The Ford government does not stand alone
The Ontario government isn’t the only one to have weakened environmental protections in recent months.
For example, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, in the midst of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, suspended important environmental reporting (which has since been reinstated following sustained criticism). His government has also continued to charge ahead with a controversial public inquiry into “anti-Alberta” activities, despite being unable to deliver a report or conclude its investigation in a timely manner.
While COVID-19 remains top of mind for most Canadians (and for good reason), we can’t lose sight of other issues, like the biodiversity crisis and the climate emergency, that Canada and the world must grapple with in a post-COVID world.
Now, more than ever, we need to be able to count on our elected officials to do what is in the best interest of communities, our health, and the protection of the environment that sustains us all.
What you can do to help
In the coming year, Ontarians will have to start thinking about whether they want to see another four years of attacks on the environment or whether it’s time for something different. In the meantime, here are three things you can do to make sure the Ford government knows Ontarians expect better from its elected officials:
1. Tell government where you stand. Right now you can join our friends at Environmental Defence in urging MPPs to protect Conservation Authorities. Or you can urge Minister of the Environment, Jeff Yurek to strengthen and implement protections in Lake Simcoe and set a better standard for protections of other water systems, like the Great Lakes.
2. Become part of #GenClimateAction. Show the courageous young people at the heart of our biggest climate lawsuit yet that they can count on you as they get ready to hold the Ford government to account for its poor climate record.
3. Share Ecojustice’s work with your friends and family. Whether it’s our youth-led climate case or holding the Ford government to account for not consulting Ontarians on environmental decision-making, the more people that know about what the government is doing, the less likely these changes will fly under the radar.