Clean North is urging voters to not let the environment be shunted to the back seat during the provincial election. From our chair Bill Cole: “In this day and age, each of us should see clearly that protecting the environment is not a ‘nice to do’; it’s critical.
“For starters, climate change is going to make the pandemic look like a walk in the park. The violent and destructive storms that hit southern and eastern Ontario last week are just the latest in an increasing flow of extreme weather events.”
Voters should ask what each party plans to do about the fact that we are now having to constantly clean up—at great cost—after highly destructive storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires. “The reality is, continuing on the current path is a choice for more destruction,” Cole says.
So what other issues should citizens ask candidates and parties about?
Six topics Clean North recommends people explore:
- The lack of an independent pollution monitoring system in the Sault when we have a large industrial polluter that routinely violates provincial pollution standards. Given that Saultites have one of the highest rates of cancer in Ontario, voters should ask when our city will get a robust, independent system like that in Hamilton.
- The steep rise in ministerial zoning orders. These orders allow developers to skirt municipal planning processes and go directly to the province for approvals. Where do candidates/parties stand on the use of these end runs around local planning?
- Great Lakes protection. Western U.S. states are experiencing catastrophic drought. How will each candidate/party work to protect the world’s most important freshwater resource from being drained to quench the thirst of our much more populous southern neighbour?
- The plastic pollution crisis. Microplastics are turning up everywhere, including in the fish we eat and human placentas. How do candidates/parties propose to address this problem?
- The proposed ferrochrome smelter. Voters should find out which candidates support it and how they will work to ensure people and the environment are protected from chemicals like Chromium VI, a byproduct of ferrochrome smelting and a known carcinogen.
- Emissions targets. Increasing emissions from gas-fired power plants could cancel out gains made by cutting out coal; what are each candidate’s/party’s plans for reaching emissions targets necessary to prevent a climate catastrophe?
To learn more about candidates’ and parties’ views
- call or email them (contact information is available online)
- search their social media feeds
- message them through social media
- visit each party’s website
