I was dismayed to hear that…

I was dismayed to hear that the new Provincial government cancelled the Cap and Trade program without public consultation, as I would have expected our elected leaders to work within the confines of the law. This comment likely won't have any impact as the Provincial government under Premier Doug Ford has made it quite clear that they are intent on destroying any environmental progress that we have fought so hard for over the last decade.

I am deeply ashamed over the lack of acknowledgment over the current issues we as humanity face in the wake of Climate Change. Climate Change is real and it’s happening. Recently, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns we will reach 1.5 C global temperature rise in only 12 years. Have any of the members of this government been listening to the news over the last 5 years? News stories of forest fires, hurricanes, floods, droughts, coral reef bleaching, and rapidly melting sea ice are being reported at in increasingly alarming rate. As a 33 year old man, I have given up any dream of having a family as I fear the future that is unfolding and the blatant lack of regard or action by the very leaders that are meant to find solutions to the problems we face.

The proposed "Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018" is missing important measures needed for a successful climate change act. What are the long-term climate targets? Where are the emission reduction obligations? How will it be effectively transparent and accountable? How does it plan on funding to provide financial incentives to reduce emissions and stimulate the growth of the clean energy sector? None of these questions are given answers in this new act.

The Former Cap and Trade program had answers to these questions. Under the Cap and Trade Program, Ontario had started to finally see a decrease in GHG emissions and for the first time our emissions were lower than in 1990. How do these results justify the decision to completely erase the program? It was working. It was a viable solution to a global crisis.

If the Provincial government is so intent on changes things for the sake of changing things, why not take the act that was already working well enough and make it better? As opposed to completely removing it, and starting from scratch with a much weaker act that seems almost thrown together by someone who has no understanding of the issues at hand.