• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
The climate news that makes a difference.
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Cities & Communities
  • Electric Mobility
  • Heat & Power
  • Community Climate Finance
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Cities & Communities
  • Electric Mobility
  • Heat & Power
  • Community Climate Finance
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Cities & Communities
  • Electric Mobility
  • Heat & Power
  • Community Climate Finance
  FEATURED
REVEALED: Imperial Oil, Alberta Regulator Knew of Toxic Seepage at Kearl Mine for Years, Kept First Nation in the Dark October 3, 2023
Oil and Gas, Buildings Drive 2.1% Rise in Canada’s Climate Pollution October 2, 2023
Shell CEO Doubles Down on Renewable Cuts Despite Internal Pushback October 2, 2023
Leading Climate Models Underestimate Clean Energy Progress, Overstate Cost, Study Finds October 2, 2023
UAE Holds Major Oil and Gas Conference Before Hosting COP 28 Climate Summit October 2, 2023
Next
Prev

Climate Pledges Emerge as Ontario Party Platforms Roll Out

May 5, 2022
Reading time: 3 minutes
Primary Author: The Energy Mix staff

Floydian/wikimedia commons

Floydian/wikimedia commons

1
SHARES
 

With the Ontario election under way and party platforms rolling out, there aren’t very many dramatic differences among the climate and environment commitments from the three provincial opposition parties, a compendium released by 13 environmental organizations shows.

The election questionnaire results published Wednesday by the Ontario Environmental Priorities Working Group covers 17 key issues, including greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, a 2030 phaseout of gas-fired electricity, the role of natural areas in controlling emissions, protecting farmland and wildlife habitat by cancelling major highway projects, supporting implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and protecting low-income and vulnerable populations from environmental harm.

  • Concise headlines. Original content. Timely news and views from a select group of opinion leaders. Special extras.
  • Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
  • The Weekender: The climate news you need.
Subscribe

“Together, we have developed a blueprint for the changes the next Ontario government needs to make to ensure a prosperous, healthy, and sustainable province,” the groups say, on a website that takes credit for past greatest hits like the 2009 Green Energy and Economy Act, the Greenbelt Act, the 2015 Great Lakes Protection Act, and more.

So far, the groups say they’ve received survey responses from the Green, Liberal, and New Democratic parties, but not from Doug Ford’s Conservatives. In those replies:

• The Greens commit to reduce Ontario’s emissions 51.2 to 60% from 2005 levels by 2030, the NDP by at least 50%, and the Liberals by 50%. All three platforms refer to major emission reduction measures like sprawl prevention, building retrofits, carbon pricing, clean electricity, electrified transportation, electric vehicle rebates, habitat and nature protection, sustainable agriculture, and re-establishing an independent Office of the Environmental Commissioner.

• The NDP commits to phasing out gas-fired electricity by 2030. The Greens and Liberals promise to get the job done as soon as possible, with the Greens saying they’ll aim for 2030 and double Ontario’s electricity supply with renewables by 2040.

• All three parties agree to a dedicated fund for green infrastructure projects.

• All three commit to stop Ford’s controversial Highway 413 construction megaproject through the Ontario Greenbelt and work to control urban sprawl.

• All three commit to work closely with Indigenous leadership to protect natural areas like Ontario’s boreal forests and the Hudson Bay Lowland.

• All three agree to restore the authority of regional conservation authorities that dated back to the 1950s, but was gutted by the Ford government.

The similarities among the party platforms don’t end with climate and environment. The Liberals and NDP are both promising to “eliminate for-profit long-term care, raise personal support worker wages, repeal Bill 124, and fully cover medication to prevent and treat HIV,” CBC writes, in a story that begins by paralleling the two lead opposition parties’ education policies.

“They also both say they would appoint a minister for anti-racism, implement the Pay Transparency Act, legislate 10 paid sick days, boost the minimum wage, and allow gig workers to be classified as employees—among other items.”

On the campaign trail, CBC says NDP leader Andrea Horwath wouldn’t speculate on working with Liberals after the election, while Liberal leader Steven Del Duca said he’d be prepared to participate in a minority government scenario, CBC says. Both opposition leaders “have said they would not support a Doug Ford Progressive Conservative minority government.”

