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Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said Canada’s most populous province plans to prevent the construction of new coal plants and ban the burning of coal.

“Our work on eliminating coal and investing in renewables is the strongest action being taken in North America,” Wynne told reporters in Toronto, with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore at her side.

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A coal bill will be introduced in the provincial legislature, where Wynne’s Liberal Party holds a minority position, next week.

“Today’s event is a sure sign we’re going to prevail in the global battle against climate change,” Gore, who won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness about the threat of climate change, said at the event.

The province has committed to end all coal generation by the end of 2014 after closing 19 coal units, according to an Oct. 23 statement.

Ontario is not the first province to address the issue of coal usage. In July, the province of Manitoba said it will introduce North America’s first bans on petroleum coke and coal usage for heating, as well as programs to promote biomass conversions and other green alternative initiatives.

Bloomberg.com