To the consultation: I am…

To the consultation:

I am writing in response to the provincial public consultation on Bill 4, Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018.

Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is among the most serious issues facing humanity. The impact is already felt here in Ontario in several ways: the weather is one, but prices of goods (e.g. food) are another, and there are many indirect effects including wars and refugee crises that eventually make their way to us. We cannot pretend that we have no role in what happens outside our province - Ontario is as populous and powerful as many nations - and a good way to lead is to set an example.

Bill 4, instead, is a step backwards. It eliminates the legislative framework to address climate change in Ontario without anything to replace it, except a requirement to report from time to time on progress towards coming up with a new plan, and the hope of a successful lawsuit against federal policies. Bill 4 also appears to lack any kind of mechanism to deal with various kinds of blowback – from Ontario businesses, from Quebec and California, and from the Government of Canada. I have not seen any reasonable explanations for these omissions, and I do not see that the Government of Ontario has a plan going forward outside of Bill 4 and related reversals. Tactics without strategy is a well-established recipe for failure, and even a majority government is responsible for being transparent in its planning, and exercising due diligence.

I understand that with a change of government there will be changes in policy and approach, and I also appreciate that being brash and bold is a part of the Ford administration’s style. But, I do not see how completely removing any accountability for pollution and climate impact can be justified as an attempt to benefit the people of Ontario. Our fortunes do not hinge on the price of gasoline or beer, or our marginal tax rates – most of us are primarily concerned about our long-term future, and that of our children. We all understand that politicians say things to get elected, but now it is time to be serious. This means cutting carbon pollution and investing in the jobs, technologies, institutions and infrastructure of a 21st century low-carbon economy, not harkening back to the 20th century as a model of progress and economic well being. That’s what got us into the mess we’re in now.

There are lots of ways that we can do this, and virtually all of them resonate as the "right thing to do" - regardless of political disposition - and will make our own lives better: Retrofitting buildings to cut energy costs, cutting pollution from transportation, and designing and building new energy technologies that pollute less and, in the long term, cost less. Anyone who has spent an hour going five miles on the Don Valley Parking lot must realize it’s time to find a better way to organize our public infrastructure.

Green/clean energy is also a pillar of the high-end technology sector, representing major potential for the kinds of investment and jobs that people really want – but, government support is needed, at least initially. The same “incentives” are given routinely to other job-creating industries that serve the public good, such as medicine. Moreover, because much of the effort needed to reduce carbon emissions is ground-level, it can involve people that need a boost, including industrial workers, trades and craftsmen, low-income Ontarians, new immigrants, and First Nations.

Instead of Bill 4, I urge the Government of Ontario to legislate strong action to reduce its carbon pollution in line with the commitments Canada has made under the Paris Climate Agreement, and to do so in a way that meaningfully benefits all Ontarians. I am sure it can be done - emissions were already decreasing - and I challenge this Government to rise to the task in a way that is compatible with its ideology. Ontario can and should be a leader for the good of our long-term economy and our children’s future. At the very least, we deserve to see a practical long-term vision and formal plan from the Government of Ontario, prior to dismantling an existing and successful system to control carbon emissions.