A deadly storm has set the record for progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford on climate change in the spotlight of the campaign, with rivals highlighting their own proposals to prepare Ontario for a more extreme climate.
Saturday’s storm cut off a wide trail of destruction in much of southern and eastern Ontario that left at least 10 people dead and hundreds of thousands still without electricity. At least one municipality has declared a state of local emergency, while utilities are struggling with the scope of the cleanup.
During the damage study in the town of Uxbridge on Monday, Ford referred to the storm as a “once in a lifetime” event.
Liberal leader Steven Del Duca spoke the language during a campaign break Tuesday morning, calling Ford’s response to the destruction “blaze” and accusing it of denying climate change.
“Doug Ford likes to talk about these things as if they were ‘once in a lifetime’ storms. Do you know what that tells me? That tells me that Doug Ford is essentially a denier of climate change,” Del Duca.
“Because my 11-year-old daughter is not yet a teenager, she has seen more storms ‘once in a lifetime’ in her short life than my father in her entire life.”
Del Duca said his party would help communities cope with climate change. The Liberals say on their platform that they will restore and expand natural infrastructure such as wetlands and green roofs, and support communities to be more resilient to extreme weather through a new $ 250 million annual fund.
However, when asked on Tuesday about his personal views on climate change, Ford was unequivocal.
“I believe in climate change, let’s be clear,” he told reporters in Brampton, saying his government had done “everything to prevent it”.
When asked what he is doing to prevent climate change, Doug Ford mentions the production and production of electric vehicles; traffic, but also says highway construction is a solution to climate change “to get people back home faster so they don’t have to sit in a mess and smell someone else’s smoke.” . pic.twitter.com/Eqlpx88cHb
– @ CBCQueensPark
He then moved on to family conversation points. He spoke of the $ 14 billion his government secured, and to which he contributed in part, for the manufacture of electric vehicles (EVs) at the Oakville, Oshawa and Ingersoll plants and the production of batteries in Windsor. and Brampton.
Similarly, Ford unveiled a plan to convert the furnaces of two of Ontario’s largest coal-fired steel plants to electricity in the late 2020s. The ongoing transition to what is known as green steel is the biggest initiative their computers have taken to reduce carbon emissions.
Ford also said the party’s proposal to spend $ 25 billion over 10 years to build and improve roads is part of a plan to address the climate crisis.
“One of the worst examples of pollution: go to the 401 bridge and watch the bumper-to-bumper traffic,” Ford said. “You have to build roads and highways to get people out of the mess.”
Ford, computers rarely mention climate change
Even saying the words “climate change” marks a way out for Ford. He and his candidates rarely use the phrase in public. The pre-election budget of the PCs only mentions it.
NPD leader Andrea Horwath said Ford does not take the climate emergency seriously.
“You can say whatever you want about whether or not you believe in climate change, but the next step is to take responsibility and take a step,” he said.
“He has shown very clearly with his actions that he is not ready to do that, which is not a priority for him. So maybe he is getting a wake-up call, but I doubt it.”
After securing a majority in 2018 in promises to curb government spending, Ford made a point of revoking almost every climate initiative from the previous liberal government. Among other changes, his government:
Then there’s the Made-in-Ontario Climate Plan, which was implemented in 2018 and quietly changed in April, months after the province’s auditor general said the government was on track to achieve it. less than 20% of the promised emission reductions for 2030..
“It’s really obvious that he was an anti-environmental Croat all the time he was in office,” Horwath said.
Horwath, Schreiner all environmental plans
Horwath said his party would arrange for a disaster relief program to raise money for affected residents more quickly after severe weather events. New Democrats have also pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
His plan would be funded by a system of limitation and exchange, Horwath said.
“This will help us fund the big, big changes we need to make,” he said.
Meanwhile, Green Leader Mike Schreiner has promoted a long list of environmental initiatives, such as halving climate pollution by 2030, protecting “30% of Ontario’s land and water” by 2030 and achieve zero net emissions by 2045.
Speaking on Tuesday, Schreiner asked if Ford really believes climate change is an issue.
“If Mr. Ford believes in climate change, then why is he systematically dismantling all climate change action plans in Ontario? And he’s not making the investments to make sure our communities are climate-ready,” he said. to say.
He also said the Greens have proposed $ 2 billion a year in funding to help municipalities build “climate-ready” infrastructure.