TORONTO— Sarah Petrevan, policy director at Clean Energy Canada, made the following statement in response to the findings of the Auditor General’s Annual Report regarding Ontario’s climate plan:
“After cancelling an existing plan to reduce emissions over a year ago, the Ontario government has yet to come up with a serious alternative, a reality made critically clear in the auditor general’s latest report.
“On the one hand, Premier Ford’s plan counts on the number of electric cars increasing, and on the other, this government cancelled key policies that help get them on the road. As the auditor general puts it, this replacement climate plan is not built on ‘sound evidence.’
“What’s more, the Ontario government is spending $34 million in taxpayer money fighting climate action—$30 million on a court case and $4 million on stickers—when it should be fighting climate change.
“A good plan is one that skates where the puck is going, not one that skates in the other direction. A good plan helps build a sustainable, competitive economy. That is what Ontarians want and deserve, and as today’s report reminds us, it’s not what they’re getting.”
Sarah Petrevan is available for interviews.
KEY FACTS
- In 2017, Ontario produced 22.2% of Canada’s total emissions.
- In order to reach its Paris targets, Ontario must cut emissions by 17.6 megatonnes by 2030. The auditor general’s report suggests the current initiatives have the potential to cut between 6.3 and 13 megatonnes.
RESOURCES
Release | Ontario’s climate plan needs to fill in its blanks
