I recommend that the…

I recommend that the government of Ontario take the advice it has already been given by Dianne Saxe, the Environmental Commissioner in her latest report entitled “Climate Action in Ontario: What’s Next”. Her key advice for how to proceed post cap and trade cancellation is as follows:

1. Commit: targets and law

a. A climate law that commits the provincial government to a credible, long-term program to achieve statutory emission reductions that:

i. meets Ontario’s fair share of Canada’s emission reduction obligations and creates good jobs (see sections 1.5 and 3.1 of this report), and

ii. meets the requirements of the Pan-Canadian Framework to unlock federal funds (section 3.3).

b. Legally binding carbon budgets set well in advance, based on non-partisan, expert advice, coupled with rigorous progress reporting and independent evaluation (section 2.1).

c. Provincial leadership on adaptation and preservation of natural areas (Part 4).

2. Plan a pathway

a. A transparent, achievable, cost-effective pathway to each carbon budget. The model described in this report is a good start. Note: The lowest cost pathways require much more clean electricity and storage than the current Long-Term Energy Plan will provide (section 3.1).

3. Take action

a. Effective policy tools to achieve the necessary emission reductions, using the lowest cost pathway, public health and ecological integrity to choose priorities. Appendix A contains a convenient menu of the potential tools discussed in this report.

b. Act fast and take advantage of work already done, here and elsewhere. Ontario is not starting from scratch and does not need to reinvent the wheel. Build on the best of the previous programs.

Emphasize efficiency first (e.g., in social housing, schools, hospitals) (section 1.3, Appendix B).

c. Minimize disruption from the cancellation of previous programs (section 1.4).

4. Check and improve
a. Monitor and report progress to the public, with third- party validation (section 2.2), and
b. Revise plan and actions as needed to stay on track for targets (section 2.2).

5. Listen

At each stage, it is essential to listen to Ontarians. Ontarians deserve a real consultation, in compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights, on every key step of Ontario climate policy. This includes having an open and honest conversation about what climate disruption will cost and who will pay for it (Part 4).

Climate policy is too important to be decided behind closed doors, without telling Ontarians what is planned or hearing what they have to say (section 2.2).