As a mother and grandmother,…

As a mother and grandmother, I feel that the environment is one of the most significant issues facing Ontarians (indeed, all Canadians) at this time. Scientists have been warning of approaching disaster for years and yet very little has been accomplished. The importance of all other items on the government's agenda will pale in comparison if we continue to allow the ongoing denigration of our planet. I feel that difficulties that the provincial government wants to address such as job creation, the economy, and putting money back in the hands of citizens can be better handled when looked at through the lens of environmental protection. It has always been important to recognize and deal with change rather than trying to stay the course on out-dated ideas. We must recognize that the so-called green economy (about $26 trillion) is the way of the future and not try to shore-up ideas which are becoming part of the past. Costs (and savings) have to be looked at in a more holistic way rather than individually. The cost of taking coal out of our mix of power generation has contributed to savings in healthcare and increased quality of life with smog days being almost completely eliminated. In the long run, there will be huge economic cost to ignoring the environment, a cost in health care and in quality of life. We are already seeing the cost of clean-up following "wild" weather events.

In this vein, I would hope that the government would recognize the value and importance of the cap and trade carbon off-setting program. I'm sure that individually and in the short term tax payers' money could be saved by shutting this down. However, it is only the government and government-supported programs that can force carbon emissions to be curtailed. I as an individual, nor indeed any group of individuals no matter what size, am unable to influence the behaviour of carbon producers. As much as I try to decrease my footprint and negative impact on the environment, it is only the government which can legislate positive behaviour, putting the money generated by the cap and trade program to good use in fighting climate change and making other positive environmental investments. I am hoping, Premier Ford, that you and your Ministers will use your "for the people" government to ensure that Ontarians will be able to lead the way on environmental issues and that we are not left behind in the clean economy of the future.