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Climate Action Muskoka

  • Home
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    • Focus On The Science
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        • Endorsements — Climate Emergency Declaration
      • The Back Story

Ontario Climate News

Federal government could intervene on Greenbelt development, Guilbeault warns Ontario

Jan 26, 2023 – The Narwahl

Prompted by questions from The Narwhal Thursday, Guilbeault said he couldn’t give specifics yet because it isn’t clear which projects developers might propose, or where they might be. But he said Ontario’s push to develop Greenbelt land “flies in the face of everything we’re trying to do in terms of being better prepared for the impacts of climate change,” and Ottawa “will be looking at the potential use of federal tools to stop some of these projects.”


Ontario integrity commissioner, auditor general to launch Greenbelt investigations: Toronto Star

Jan 18, 2023

Hiker at Roughe Urban National Park in Toronto. Giordano Ciampini / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Ontario’s integrity commissioner and auditor general both announced Wednesday that they would conduct separate investigations into the government’s decision to open protected Greenbelt lands up to housing development. Read Toronto Star story. (If this link requires a subscription, try your Muskoka Region / TorStar login.)

From The Narwhal: More fallout over Ontario’s environmental cuts, as watchdogs launch Greenbelt investigations. Read story.


Windsor gets taken for a ride by dirty fossil fuel developer

Jan 17, 2023

Mayor Dilkens and Windsor City Council chose to listen to a fossil fuel power developer rather than the citizens of Windsor, who reminded them that the city has declared a climate emergency and has endorsed the call for the province to phase-out gas fired power. – more here


What does the More Homes Built Faster Act mean for waterfront communities? Why the focus on wetlands? Watersheds Canada explains.

Jan 9, 2023

Marshy area with Watersheds Canada logo.

Ontario’s Bill 23, aka the More Homes Built Faster Act, has garnered fierce opposition since it was announced in October. The Bill was made into law just 34 days after it was introduced, leaving many to wonder what this means for their communities. 

This explainer from Watersheds Canada focuses on Site Plan Control, Third Party Appeals, Wetlands and Conservation Authorities. Read story.


Environmental groups taking provincial government to court over attack on Hamilton’s official plan

Jan 9, 2023

 Ecojustice, on behalf of Environmental Defence, has served the Ontario government with a notice of application for a judicial review of its unilaterally imposed changes to Hamilton’s official plan.
Read the Ecojustice media release – here
Listen to the CBC, Metro Morning interview with Phil Pothen – here


Industry Leaders Lobby Against Bill 23 in Open Letter to Ontario Government

November 28, 2022 – Urban Toronto

Downtown Toronto, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Rascacielo

Today, Bill 23 received Royal Assent, the final approval in bringing legislation into force.  

As the news cycle of the last month has shown, the bill has been received with open arms by some, but not all. The extent of the criticism has reached a new high though after a contingent of industry leading design firms came together to pen an open letter to the Government with a clear message: Bill 23 needs to go back to the drawing board. 

…The group wastes little time making their main argument, asserting that the activation of Bill 23 will only exacerbate the housing issues we are already facing in this Province while simultaneously harming the already fragile standards for climate change, mitigation, and heritage conservation.  – more


Doug Ford to gut Ontario’s conservation authorities, citing stalled housing

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, centre, and Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark, left,
announced their latest plan to make development easier

Oct. 25, 2022 – By Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh – The Narwhal

In a massive overhaul of urban development planning, the Ontario government looks to take power away from the agencies that help prevent flooding — again

“It will make it easier to build the right type of housing in the right places,” Ford told industry stakeholders, with a grin.

But Ford didn’t say his plan depends in part on a massive gutting of conservation authorities, which oversee and protect vital and deteriorating watersheds.

Find the whole story from the Narwhal here –

More outrage in the media

Hamilton housing and climate advocates protest Ontario’s proposed ‘More Homes Built Faster Act’ | CBC News

City of Ottawa staff have analyzed the local impacts of the province’s new housing bill, and their conclusions are grim | Ottawa Citizen

“A Death Sentence for the Greenbelt”: Experts Weigh in on Housing Plan | storeys.com

Ford’s Bill 23 is ‘ecological insanity’, implodes sustainable urban planning in unhinged give over to sprawl developers | Spare News | pentictonherald.ca

Get more information at the links below.

Unpacking Bill 23 – More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 | AMO – Association of Ontario Municipalities

Bait and Switch: Understanding Bill 23, The ‘More Sprawl, Fewer Wetlands’ Act – YouTube – Environmental Defence

Ontario’s Housing Bill is Actually a Trojan Horse for Environmentally Catastrophic Rural Sprawl – Environmental Defence

Bill 23 Backgrounder – November 2022 – Page 1 (publitas.com) – Ontario Nature

Reviewing Bill 23 – More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 – Canadian Environmental Law Association

Speaking_Notes_Bill-23_Committee-Presentation_Nov_9_2022-1.pdf (cela.ca) – Canadian Environmental Law Association


EXCLUSIVE: Ontario Regulator Refuses New Pipeline,
Tells Enbridge to Plan for Lower Gas Demand

May 30, 2022 – Primary Author: Mitchell Beer – the Energy Mix

The Ontario Energy Board sent minor shock waves through the province’s energy regulatory and municipal energy communities earlier this month with its refusal to approve the final phases of a $123.7-million pipeline replacement project in Ottawa proposed by Enbridge Gas.

