Fighting climate change by creating good jobs and making smart community-led decisions

Yasir Naqvi, Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidate, will fight climate change, create good paying jobs for the new economy, protect the Greenbelt and create an Ontario Farmbelt.

Ottawa, ON — August 31, 2023

The impacts of climate change have evolved from a threat into a present-day reality. Every day this summer we are seeing new headlines about wildfires, floods and deadly heat waves in Canada and around the world. We are now living with the effects of a growing climate crisis.

While forests burn and temperatures soar, Doug Ford is giving away our precious Greenbelt under a cloud of corruption that will pave over essential farmlands, and threaten our food-security and clean water supply.

At the same time, instead of working to build the necessary  net-zero economy of the future, Doug Ford plans to generate more electricity by burning expensive, dirty natural gas.  This foolish decision alone will increase Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions by 400% and waste millions of taxpayer dollars.

“Not only is the Premier giving away the Greenbelt so his wealthy, well-connected friends can make billions, Doug Ford’s inaction on the climate crisis is putting people’s health, safety and future prosperity at risk. The people of Ontario expect climate action that includes a plan for Ontario to lead the world in good, high-paying and skilled jobs needed in the new economy. Ontario Liberals are the party that phased out dirty coal-powered generation, and under my leadership we will be the ones to eliminate expensive, dirty gas-fueled electricity generation.”

“We will not take away natural gas to heat our homes and cook our food, but we don’t need to spend more to burn dirty gas to generate electricity in this province. We are out of time for debate. Cheaper renewable options, including renewable natural gas, are key to our future prosperity and I will not let Ontario be left behind.”

Yasir Naqvi

A Yasir Naqvi-led government will work with communities, the not-for-profit and private sectors to develop an achievable plan that will drive economic growth for generations to come. This collaborative plan will ensure Ontario takes action to meet national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, builds a net-zero electricity grid by 2035, achieves a net-zero Ontario economy by 2050, and puts an immediate stop to Doug Ford’s destruction of the Greenbelt.

A Yasir Naqvi-led government will implement three practical, Liberal solutions to fight climate change and protect our environment:

  • Grow the net-zero economy with a Good Paying Jobs Plan. There are trillions of dollars of investment capital in net-zero technology waiting to be tapped. We will make Ontario the premier destination for investment and a global R&D hub, to fight climate change and create good, green jobs. As Premier, Yasir will develop a plan for good, high-paying jobs and increased prosperity as we transition to a net-zero economy. This plan will increase well-paying jobs – and work in tandem with Yasir’s housing and infrastructure plan – to accelerate an Ontario electric vehicle sector, clean critical mineral extraction, energy storage, small modular nuclear reactors, clean manufacturing, and green energy production.
  • Close all dirty natural gas plants by 2035. We take our climate obligations seriously, and know it’s essential to protect your future. As Premier, Yasir will end our dependence on dirty natural gas for power generation by 2035, while maintaining access for home heating and cooking. We will replace dirty natural gas with clean energy, including investments in clean nuclear power, renewable natural gas, offshore wind, solar, and other renewables. We will protect our air, fight climate change, and create quality, high-paying jobs across the province.
  • Protect the Greenbelt and create a protected Farmbelt. We believe in protecting the Greenbelt. While Doug Ford is bent on destroying this environmentally critical land by giving it away to his rich friends, Yasir will do the right thing. As Premier, Yasir will protect the Greenbelt from development to ensure it is there for future generations. We will also work with farmers, and municipalities to create a Farmbelt in rural Ontario to preserve our ability to grow crops to secure our food supply and feed the world.

