Drawdown Newmarket-Aurora says no provincial party is acing it when it comes to the environment, but some are faring better than others.
The local environmental group released a report grading the environmental platforms of the four largest provincial parties. The group graded the Conservatives with a D-, the NDP with a C-, the Liberals with a B- and the Greens with a B+.
Spokesperson Fran Bezos said most parties address climate change, but there are gaps in each platform.
“No party platform, not even the Greens, addresses every single thing perfectly,” Bezos said, adding the group also sought details as to “how” a party would achieve an action. “I think the parties, the NDP and the Liberals and the Greens, they all care about the environment."
The report card includes issues such as fuel, transportation, buildings, electricity and an “other” category with elements like emissions caps, Indigenous consideration, and supporting municipal environmental plans. The grading is based on detail, with an “A” category having a budget commitment, metric, or target date and lower grades indicating inclusion but without specifics.
Locally, Bezos identified key issues include the construction of the Bradford Bypass, along with Highway 413 toward the south end of the region. The Conservatives plan to go ahead with it, but other parties are opposed, with environmental concerns of the construction at the forefront.
“By building highways, all you’re doing is encouraging more of this urban sprawl,” she said, adding public transit needs to be more encouraged instead. “Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass are just disastrous environmentally … There are so many creative ways of reducing gridlock, and building more highways only encourages more cars on the road.”
Drawdown has also prepared a list of questions to ask candidates, including reinstatement of the environmental commissioner role, ending the use of ministerial zoning orders, restoring cancelled green-energy projects and pushing back on urban sprawl.
In York Region, sprawl has been a significant debate, with environmentalists and Newmarket council opposed to the degree the region is expanding its urban boundaries.
“Green spaces are important for sequestering carbon and ensuring biodiversity and farmland will continue to be fundamental to feeding Ontario and a robust rural economy,” Drawdown said.
The organization does not shy away from criticizing some of the environmental moves of the past four years, which Bezos said should be getting more attention.
But she said so far in this election, the environment has not been a focal point.
“It doesn’t seem to be that voters are as interested in climate change as they were, even in the last federal election,” she said. “I guess because of COVID-19, they’re focused on the cost of living.”
Still, Bezos said their group is doing outreach, such as a table at the Aurora Farmers’ Market. She encouraged voters to read what the parties are offering and consider what has happened in recent years.
“Look at the reality of the platforms,” she said. “Read carefully, and filter through carefully.”
