This government will have to…

This government will have to do more with less that is what they've inherited and that's what the books seemingly show. Services such as healthcare and education will not decrease in their demand of funds especially in light of an aging boomer population. There are tough choices that will need to be made. Meanwhile, our municipalities are struggling to deal with the high costs of natural disasters including flooding, fires and droughts. The provincial government will be turned to often to help ease this burden but more than likely the cupboards will be bare and the level of financial support asked for won't be there. What then will this government do to support local municipalities, protect homeowners, business owners and itself from the damaging effects of climate change. Simply put, we must find funds to mitigate and adapt to the change in the environment. The Cap and Trade proposal allowed NEW funds to enter into the books that was geared towards helping municipalities, schools, hospitals and homeowners become more resilient. Your own analysis demonstrated that cancelling the Cap and Trade would only put back $250 into the pockets of the average person/family. When a basement floods, when a deductible for insurance is needed, when a fire destroys a house or when a bridge is washed out, it well exceeds $250. The small investment each person in Ontario makes plus the large investment businesses make leads to having the funds to meet the rising challenges and to financially support Ontario's efforts to become more resilient and financially sustainable.

I urge this government to reconsider this bill. In fact, I think that Cap and Trade should be reinstated. Yes, we can perhaps put in small efforts at the policy level and perhaps homeowners can do more, but the challenges we are facing require bold thinking and decisive action. Ontario can be a leader in this. Even the briefest of research can demonstrate how costly these natural events are becoming - they are more frequent, more intense and our way of designing our infrastructure and communities cannot compete with the changing climate. We must do more. As a taxpayer, as a mother, as a voter - please kill this Bill and take your responsibilities seriously.