As a 26-year-old Ontarian, I…

As a 26-year-old Ontarian, I am deeply, deeply offended by the choice to cancel one of the province's only actions for reducing the greenhouse gases that we release. To frame this issue as one of short-term finances, by telling us that the most important thing in our lives is to have a few hundred extra dollars per household, is a farce. Ontario's government's number one priority is the long-term well-being of its residents. This means fewer forest fires, floods and droughts; this means fewer of our tax dollars paying your legal fees in battles with the federal government; this means energy sovereignty and sustainability; this means energy efficiency. This means a comprehensive plan to do our part in the fight against climate change.

I expect a well-thought-out, strategic and comprehensive plan to significantly reduce Ontario's greenhouse gas emissions immediately. To cancel the cap-and-trade program without an alternate, and better, plan is to tell all Ontarians who will be alive well into the 21st century that you unquestionably do not care about their well-being. I will not even reach retirement age in 2050, the year that most climate projections use to illustrate the harmful weather events we should expect. Please stop ruining the lives of younger generations in the interest of fossil fuel companies and voters who don't understand the difference between a few hundred dollars per year and the monstrous future costs that climate events will bring about. You're supposed to be the organization that looks out for our long-term interests. Grow up.