2022 Ontario election special coverage presented by Pete’s Auto Body
To help you understand how the candidates on the ballot in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound in the 2022 Ontario election feel about some key issues, Bayshore Broadcasting News provided several questions to the nine candidates running in the riding.
Housing affordability, inflation, climate change and labour shortages in key industries, were among the issues the candidates shared their thoughts on.
Independent candidate Reima Kaikkonen did not provide responses prior to the deadline for publication.
In the lead up to Thursday’s vote, candidate answers will be featured on bayshorebroadcasting.ca.
Some of these issues, and others, were addressed during the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound All Candidates Discussion on 560 CFOS Monday morning as well. You can listen to the podcast here.
Below, you can view the candidate responses provided to a question about climate change. Candidate responses to questions about housing affordability, inflation, labour shortages in key industries and opioid harms also be viewed in separate posts.
Question: What policy approach would you advocate for on coping with climate change and/or transitioning to a more green economy?
Answers:
Rick Byers, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The PC government is acting on climate change by positioning Ontario as a world leader in the production of electric vehicles and batteries, and at the same time helping to secure the next generation of jobs.
These actions include major recent announcements totaling over $10 billion:
-Securing Ontario’s first electric vehicle battery plant, which will create 2,500 jobs and supply the North American market.
-The retooling of GM’s Oshawa and Ingersoll plants, Ford’s Oakville Assembly Complex, and Honda’s Alliston plant.
-The government has also partnered with steelmaker Dofasco to replace their coal ovens and blast furnaces with a low-emission Electric Furnace.
-Nuclear power, which is the source of 60% of Ontario’s electricity supply, is a perfect fit for the coming growth of electric vehicles. In our own Grey Bruce community, Bruce Power and Hydrogen Optimized are great green energy partners.
These are all significant steps in the goal of improving our climate and creating jobs for current and future generations.
Karen Gventer, New Democratic Party of Ontario
We take the climate emergency seriously. The NDP is the only party that has a 96-page platform that takes the environment into account throughout in addition to a strong, comprehensive climate mitigation, adaptation, and just transition policy.
We would implement a fair cap-and-trade system, where 25 percent of the revenue is dedicated to supporting low-income and rural Ontario families and to helping industries that have been disproportionately impacted by carbon pricing.
We would promote the transition to zero-emission vehicles, partly by supporting the auto sector to make the change, and by offering incentives to Ontarians. Of course we would also re-invest in a province-wide charging infrastructure, much more than just reinstating what Ford has ripped out.
By 2030, all newly constructed public sector, residential and commercial buildings would be built according to the highest standards of energy efficiency, and resilience to extreme weather events.
We will improve public transit, increase intercity transit, and support active transportation such as walking and cycling.
In addition to cutting emissions, an NDP Government will work with farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and rural Ontarians to protect and restore our natural spaces, forests and wetlands that effectively lower GHG concentrations in the atmosphere.
Selwyn Hicks, Ontario Liberal Party
Highlights of the Ontario Liberal Environmental Plan:
-Slash transit fares to $1 (Buck-A-Ride), taking 400,000 daily car trips off the road.
-Cut carbon pollution in half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
-Strengthen the requirements of the Conservative’s existing industrial Emissions Performance Standards to ensure the biggest emitters do their part to meet our 50% reduction target.
-Expand the Greenbelt and designate 30% of Ontario land as protected areas, up from 10%.
-Plant 800,000 trees per year for 10 years.
-Create five (5) new Provincial parks.
-Stop Highway 413 and responsibly maintain crucial highways.
-Provide a 30% rebate of up to $500 on e-bikes.
-Provide up to $9,500 in rebates on electric vehicles. This is in addition to the $5,000 Federal rebate.
-Provide grants of up to $3,000 each year for people and businesses who want to make eco-friendly renos like new windows, insulation, heat pumps, and flood protection.
-Create 25,000 new green-jobs and a new Green Jobs Fund to invest in made-in-Ontario clean technology innovations.
-Increase funding for separated bike lanes and cycling trails, bike sharing and rental services, and secure bike parking.
Danielle Valiquette, Green Party of Ontario
Ontario Greens are the only party who has a plan to reduce Ontario’s carbon footprint to a degree that is consistent to stay within 1.5 º. We will:
-Set binding climate targets based on science.
-Set binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets relative to 2005 levels of 30% by 2025; 60% by 2030; and 100% by 2040.
-Establish rolling 5-year carbon budgets that decline over time towards zero emissions by 2040 or sooner.
We will do this by:
-Building smarter, with no more sprawl or new highways.
-Increasing the price on carbon.
-Doubling Ontario’s electricity supply by adding clean renewables and storage.
-Turning road space into safe space for walking, biking and rolling.
-Massively scaling up building retrofits and a Building Code to build new buildings
-Redirecting subsidies away from fossil fuels.
-Stopping fossil fuel lock-in: no new fossil fuel pipelines; no new gas-fired furnaces after 2025.
-Grants and a Climate Bank to help Ontario clean tech innovators become global leaders and job creators in the rapidly emerging multi-trillion dollar zero-carbon economy.
By showing global leadership, we can attract international investment again, create new careers with better jobs and help build a robust economy.
Suzanne Coles, Ontario Party
I will:
-Promote and encourage individual, community and locally supported agriculture and regenerative farming practices.
-Critically review agriculture regulatory policies and practices.
-Encourage more varied crop farming including the growing of hemp. The versatility of hemp in the paper, textiles, building products and food industries will increase jobs in manufacturing while reducing the carbon foot print significantly.
-Review various green energy proposals not currently being addressed such as water and hydrogen fueled vehicles. Electric vehicles are not practical in farming, trucking, and in Canadian winter weather.
Vince Grimaldi, New Blue Party
It`s a very suggestive question. I would implement and advocate proven science for the specific reason to filter out CO2 out of the air.
Joel Loughead, None of the Above Direct Democracy Party
Climate change and climate chaos will be the root cause of most of the most pressing issues of the 21st century in Ontario and elsewhere. In fact, climate action is needed so urgently, our first step has to be throwing out our old, broken model of government and starting anew.
Collaborative, cooperative, proportional government working across party lines and not beholden to corporate owners is the only way we can hope to achieve meaningful evidence-based policy when it comes to reducing fossil fuel consumption and transitioning to a genuinely green economy.
The clearest, loudest, and most effective way to send this message is to vote None Of The Above in this provincial election.
Joseph Westover, Populist Party of Ontario
Instead of the taxing of Ontarians, we would make it law that we no longer produce or use harmful products in Ontario. Glass bottles, paper bags and wrapping.
We would set up industry in Ontario for producing our own tools and home made products.
We would make arrangements to have Alberta oil refined in Ontario and bring our gas prices as low as possible.
We would end sustainable development partnerships with Ontario owned resources such as Ontario hydro.
We would teach the truth about the “Climate Crisis” and show that it is only a ploy to take away Canadian Sovereignty and individual rights and freedoms.
*Editor’s note: This post was updated from an earlier version to correct the answers as submitted by the Liberal candidate.