In this issue… We focus on two points of OCEC’s 12-point Climate Action Plan. The first point, “set binding climate targets based on science and justice consistent with global efforts to limit planetary warming to 1.5°C,” is addressed via updates on fossil fuel production and emission targets, a preview of the upcoming COP 28, and reports of actions to oppose the expansion of gas plants in Ontario. Following news about OCEC-Supported Initiatives we address at-risk water and wetlands, which speaks to the eighth point of the action plan, “Urgently protect natural biodiversity.” The two action plan items are followed by news from OCEC’s signatory groups under Signatory Actions, a list of Upcoming Events, suggestions of Key Resources and finally, some Good News. |
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“Phasing Down or Phasing Up?” |
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Last week, the United Nations published a comprehensive report revealing that countries around the world, including Canada, are ramping up their fossil fuel production in 2030. Yes, you read that correctly… ramping up. This increase in global fossil fuel production is at odds with the Paris Agreement, in which 151 countries pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to prevent warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this decade. |
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Read the full United Nations Production Gap 2023 Report. Read a summary of the Production Gap 2023 Report. While Canada has pledged to reduce its GHG emissions by 40–45% below 2005 levels by 2030, the Production Gap 2023 Report states that, based on current government policies and projects, Canada is expected to increase its oil production “by 25% over 2022 levels by 2035 and remains roughly constant through 2050.” Gas production does not look much better, with production expected to rise through 2050 “to 24% above 2022 levels.” |
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The Emissions Gap Report 2023: Broken Record finds that the world is heading for a temperature rise far above the Paris Agreement goals unless countries deliver more than they have promised. The report finds that there has been progress since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. Greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, based on policies in place, were projected to increase by 16 per cent at the time of the agreement’s adoption. Today, the projected increase is 3 percent. However, predicted 2030 greenhouse gas emissions still must fall by 28 per cent for the Paris Agreement 2°C pathway and 42 per cent for the 1.5°C pathway. These projections are not hard to believe with the Ontario provincial government seeking to expand its oil and gas electricity plants and Enbridge’s natural gas pipeline infrastructure. Canada cannot achieve its 2030 emissions reduction targets from 2005 of 40 to 45% without Ontario achieving its own of 30%. This is why OCEC’s activism – along with that of our signatory groups, including Ontario Clean Air Alliance, SCAN! and Environmental Defence – is critical to hold our governments accountable and demand evidence-based climate action. Our efforts are paying off as seen in Thorold, Ontario, where the plan to expand its gas plant was rejected! |
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Office of the Auditor General of Canada. Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act - 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Federal government not on track to meet 2030 emission reduction target under new act. Full report: https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/att__e_44374.html At a glance: https://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_202311_06_e_44369.html The BC Climate Emergency Campaign has just released its 2023 Progress Report. It warns that BC is not on track to meet its climate targets. Ongoing support for fracking and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and allowing thousands of new homes to connect to gas are moves that undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, locking in climate pollution for decades. In Ontario the Enbridge/Ford Government programs to extend not just natural gas power but also pipelines continue. Actively in the planning and feasibility phase is a pipeline from Perth to Lanark County with construction to start in 2025. Kudos to Climate Network Lanark for their opposition to this project. But as the CBC reports, it may be the red granite of the Canadian shield that may make the cost prohibitive even with the Ford government’s huge subsidy of Enbridge’s growth at ever increasing expense to Ontario rate and taxpayers. |
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OCEC-SUPPORTED INITIATIVES |
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VICTORY IN LOYALIST TOWNSHIP!
“We won!!” This message was sent by Nancy McNicol of SCAN! Kingston, with a quote from Aric McBay: ...I have great news! I just stepped out of a packed Council meeting in Odessa, and I'm very glad to report that Council listened to us. Loyalist Township Council rejected the IESO's request for blanket approval. The Kingston CoGen gas plant on Taylor Kidd Blvd will not expand.” Read the report from Ontario Clean Air Alliance. |
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An Online Town Hall to “Say No to a New Polluting Gas Plant” was held on November 27, hosted by a Beyond Gas coalition of environmental groups. The Town Hall focused on the impacts of new gas plants proposed for Halton Hills and Napanee which require approval by local councils. |
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Seventy-two attendees were provided with ample evidence to present to their elected councillors, including urgent warnings of public health dangers and the many lower cost, non-polluting options available. One of the speakers was OCEC Co-Chair Mili Roy. Read her Halton Hills Deputation Letter and Deputation Slides. |
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Greater Napanee - No Gas Plant - take action! The Greater Napanee town council has deferred a decision to approve or reject a 450 MW expansion to the Napanee natural gas generating station until November 28. The deferral came because of deputations against the expansion by concerned local residents, Jack Gibbons of OCAA and Keith Brooks of Environmental Defence. |
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Now Ontario Power Generation, a public corporation (!) and owner of Atura Power, has offered the Greater Napanee town council a $4.8 million inducement for support of the proposed new polluting gas plant. That puny bribe ($400,000 a year for 12 years) would top the probable 2.5 billion dollar cost of the new plant that may be allowed to operate for just 10 years because of Canada’s proposed Clean Electricity regulations. And dollar costs do not take into account the health and climate change costs or the foregone opportunity cost of investing in much cheaper renewable sources of electric power. We can expect town councillors in other jurisdictions faced with similar gas plant expansions to demand the same “compensation.” Send a message to your MPP and to Energy Minister Todd Smith. Demand that they direct OPG stop trying to sway local decision makers with public money and get serious about reducing GHG pollution and its climate impacts. |
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OCEC members participated in the Portlands anti-gas plant demonstration on November 4 in Toronto. We are calling on the Ford government to begin ramping down and phasing out the Portlands gas plant, to halt the Ontario-wide expansion of gas fired electricity and invest in renewables instead. The event was covered by multiple news outlets, including Global News.