 

 

Policy Backgrounder

Fighting climate change by creating good jobs and making smart community-led decisions

The impacts of climate change affect every corner of our province. Ontario’s average temperature has risen faster than the global average, and it will continue to rise rapidly without strong environmental and climate leadership.1 People and their families are already experiencing warmer winters, less snow, earlier ice break-up, floods, wildfires, extreme heat and drought.2

Doug Ford’s inaction on the climate crisis is dangerous and will only make this critical issue worse. Wildfires in northern Ontario are projected to increase by 25% by 2030, meaning more harmful air quality conditions from Timmins to Thunder Bay to Toronto. Tragically, more residents  and first-responders will die or become seriously injured with more forest fires burning through our communities and increasing air pollution.3 Heatwaves are dangerous for our seniors, children, and people who work outdoors. Left unchecked, deaths related to heat are expected to more than double by 2050.4

Doug Ford’s inaction on solving this crisis risks people’s health and safety and is entirely out-of-step with the world. He ripped up electric vehicle charging stations and canceled green vehicle subsidies within months of taking power.5 Ford’s late-stage conversion to the power of electric vehicle manufacturing years later has been hamstrung by his earlier short-sighted and dogmatic opposition to addressing the climate crisis. Despite his best efforts, years worth of potential Ontario-based manufacturing and sales fled to other jurisdictions because of bad policy.

Ford also canceled cap-and-trade, forcing the implementation of a more expensive and less efficient carbon tax.6 He spent over $200M to cancel green energy projects that were on track to make Ontario a world-leader in the fight against climate change.7 On top of that, the Ford government’s inaction on the climate crisis is set to cost $13B by 2030 just on infrastructure maintenance.8 Sweetheart land swaps with his rich friends will only make this situation worse, with some of the best agricultural and environmentally-sensitive land in North America being paved-over to make billions for greedy builders.

Enough is enough.

Yasir Naqvi is committed to working with communities, not-for-profits and the private sector to address the climate crisis and meet our obligations to reduce carbon emissions by maximizing opportunities, and building-up the resilience we need in the face of a changing climate. We will prepared to meet the challenges of today to protect the climate and position the economy for our children and grandchildren.

A Yasir Naqvi-led government will implement three practical, Liberal solutions to fight climate change and protect our environment:

  • Grow the net-zero economy with a Good Paying Jobs Plan

The economic opportunities created by our necessary fight to address climate change are virtually limitless.9 Meeting our national targets creates a one-in-a-generation chance to use smart government investment and market forces to create the decarbonized net-zero economy we need and make our province more resilient in the face of a changing climate. This means well-paying, long-term, and sustainable jobs across all sectors and skill levels. Clean energy alone is expected to grow to over $2.4 trillion US globally and create almost 40 million new jobs by 2030.10 Across Canada, clean energy jobs are expected to grow by 3.4% per year over the next decade.11

As Premier, Yasir will tap this potential and  develop a concrete and funded plan to grow our economy and create good, high-paying jobs through our transition to a net-zero future. This will create the resilience we need to adapt to a changing climate. Our housing and infrastructure plan will be part of this vision, as well as a made-in-Ontario electric vehicle sector, critical mineral extraction, energy storage, small modular nuclear reactors, clean manufacturing, and green energy production. This prosperity will be shared and enjoyed by all Ontarians through new rebates and incentives to buy an electric vehicle and upgrade your home to be more energy-efficient.

  • Close all dirty natural gas plants by 2035 and complete our transition to a clean electricity grid through investments in nuclear and renewables

Natural gas makes-up about 10% of electricity production in Ontario. It is also the dirtiest, and increasingly expensive, part of our otherwise clean electricity grid.  

Doug Ford is wrong about how to generate electricity in Ontario. Ford’s plan is to dramatically increase natural gas production to generate more electricity, which will result in a 400% increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of one entire large Alberta oilsands project.12 Meeting necessary federal and international climate targets is impossible with such reckless dirty energy expansion. This is his solution to make-up for the looming maintenance of the Darlington nuclear plant, despite the fact that natural gas generation is now more expensive than clean alternatives.13 Growing existing green energy capacity is not an option for the Ford government, because they canceled renewable electricity projects as soon as they took office.

Previous Liberal governments achieved one of the largest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in North America by  eliminating coal from electricity generation in Ontario. This saved 30 megatonnes of annual GHG emissions, which adds-up to the same impact as removing seven million cars from our roads.14 In human terms, this has produced significant reductions in smog days, improved air quality, and lower asthma rates. Only Yasir has a plan to build on this success and complete the work of cleaning-up our electricity generation.

