkable road features, immersive sound systems and cinematic touchscreens for gaming, movies and more.

At least 10 provincial cabinet ministers drive around in these opulent vehicles, costing New Brunswick taxpayers a whopping $820,000. The government has indicated it plans to eventually provide all cabinet ministers with these high-end electric cars.

Meanwhile, every morning and afternoon during the school year, we transport thousands of children inside diesel buses that spew pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and volatile organic compounds like benzene, a known carcinogen.

Health over luxury

These toxins can leak into schools if the bus loading zone is close to the HVAC system. One study of PM2.5 exposure in children from diesel school buses found higher levels in the bus’s cabin than outside.

The result is that we constantly expose our children to these harmful pollutants. Despite this, the province recently bought 90 more diesel buses that will be on the road for more than a decade.

Meanwhile, the New Brunswick government says it is waiting on an Atlantic Canadian electric bus feasibility study, which is currently well behind schedule, before moving ahead with fleet electrification plans.

While we wait, our neighbours in P.E.I. move ahead. The Island government pushed forward without the Atlantic feasibility study, buying 107 electric buses, electrifying one-third of its fleet and taking advantage of federal funding.

Of course, we could have easily bought less luxurious electric vehicles for cabinet ministers at half the cost. But we could also have used this money to push school bus fleet electrification ahead, protecting our children and making a bigger environmental impact.

Electric bus advantage

Replacing a single diesel bus with an electric one would reduce planet-warming emissions by about 20 tonnes yearly. In contrast, a single Tesla reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 55 tonnes over its entire lifetime compared to a gas-powered vehicle.

Electric vehicles are undoubtedly part of the solution to tackling climate change. However, when we consider how we spend public money, some options are clearly more efficient than others.

In fact, electrifying the entire New Brunswick school bus fleet would eliminate more than 22,500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions yearly — the equivalent of 150 blue whales.

Electric buses would also dramatically improve the air quality our children breathe daily to and from school. These buses offer a quieter, more comfortable ride and require less maintenance than diesel buses.

A smarter investment

In defending the Tesla purchases, New Brunswick Environment Minister Glen Savoie said the government “is instituting the use of electric vehicles to do our part to try to make the environment better.”

If that is even remotely true, the province should consider more efficient ways of using the public purse to electrify government fleets, like school buses.

Our children deserve to breathe easier.

Danielle Smith has over 15 years of experience in the educational and environmental sectors and is the Conservation Council of New Brunswick’s director of climate engagement and campaigns.