Banner held by Lyn Adamson, OCEC co-chair, left, and Janet Nanos, TERRE, right |
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WATER AND WETLANDS AT RISK! |
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New legislation proposed by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks would exempt certain waste management systems, stormwater management, and water-taking from licensing requirements. They would no longer be subject to either government or public scrutiny before commencing operation in Ontario. This is referred to as the “permit-by-rule framework” which has been expanding in Ontario for some time. The proposals can be viewed on the Canadian Environmental Law Association’s website. In their webinar, Environment Ministry Proposes to Exempt Harmful Activities from Licensing Requirements, CELA staff Ramani Nadarajah and Laura Tanguay explain that it will allow many activities that are high-risk and can pose serious threats to human health and the environment. |
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Actions to Protect Wetlands and Biodiversity |
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Ontario Nature’s Wetlands Campaign opposed the Government of Ontario’s legislative changes in 2021 allowing developers to ride roughshod over protections for Provincially Significant Wetlands. Since then, the trend of undermining wetland protections has only continued. Wetland losses will accelerate with the passing of Bill 23 and its accompanying policy changes. |
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Among the many damaging changes is an overhaul of the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System, making it more difficult to designate and protect wetlands as provincially significant. Wetlands are diverse and delicate ecosystems that are both ecologically and economically valuable. At present, less than 30 percent of our original wetlands remain in southern Ontario. In the Niagara and Greater Toronto Area, that number drops to 10 percent. Many factors contribute to wetland loss, including: |
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The blog Setting the Record Straight on Wetland Protection in Northern Ontario cites a 2019 report of Ontario’s Special Advisor on Flooding which found that wetlands can reduce flood damage and costs by up to 29 percent in rural areas and 38 percent in urban areas. As noted many years ago, in a commentary published by the National Wildlife Federation, “When wetlands are filled, the water that made them wet has to go somewhere. If it isn’t seeping back into the basement of the house built on the former wetland, the water likely is leaking into formerly dry homes of downstream property owners.” The Federation states that all wetland losses have impacts on local biodiversity and climate resiliency and implorea northern Ontarians to not make the same mistakes that were made in southern Ontario. |
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SCAN! Member Ken Epps submitted to the Environmental Registry of Ontario this comment on the regulatory proposals by the Ford government to reduce water-related licensing protections. Although the consultation period ended on October 30, you may still voice your opinion to Andrea Kanjin, Minister of Environment Conservation and Parks, and your MPP using this tool provided by the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition. |
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The Reform Gravel Mining Coalition, which includes Environmental Defence, Council of Canadians, Water Watchers and the Wilderness Committee, is specifically concerned about expanding environmental permissions and reducing oversight for the gravel mining industry. |
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"Let's make Highway 413 the next Ford Government policy back down. It is a $10 billion urban sprawl horror that will destroy hundreds of acres of Greenbelt land and thousands of acres of prime farmland, emit millions of tons of CO2, pollute our diminishing wetlands, freshwater resources, and endangered species already at risk - all to save drivers 30 seconds of commuting time.” (Phil Pothen, Environmental Defence) |
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On November 22 the Ontario Headwaters Institute made a submission on the proposed bill to return land to the Greenbelt. It emphasised the need to integrate land and watershed planning to safeguard watershed security in Ontario, provided a unique map on watershed management in the south-central part of the province, recommended a public consultation process for future changes to the Greenbelt, and suggested that the Greenbelt be significantly expanded into the Greater Golden Horseshoe. You can view the submission and sign the petition. |
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The Ford government's proposal to remove oversight on key wetland, waste water and developer water use stem from proposed highways and the urban sprawl they serve, all in the name of building more housing. Really? Ford's land grabs have nothing to do with solving the housing crisis. Highway 413 has nothing to do with fixing transportation. All along the route proposed for Highway 413 are properties owned by the same developers who stood to gain $8.3 billion in the Greenbelt giveaway. Collateral damage -our freshwater resources and vital wetlands. |
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Power Up Demonstration,
The Climate Emergency Unit, 350.org and SCAN! organised a just transition event on November 4 at Toronto City Hall. People brought art pieces associated with renewables such as ersatz windmills and solar panels, and tables were set up for young people to continue artistic expression in preparing placards for the event. Young people from a North York school sang and chanted about the need to end the support of fossil fuels. Ontario President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Fred Hahn, gave a stirring speech along with a CUPE daycare teacher, who shared her work of responding to children's trauma over the negative impacts of the climate crisis. A member of SCAN!, Magdalene Winterhoff, spoke of the pension divestment campaign and distributed postcards to be sent to the Canada Pension Plan requesting they take action on this issue. The Roncy Jam Factory band provided background music to support the event. Bushra Ashgar of the Climate Emergency Unit wrapped up the event with a call to action to the 100 attendees. |
