I sure didn't like the…

I sure didn't like the Liberal's approach of forcing industrial wind turbines on rural communities that didn't want them. In some cases, like Camlachie township, near my home town, they actively fought against it, and were resisted every step of the way by the government. I've lost track of how many of my friends and family I've ranted about that to.

BUT I also don't want the baby thrown out with the bathwater. Climate change is a real problem and it's only going to get worse unless we sufficiently address it. I'm not talking about the animals and plants. This is an issue with human consequences. What will happen to our agricultural sector as weather patterns become more extreme and unpredictable? Sure, we will be able to grow some crops we can't already grow, but predictability is a huge factor in agriculture. If earliest and latest frost dates shift by weeks, or if droughts and flood events become more common, that will have real consequences for farmers and our economy as a whole. And what about disaster relief when extreme weather events occur in major urban centers? We use our tax dollars to support our neighbours when they're in need precisely because we are all in this boat together. But it costs a lot of money and it would be nice to use that money for something else that benefits our province and country.

It seems that climate change has become a political wedge issue — a way that someone can advertise what political team they are on. Anyone who considers themselves on the Left is for "climate action" (whatever that means), no matter what. And because of that, the Right is against it, no matter what.

That's just stupid in my opinion. We all live here in the same province and country and if the tide rises or falls for some of us, it tends to happen to the rest of us too. To quote an old saying, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. I'm better off when rural Ontario is doing well. And I'm better off when urban Ontario is doing well. What's good for conservatives is good for liberals, and vice versa.

So if you have a plan to address climate change better than your predecessors, and in a way that doesn't trounce on rural communities and maintains our economic growth, then please go ahead and try. You may get it mostly right, you may miss entirely, and we will all likely learn some lessons the hard way that can only be learned from experience. That's the way life goes.

But please, do NOT scrap the whole idea of addressing climate change just because "that's what liberals do". We deserve better than that.

All the best and good luck.