Dear Reviewers, I was…

Dear Reviewers,

I was disheartened to hear that the new Ontario government under leadership from Premier Doug Ford cancelled the Cap and Trade program (Climate Change Mitigation and Low-carbon Economy Act, 2016). Not only was this cancellation without public consultation illegal, it was also very short-sighted and appeared to be a tactic to simply undo what a pervious government had done. Climate change is the top issue facing Ontarians and indeed all of humanity. All economic, environmental, job and health issues are linked to climate change.

By taking this action the government has also damaged relationships with businesses and lost opportunities to create jobs for Ontarians in existing and new markets. Cancelled projects have also cost several Indigenous communities their investments. These communities are some of the most vulnerable members of our province. These actions have lost Ontario credibility and respect at home and on the world stage.

I strongly support the report prepared by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Diane Saxe, “Climate Action in Ontario: What’s Next?”. This report was presented to the Ontario Legislature on September 25, 2018. (https://eco.on.ca/reports/2018-climate-action-in-ontario/)

This report clearly outlines the need to act on climate change NOW and the progress that was made in the last few years. Ontario was already doing a good job to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reinvesting funds to improve efficiencies in key sectors. The emissions have been going down despite the GDP and the population rising. Combatting climate change is an economic opportunity that the current Ontario government seems intent on missing out on, robbing its citizens of the jobs they need to support their families.

The document outlines the important measures needed for a successful climate change act. Some of these are clearly missing from the proposed “Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018”. In particular, I am concerned about the following:

1. There are no long-term climate targets enshrined in law. Bill 4 states the government will set targets, which it can change at any time. This lack of commitment is unacceptable. Any new climate change law must include targets that we are obligated to reach.
2. There are no emission reduction obligations for emitters. We need strong obligations for all emitters in order to reach our targets.
3. I am also concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability. Annual reporting that shows our progress toward targets must be included in a new climate change law. These reports should be prepared and verified by independent bodies with expertise.
4. Lack of a funding system to provide the financial incentives for emitters to reduce emissions and to stimulate growth of the clean energy sector. “Cap and trade” and “carbon pricing” work because they are embedded in the economies of all businesses. They drive innovation and conservation of resources. Any new act must have a system to support these principles.

The former Cap and Trade program had all these elements. I strongly urge the government to reinstate the Cap and Trade program. Improvements to any plan are possible and can be done as needed, rather than scrapping a whole program that was working well.

As an Ontarian concerned about the effects of climate change I am very disappointed by the lack of consultation about the repeal of the Climate Change Mitigation and Low-carbon Economy Act, 2016. I am happy to see that the new bill was finally posted to the Environmental Bill of Rights for comment. If done sooner, I believe we could have avoided the confusion and harm done to businesses and local citizens. I believe any new climate change act should have input from the public as is required by law.

Finally, I completely oppose the current Ontario government pursuing a legal challenge against the federal government for imposing a carbon price on Ontario. If we had the Cap and Trade program in place there would be no need for this legal challenge. By cancelling the program you ensured Ontario would have the federal carbon tax imposed on them. Why are you wasting millions of taxpayer dollars? That money could be invested in improving Ontario citizens’ quality of life, economic prosperity and future opportunities for growth in emerging clean-energy markets. Don’t waste our money on futile legal challenges rather than doing the hard work that is needed to meet our commitments for climate change mitigation.

“Dismantling a climate change law that was working is bad for our environment, bad for our health, and bad for business,” said Saxe. (https://eco.on.ca/blog/environmental-commissioner-of-ontario-to-release…)

I COMPLETELY AGREE!!! Do the right thing for Ontario and bring back the effective climate change law we had.

I do not support the Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018.