The organizations that make up the Ontario Environmental Priorities Working Group include the Canadian Environmental Law Association, the Citizens Environment Alliance, Earthroots, Ecojustice, Environmental Defence Canada, Greenpeace Canada, Green Infrastructure Ontario, the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Ontario Nature, the Pembina Institute, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, the Toronto Environmental Alliance, the Wildlands League, and the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada.



in Buildings & Infrastructure, Canada, Carbon Levels & Measurement, Cities & Communities, Demand & Efficiency, Energy Politics, First Peoples, Heat & Power, Ontario, Solar, Sub-National Governments, Wind

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

jasonwoodhead23/flickr
Tar Sands / Oil Sands

REVEALED: Imperial Oil, Alberta Regulator Knew of Toxic Seepage at Kearl Mine for Years, Kept First Nation in the Dark

October 3, 2023
147
Dawn Ellner/flickr
Carbon Levels & Measurement

Oil and Gas, Buildings Drive 2.1% Rise in Canada’s Climate Pollution

October 2, 2023
62
Ramon FVelasquez/Wikipedia
Finance & Investment

Shell CEO Doubles Down on Renewable Cuts Despite Internal Pushback

October 2, 2023
142

Comments 1

  1. Angela Bischoff says:
    1 year ago

    Incredible that Horwarth wouldn’t comment on working with the Liberals in the case of a minority Cons. gov’t. The current Ford majority was won with a minority of the votes. What will it take for the liberals/ndp/greens to collaborate to stop another Ford majority? Why won’t they cooperate in ridings to unseat the conservative incumbent? NotOneSeat.ca is campaigning for this to happen in Tory-held GTA ridings, but the parties should be cooperating. As long as they continue to split the vote, we’ll continue to get conservative gov’ts.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

jasonwoodhead23/flickr

REVEALED: Imperial Oil, Alberta Regulator Knew of Toxic Seepage at Kearl Mine for Years, Kept First Nation in the Dark

October 3, 2023
147
Ramon FVelasquez/Wikipedia

Shell CEO Doubles Down on Renewable Cuts Despite Internal Pushback

October 2, 2023
142
Iota 9/Wikimedia Commons

‘Huge Loss’ for Local Green Economy as Vancouver Shutters Its Economic Commission

September 28, 2023
359
YouTube

UAE Holds Major Oil and Gas Conference Before Hosting COP 28 Climate Summit

October 3, 2023
75
Solarimo/pixabay

Leading Climate Models Underestimate Clean Energy Progress, Overstate Cost, Study Finds

October 2, 2023
261
Jon Sullivan/flickr

Thorold Gas Peaker Plant Won’t Be Built After Unanimous City Council Vote

September 21, 2023
880

Recent Posts

Dawn Ellner/flickr

Oil and Gas, Buildings Drive 2.1% Rise in Canada’s Climate Pollution

October 2, 2023
62
Northvolt plant in Sweden, Spisen/wikimedia commons

Quebec Lands $7B Battery Gigafactory Investment from Sweden’s Northvolt

October 2, 2023
62
GFDL/Wikimedia Commons

Clean Energy Funding Isn’t Just About Money, Policy Expert Warns

October 2, 2023
39
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Wikimedia Commons

Climate Change Brings Rapid Ice Loss to Antarctica, Arctic, Swiss Glaciers

October 2, 2023
58
Duffins Agriculture Preserve/North Country House Media via Greenbelt Foundation

Green Space Groups Gear for Bigger Fights After Ontario Reverses Greenbelt Land Grab

September 28, 2023
221
DiscoverEganville/wikimedia commons

EV Rentals to Improve Transportation Access for Ontario Townships

September 28, 2023
82
Next Post
Hinkley Point C photo by Nick Chipchase/wikimedia commons

UK’s Johnson Pledges One New Nuclear Plant Per Year as Hinkley Point Reports Further Delay, Higher Cost

The Energy Mix - The climate news you need

Copyright 2023 © Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Proudly partnering with…

scf_withtagline
The Energy Mix - Energy Central
No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Cities & Communities
  • Electric Mobility
  • Heat & Power
  • Community Climate Finance

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}