As someone who has helped…

As someone who has helped dozens of businesses in Ontario, Canada, and the USA respond to the risks and opportunities associated with climate change, I used to be proud of Ontario's climate policies. We were a global leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving toward a prosperous low carbon economy. This is no longer true.

Climate change is hurting Ontario people, communities, and businesses today. Ontarians are facing the growing impacts of extreme weather including flooded basements, forest fires, and health impacts from polluted air and extreme heat. The cost of adapting to unmitigated climate change is unacceptably high. This will only get worse in the future if we do not act decisively now to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

I urge you to take this opportunity to establish meaningful, science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario and create a credible climate change plan to achieve these targets.

Governments, businesses, civil society, and individuals make purchasing and investment decisions every day. Investors do not like the uncertain investment climate created by the cancellation of cap-and-trade and renewable energy contracts. To restore consumer and investor confidence, Ontario needs to develop and launch an effective plan to fight climate change as soon as possible. An essential first step would be to begin consultations with businesses, economists, scientists and other climate change experts to forge a cost-effective and ambitious way forward.

An effective, made-in-Ontario climate change plan must tackle the major sources of carbon pollution in Ontario including transportation, industry, buildings and waste. Without strong action to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from these sources, the people of Ontario will face serious and unacceptable consequences to our health and our environment.

The plan must also include adequate investments in pollution reduction programs, transparency/accountability mechanisms to show Ontarians how this funding will be spent, and firm commitments and timelines for regular reporting on the plan’s progress.

I look forward to a plan that will transition Ontario to a healthier and more competitive province, create new jobs in many industries, and address the root cause of climate change by reducing carbon pollution.