As Premier, Yasir will take our climate obligations seriously and protect our future. We will end Ontario’s dependence on expensive dirty natural gas for electricity by 2035. This is not about taking away natural gas for home heating and cooking, only ensuring we have a clean electrical grid. We will replace dirty natural gas with clean energy, offshore wind, solar, and other renewables. We will learn how best to add clean and renewable natural gas generated from biowaste to our energy mix from ongoing projects in Toronto and Quebec and will work with local communities and the federal government to develop a sustainable plan to store nuclear waste.

Yasir will also spur innovative electricity solutions by supporting and encouraging distributed clean production, including small-scale generation on your property if you want to participate. This will protect our air, make a large dent in our fight against climate change, and spur the development of high-quality jobs across the province. It will also help us meet our national goal of a net-zero electrical grid by 2035.15  

  • Protecting the Greenbelt and creating a protected Farmbelt

The Auditor General recently exposed Doug Ford’s plan to trade our natural heritage and prime farmland to his rich friends. The property value increases created by these land swaps will generate nearly $8.3 billion in profit for well-connected developers closely connected to Ford and his Ministers.16 This puts our environment at risk, since Greenbelt lands are essential to our ability to deal with storms and keep our precious water supply clean. It also will have “adverse agricultural impacts”, which will jeopardize our ability to feed ourselves and the world with the crops grown by Ontario farmers.17

Unlike Doug Ford, Yasir believes in the Greenbelt. Yasir will do the right thing and protect the Greenbelt from development and save our precious farmland and watersheds. Preserving our natural heritage will protect these areas of outstanding natural beauty for all Ontarians to enjoy the benefits of nature, and improve  social determinants of health by lowering anxiety and stress, lowering  asthma rates, and ensuring we have safe water to drink.18

Yasir will also work with farmers, landowners, and food producers to explore creating a Farmbelt in key parts of Ontario to preserve our ability to grow crops and secure the future of agriculture in the province. Protecting farms today also means positioning Ontario to feed our families while also expanding food production and exports.

 

 

Notes:

1. Financial Accountability Office of Ontario. CIPI: Project Background and Methodology. December 7, 2021.

2. Financial Accountability Office of Ontario. CIPI: Project Background and Methodology. December 7, 2021.

3. Sanderson, R. (2022). Climate change and health in northern Ontario: An overview of the health impacts of climate change in northern Ontario. Northwestern Health Unit.

4. Sanderson, R. (2022). Climate change and health in northern Ontario: An overview of the health impacts of climate change in northern Ontario. Northwestern Health Unit.

5. CBC News. Metrolinx removes electrical vehicle chargers from GO station parking lots. January 10, 2019.

6. CBC News. Doug Ford is officially ending Ontario’s cap-and-trade plan, but what’s next? July 3, 2018.

7. CBC News. Doug Ford government spent $231M to scrap green energy projects. November 19, 2019.

8. CBC News. Climate change could cost Ontario extra $1.5B per year just to maintain transportation infrastructure: FAO. September 22, 2022.

9. Ontario Chamber of Commerce. The Climate Catalyst: Ontario’s Leadership in the Green Global Economy. November 23, 2021.

10. Government of Canada. Sustainable Jobs Plan. Accessed August 20, 2023.

11. Government of Canada. Sustainable Jobs Plan. Accessed August 20, 2023.

12. Toronto Star. Ontario energy grid emissions set to skyrocket 400% as Ford government cranks up the gas. May 9, 2022.

13. Clean Energy Canada. A Renewables Powerhouse: New research finds that wind and solar power with battery storage is set to produce cheaper electricity than natural gas in Alberta and Ontario. February 2, 2023.

14. Government of Ontario. Ontario Permanently Bans Coal-Fired Electricity Generation. November 23, 2015.

15. Royal Bank of Canada. Next Generation: Ottawa’s Proposed Rules Push Provinces To Build Cleaner Grid. August 15, 2023.

16. The Globe and Mail. Ford’s Greenbelt removals ‘favoured’ certain developers, Ontario’s Auditor-General says. August 9, 2023.

17. Auditor General of Ontario. Special Report on Changes to the Greenbelt.August 2023.

18. Conservation Ontario. The Benefits of Nature. Accessed August 20, 2023.