CAN-Rac submission to Ontario government on Preserving and Protecting our Environment for Future Generations: A Made-inOntario Environment Plan

The following comments cover Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat Canada’s views regarding the climate change provisions in the Government of Ontario’s proposed Preserving and Protecting our Environment for Future Generations: A Made-inOntario Environment Plan, released November 29, 2018.
While we commend the Ford government for commitments to investing in climate impact assessment, resilience-building, and educating Ontarians about climate impacts, overall we see this plan as a very preliminary and inadequate proposal to chart Ontario’s role in mitigating the climate change crisis. The fact is that without dramatically more effort than is outlined here to stop the progression of climate change, its impacts will continue to escalate rapidly, driving up the costs for Ontario homeowners, businesses and governments to respond. Already struggling households and municipalities will face even deeper and more long-lasting financial harm as the pace and scale of climate change grows.
Our comments will focus on two main areas of concern: 1) the inadequacies of the proposed revised emissions reduction targets, and 2) questions around who pays the costs associated with climate change and climate action. We conclude with some recommendations for further steps this government could take to improve its current proposed plan.

You can view or download our full submission here.

Photo: (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)