Ontario’s climate change plan

Today Ontario’s Ford government unveiled a climate plan to replace the previous cap and trade program introduced by the Liberals.

Environment minister Rod Phillips met reporters in a conservation area north of Toronto to promote the “Made in Ontario Environment Plan.”

A key plank is called the carbon trust: 400 million dollars to entice industry to invest in clean technology rather than taxing pollution as the Wynne government did.

The Green party calls it a litter reduction plan, not a climate plan.

“The parts they say are going to reduce emissions haven’t worked in Australia so I don’t know why they’d work in Ontario, especially when the Australia plan is 2.5 billion and this is 400 million.” Mike Schreiner, Ontario Green Party leader.

The government says this plan will help it meet climate targets set in Paris but opposition members say this government doesn’t understand the Paris agreement.

“We aren’t going to meet the Paris accord with this agreement. This takes us into the danger zone. The minister is wrong, he doesn’t understand what was agreed at Paris.” Peter Tabuns, NDP climate change critic.

Phillips says this government’s emissions targets are more realistic than those of the last government. Details are slim at this point; consultations will continue until sometime next year.