Premier Doug Ford’s government will be in place as Ontarians head to the polls on June 2. Advertising campaignsThey are increasing.
It has highlighted the government’s environmental credentials, including its recent investments in greening steel and electric vehicle manufacturing, in its messages.
This is not surprising given the record of the Ford government on environmental issues. This has pushed the province’s approach to environmental problems backwards for half a century.
The Ford government’s major features in relation to the environment are well-known.
It has:
The process of environmental assessment was halted
Under the pretext of pandemic recovery, this agenda has been accelerated and continued.
The provinces Environmental assessmentThe process, which was established for the first time in 1975, was largely dissolved. Broad powers were granted to the provincial agencies, including the provincial transit agency. MetrolinxTo build what is often Poorly conceivedAnd Political motivation transit projects. The provinces Recent movesWe have tried to MarginalizeLocal governments’ roles in planning matters and the elimination of red tape for public consultation.
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Doug Ford is taking a hard line against Ontario’s environmental laws
The province did release a Plan for the Environment of Made in OntarioIn 2018, UpdatedIt happened this spring. It has. Virtually nothingThe plan will be implemented. The Ontario auditor general concluded that the plan would fail to achieve its stated targets even if implemented.
After a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity, the provinces have been relatively stable. However, it is on track for major increases in emissions, especially from the Electricity sectorA development that is not included in the provinces plan.
(Angela Dittrich), Author provided
In the process, the province was Moved awayFrom evidence-based decisions to access-based approaches, to rules and evidence-based decisions ConnectionsAnd Political whim. The resulting governance model is more grounded in the political norms from the 19th century than it is in the 21st. The big winners thus far have been developers, the aggregate and mining industries, and the nuclear and natural-gas based incumbents within the energy sector.
Provinces are showing new interest in GreeningThe steel sector Electric vehicle manufacturingThis suggests a new awakening. These developments are not a result of a concern for our environment. These developments are not a result of a concern for the environment. They reflect an acknowledgement at some level of global economic shifts towards decarbonization and that Ontario may lose what little of its manufacturing sector to these changes.
These developments have been sporadic, reactive so far. Sectors like MiningAnd HydrogenThe government’s new strategies have relied too heavily on input from industry lobbyists and not enough on analysis or serious thought.
The implications for the critical minerals strategy will be apparent Indigenous PeoplesTheir rights have been ignored. There is little movement in key areas, such as renewable energyThere is no greater vision for Ontario’s role in a low carbon global economic transition.
Increasingly authoritarian
For the most part, it seems that the Ford government assumed that people who are concerned about climate change and the environment wouldn’t vote for it anyway. The decision to green certain sectors may reflect a realization of the complexity of the political landscape. Some voters of the Progressive Conservative Party may be sensitive to the effects of a changing climate.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power
Except for a climate-related extreme event or a Walkerton disasterThe greatest environmental risk to the government during the campaign is the growing backlash towards the government’s increasingly authoritarian approach on planning and development issues.
The There are ongoing threats to GTHA Greenbelt– and, most recently, the aggressive usage of ministerial zoning ordersMarkham and Richmond Hill are to be supported for hyper-intensive development which only serves the interests of the development sector. causing unrestResidents and municipalities in the crucial 905 area around Toronto. This region is a core part the Ford Nation constituency.
Alternatives
The provinces Green Party is the best alternative to the current government on climate change and environmental issues for Ontarians. comprehensiveSo far, no response. But the Polling by partiesProbably collateral damage from the federal partys meltdownIn the 2021 federal election.
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It’s like shooting the messenger when you want to disband an environmental watchdog
However, the potential role that the Greens could play in the Ontario election is not to be underestimated. Their deputy leader is the former environmental commissioner for the province. The Greens could hold the balance of power in a minority legislature in a highly fractured vote, as was the case in British Columbia2017
The environmental dimensionsThe NDPs platform is much more detailed and rich in content than the NDPs platform. The party proposes a net zero plan for 2050 to reintroduce a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions, and to reengage around renewable energy development. The Liberals have not said muchThese are the only environmental issues that have been addressed.
The 2022 election is a pivotal moment in Ontario’s history. Its effects may be felt for many generations.
