December 3rd, 2020
December 3rd, 2020
QUEEN'S PARK — NDP Climate Crisis critic Peter Tabuns and Environment critic Ian Arthur released this statement in response to a report from Environmental Defense released Thursday, which says greenhouse gas emissions jumped up for the first time in about a decade during Doug Ford’s first year in office:
"The Environmental Defense report shows that Premier Doug Ford’s cuts made climate crisis worse for Ontarians, and their kids and grandkids.
Doug Ford has shown he is willing to destroy the environment. Among his deep cuts, he scrapped the carbon pricing program, paid to rip down wind farms, tore out electric vehicle charging stations out of the ground and cut flood management funding by half. In fact, Ford’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change cut the budget for Climate Change and Resiliency to just $20.8 million in the 2020-21 budget – slashed down from $2 billion. It’s possible Ford will spend less to fight the climate crisis than he’ll spend in court defending his destruction of the environment.
His attack on the environment still includes his continuing attempts to pave over the Greenbelt, imposing laws and ministerial zoning orders that remove environmental protections, weakening Conservation Authorities put in place to protect them.
Ford’s decisions are going to speed up climate change. Our health is at risk, and our children’s future is in jeopardy.
He must reverse course for the sake of our province and future generations."