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Letters, Petitions, Pledges, Tweets |
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Stop the expansion of gas power and pollution in Brampton! A gas-fired power plant in Brampton has announced expansion plans that would dramatically increase its emissions of CO2, as well as other pollutants that could impact the health of local residents. |
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This expansion will not be necessary to meet Ontario’s electricity needs, provided the province invests in energy efficiency improvements. The Ontario Clean Air Alliance has prepared a letter urging provincial leaders to oppose the expansion and to invest in greener solutions. Tell Canada to be a climate leader at COP28! This climate conference is critical. Canada must commit to phasing out fossil fuels. Sign on to Greenpeace’s letter to your MP and ECCC Minister Stephen Guilbeaut. And take this low-waste holiday pledge and receive tips on going wasteless |
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Send a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau: New buildings must be fossil-free! |
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Local governments are critical to federal success on climate change initiatives, housing delivery and affordability. The David Suzuki Foundation urges you to call on the federal government to provide a dedicated funding stream for municipalities. Send the letter. |
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The federal oil and gas industry emissions cap regulations will be announced any day. Use this Leadnow action letter to call on the federal cabinet to imposed a strong emissions cap. There is also a petition calling on the federal government to provide energy justice for those most in need to access climate solutions like heat pumps. Add your name to the petition! |
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Our eyes should be on Canada at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28). Will Canada be a leader in phasing out fossil fuels and take the next step towards decarbonization by investing in a diverse renewable energy system across the country? Will it provide its fair share of financing to Less Developed Countries to help them deal with the climate crisis? Click here for a preview of some of the key issues to be addressed, from phasing out fossil fuels to climate finance. |
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Geothermal in Multi-Family Buildings November 30, 2023. 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sponsored by Toronto East End Climate Collective (TEECC), this is the first in a series of discussions on geothermal and district energy. Tim Weber, Partner and Co-Founder of Diverso Energy, will discuss this great renewable solution happening now in Ontario! Register here. |
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Sample Letter/Petition for Meeting with Your MPPs An intrepid OCEC member, with friends and neighbours who are constituents of Belleville, the riding of Todd Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, arranged for an in-person meeting to present their demands for climate action in Ontario. Over 70 people signed the letter/petition presented to Minister Smith in the meeting. |
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Interested in how the media covers climate change and its impacts? Climate Desk is a journalistic collaboration dedicated to exploring the impact—human, environmental, economic, political—of a changing climate. Read more about Climate Desk. The Great Carbon Divide: The Guardian, Nov. 20. This is a report on the latest research from Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute on climate inequality. In 2019, the richest 1%, just 17 million people, are responsible for more CO2 emissions than the poorest 66%! |
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On November 8 the City of Toronto passed a motion in support of a Youth Climate Corps, which is being promoted by Seth Klein and the Climate Emergency Unit. Read the motion here. Consider asking your own municipal or regional council to do the same! |
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Heat Pumps Are Having Their Moment in Canada, with over 30% of New Brunswick homes using them for their primary heating system followed by other Maritime Provinces and Quebec. It will come as no surprise that Ontario lags all other provinces where adoption has barely reached 2%. See the story by 440megatonnes.ca. |
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Fantastic news from the European Union! On November 16 the European Union approved the strengthening of its “directive on protection of the environment through criminal law,” to enshrine in law a new offence that aims to punish the most serious crimes against the environment including habitat destruction and Illegal logging. See the STOP ECOCIDE article. |
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We need to celebrate our victories! Within our large and varied coalition of organisations and individuals taking action to sustain a healthy environment for future generations there is widespread cause for celebration: The Ford government is on its hind legs due to the vibrant public push-back on their corrupt process in trying to impinge on the Greenbelt to profit their cronies in the development industry. This success has led to increasing public awareness around the other follies of the current provincial government. It puts wind in the sails of our own campaign with our allies to stop the move to expand gas plants, an idea which is palpably absurd, for the damage to not only public health but also public finance. It has energised other campaigns, such as the one to stop Highway 413, the opposition to building a luxury spa at Ontario Place, and the questioning of the destruction of the Ontario Science Centre. OCEC is rigorously non-partisan, but we are united in recognizing the need for our political leaders to develop policies that benefit all Ontarians and not only the few chosen by questionable means. We need to keep up the good work! |
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Do you have any upcoming events or actions you want to share? Please send them to us at OCECnews@gmail.com. |
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