QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner released the following statement:
“The costs of the climate crisis are drastically escalating.
The tornado that hit Barrie this summer caused $75 million in damages. And in 2018, three hours of extreme rain in Toronto cost $80 million.
Six First Nation communities were evacuated this summer due to rampant forest fires, with smoke that spread across the province, poisoning the air and threatening the health of Ontarians.
Yet, climate pollution is going up, not down, in Ontario. The province pollutes more now than it did in 2017.
And the Premier is doubling down on Highway 413, committing billions to a highway that will pump 17.4 megatonnes of climate pollution into the air by 2050.
As pivotal climate negotiations begin next week at COP26, it is vital that Canada’s largest province show international leadership in reducing pollution.
I’m calling on the Premier to send his Environment Minister to COP26 with a mandate to reduce Ontario’s climate pollution in half by 2030 and be net zero by 2045, so that we can meet our climate obligations and attract investment and jobs in the green economy.”
You can find Mike Schreiner’s full question in the House here.