As a resident of Ontario, I…

As a resident of Ontario, I have experienced firsthand some of the impacts of severe weather phenomena that can indirectly be attributed to our changing climate and rising carbon levels in the atmosphere: wells going dry on rural properties, including mine, where this has not happened for generations; trees being downed in far greater numbers than in previous years, on my property and neighbouring properties; the massive Parry Sound 33 forest fire came within 500 metres of my partner's residence, burning over ground that was terrifyingly dry after weeks without rain. These impacts have actual, calculable costs. They are already altering our lives in ways far more profound than a few more dollars in my pocket for cheaper gas will ever do. Days ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that we must keep global temperature levels below 1.5 Celsius in order avoid catastrophic climate changes that will affect all of us in Ontario: current weather events are only a foretaste of what we, and our children, may face in the future. It is in this context that I urge you, as the government of Ontario, to take up your challenge and responsibility to do your part, through interventions and stimuli, to radically cut back our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce our carbon emissions and formulate plans for adapting to a changing climate and the changed economy that will result.

Your proposed Bill 4 fails to do this.

Bill 4 fails to match the urgency of the climate crisis and represents a major step backward in the fight against climate change.
It is unfair and unreasonable to eliminate the province’s only climate plan without being transparent with the public about the plan to replace it.
Bill 4 closes Ontario for business to the $26 trillion global clean economy and will have a negative effect on clean jobs and investment.
Pollution pricing must be a pillar for a climate plan to be efficient and effective.
A credible climate plan would include binding targets to shift Ontario towards being 100% carbon neutral by 2050, supported by specific measures in the areas of energy efficiency, home and building heating, transportation, electricity, and climate adaptation.

I urge you to show true leadership at this moment in time. All of us in this province are counting on you, because, to be blunt, our lives are at stake.