Dear Minister Phillips,
The Clean Economy Alliance (CEA) includes a broad cross-section of Ontario organizations and businesses who support effective action on climate change. We are nurses, builders, architects, teachers, engineers, clean technology innovators, solar panel installers, doctors, financiers, steelworkers, and many more. Our members create jobs, improve our health, and build opportunities for Ontarians in the local and global clean economy.
We are pleased to see that your government has committed to establishing targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario, and a climate change plan to achieve these targets.
It is essential that Ontario's greenhouse gas reduction targets are science-based, in line with Canada's international commitments to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, and relevant to slowing the impacts of climate change.
Everyday Ontarians are paying the growing financial and social costs of extreme weather; cleaning up flooded basements, evacuating homes threatened by forest fires, and suffering health impacts from polluted air and extreme heat.
The signatories below, who represent a majority of CEA members, urge you to start building a strong and effective plan immediately, beginning with the consultation of Ontario businesses, scientists, economists, and others who understand the sources of, and solutions to, carbon pollution. In addition, we ask that you commit to a firm timeline for establishing a new climate change plan and emission reduction targets, including opportunities for all Ontarians to participate and give feedback into this plan.
An effective, made-in-Ontario plan must include targeted action to tackle the primary sources of carbon pollution in Ontario including transportation, industry, and buildings. The plan must also include adequate funding for implementation, and transparency mechanisms to make sure Ontarians know how this funding will be spent.
We share your desire to see Ontario's economy grow and thrive. Helping businesses, municipalities, organizations, workers and individuals transition to clean, lower-cost, energy-efficient solutions can make our province more competitive and healthy, create new jobs in many industries, increase Ontario's energy independence, and reduce carbon pollution while cutting energy costs.
We look forward to collaborating with you on solutions, and would welcome Clean Economy Alliance participation in your advisory group to develop a new climate plan.
