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In a rational world, a program that achieved so little success would be quickly scrapped and the money redeployed on something more useful. But this is Ontario, home to a “progressive” government, so that was never going to happen. Instead, Wynne declared, the government will increase the budget: purchasers can now get up to $14,000 per vehicle.

“We know we can do better,” Wynne said, sounding a lot like a Toronto Maple Leaf coach explaining why they’re likely to miss the playoffs once again. In addition to the subsidy, electric cars will also be allowed free access to all High Occupancy Vehicle lanes – a valuable perk in gridlocked Toronto. The province is also spending $20 million on new public charging stations, and offering rebates on the purchase of home chargers.

Just think: if all that extra money has the desired effect, the number of electric cars on the road could soon leap to maybe one tenth of one percent or more. In a hundred million years or so, that could have a real impact on the environment.

Having decided to double down on an unpopular program, Wynne’s government also opted to make it more bureaucratic. Not only do the Liberals want to push people into buying cars they wouldn’t otherwise buy, they want to dictate which models people should choose. The biggest subsidies will go to vehicles that have extra-large batteries and can seat five people or more. The lowest incentives – just $3,000 – will be for models that cost more than $75,000. Too bad for you, Tesla owners.