Ontario Liberal Environment Plan will combat climate emergency, cut pollution in half and reduce traffic

NEWMARKET – Steven Del Duca released the Ontario Liberal Environment Plan, which will protect and expand the Greenbelt, slash transit fares to $1, cut carbon pollution in half by 2030, and help high-emitting industries in reducing the environmental impact of their operations.

“Through the environmental plan we’re releasing today, Ontario Liberals are offering a choice: Doug Ford, who wants to waste billions on a highway that won’t improve traffic — or an Ontario Liberal government that will provide smart and affordable ways for families to make sustainable choices,” said Del Duca.

The Ford Conservatives ripped up Ontario’s climate action plan, choosing to fight progress instead of fighting climate change. Since 2018, they wasted $30 million in court battles against Federal carbon pricing, fined small businesses for refusing to put up their faulty gas pump stickers, and shredded clean energy contracts. 

“Under Doug Ford Conservatives, traffic has gotten worse, commutes have become more expensive, and carbon emissions are set to skyrocket,” continued Del Duca. “Now, they want to sink $10 billion into the wasteful Highway 413, which will destroy a huge chunk of the Greenbelt while shaving mere seconds off commutes.”

The environmentally-friendly choices Ontario Liberals are offering voters include:

• Slash transit fares to $1 until 2024, taking 400,000 daily car trips off the road;
• Cut pollution in half by 2030;
• Strengthening the requirements of the Conservative’s existing industrial Emissions Performance Standards to ensure the biggest polluters do their part to meet our 50% reduction target;
• Expand the Greenbelt and designating 30% of Ontario land as protected areas, up from 10%;
• 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 non-luxury electric vehicles and vehicle charging equipment;
• 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; and
• Increase funding for separated bike lanes and cycling trails, bike sharing and rental services, and secure bike parking.

A lack of climate action from the Ford Conservatives is costing families precious time and hard-earned money, causing congestion to worsen, insurance rates to spike, and food prices to soar.

“The cost of climate change should be on the shoulders of polluters, not families. The Ford Conservatives would rather dole out green space to their developer buddies than take action to fight climate change,” Del Duca concluded.

Key facts

• The Ford Conservatives lack of climate leadership will allow carbon-emissions from electricity generation to skyrocket 600%.
• Companies currently captured by the Conservatives’ existing industrial Emissions Performance Standards include those that emit more than 50,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually and include cement, chemicals, and petroleum refineries.
• Ontario Liberals will designate 30% of our land as protected areas by 2030 – up from 10% – and expand the size and number of provincial parks, including expanding Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.
• The plan will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 
• The plan will also divert and recycle 60% of waste from landfills by 2030, and 85% by 2050.
• Buck-a-ride will result in an estimated 400,000 cars off the road per day, by encouraging commuters to choose transit, improving commute times and reducing gridlock.
• Buck-a-ride will save a regular East Gwillimbury GO commuter travelling to Toronto Union $10.40 per fare and $302.15 a month.