Several observers said this was the first time the OEB had refused a “leave to construct” application from a gas utility, laying bare an operating model in which the companies’ revenue is based primarily on the kilometres of pipe they can install, rather than the volume of gas their customers actually need.


How Progressive Conservatives reshaped Ontario’s environmental policy

Doug Ford Reshapes Ontario Environment Policy
Doug Ford Reshapes Ontario Environment Policy

Nov. 9, 2021 (Updated Mar 24, 2022) – The Narwhal – Emma McIntosh and Fatima Syed

Ahead of the provincial election next June, The Narwhal is keeping a running list of all the ways Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have altered Ontario’s environmental landscape.

Four days into his job as premier, Doug Ford announced the end of Ontario’s $3 billion cap-and-trade climate program as his government’s first policy decision. Since then, the Progressive Conservatives have made dramatic changes to the province’s environmental policy. The changes affect everything from endangered species to renewable energy to development, and critics say most are harmful to wildlife and natural spaces, as well as counterintuitive given the scale of the climate crisis.


Ontario Stands Out as ‘Climate Hooligan’ Amid Patchwork of Provincial Policies

January 13, 2022 – The Energy Mix – David Robertson/Seniors for Climate Action Now!

As the International Energy Agency points out in its report this week, how provinces respond to the climate emergency has a huge bearing on whether Canada as a whole will achieve its 2030 climate targets. And by any accounting, Ontario is a climate laggard, more a climate hooligan. The reason is Premier Doug Ford’s Conservative government.


Three-Quarters of ‘905’ Suburbanites Oppose New Highway Through Ontario Greenbelt

January 3, 2022 – The Energy Mix

… Suggesting a truly seismic shift in attitudes about environmental stewardship, 74% of those polled said that the Ford government should be treating the climate crisis as an “emergency,” rather than merely as a “priority” or “serious” issue. That deliberate choice of words is also “the language of activism,” Forman and Kaleem note.


Less Talk, More Action on Climate, Ex-Toronto Mayor Urges

December 6, 2021 – The Energy Mix

Climate Report Card for Ontario Cities Reveals Need for Provincial Leadership

As too many national governments, including Canada’s, continue to talk big but walk small on climate action, cities are stepping up, writes Miller, now director of international diplomacy for C40 Cities, in a recent op ed for the Toronto Star. And that matters, he adds, since cities create about 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions.


Canadian town first to pledge net-zero emissions by 2030

December 2, 2021 – By Cloe Logan  – National Observer

An aerial look of Halton Hills, Ont. Photo provided by the Town of Halton Hills

… Jane Fogal says changing weather has taken a toll on her area’s mixed wood forest — knocked down by wind, destroyed by pine beetles, and replaced with saplings. When she bikes around town, the trees are a constant reminder of how quickly climate change is transforming her own world and places farther afield. It convinced her that as a politician, she needed to act — and fast.


Hamilton Votes to End Sprawl: Stop Sprawl Hamilton saves thousands of acres & sets a precedent for the GTHA

November 26, 2021 – Phil Pothen – Environment Defence

Hamilton’s decision to stop sprawl will save 3,300 acres of farmland

In a game-changing victory for the people of Hamilton and the future of the region’s forests and farmland, Hamilton’s City Council has voted by a 13-3 margin to END URBAN SPRAWL.

The city council, supported by an overwhelming 90 per cent of citizens, committed to stopping sprawl – not by stopping or resisting population growth – but by accommodating the next 30 years of new homes and workplaces within Hamilton’s existing boundaries.


Age of electric: Why Ontario rinks are slowly ditching their old ice resurfacers

Nov 16, 2021 – Trevor Pritchard – CBC News


When Chris Decouto powers up the new electric Zambonis at the Invista Centre in Kingston, Ont., he’s left with a good feeling.

“It’s just knowing that there isn’t that propane gas combustion engine operating in the facility,” said Decouto, the city’s arena operator. “You can’t really beat zero emissions in terms of indoor air quality.”


Vehicle-to-Building/Grid Integration

Aug 3, 2021 – Ontario Clean Air Alliance submission to the IESO
Prepared by Kent Elson

Overview

  1. EV batteries with bi-directional chargers are cheaper than gas plants for peak power
  2. EVs are an enormous opportunity to lower electricity rates & carbon emissions
  3. By 2030, EVs will have more than twice the capacity of Ontario’s gas plants
  4. When all cars are electric, their gross discharge capacity (GW) will be more than 6
    times Ontario’s total peak demand
  5. Technical barriers to bi-directional charging have largely disappeared (with more bidirectional-capable cars and chargers and million+ mile batteries)
  6. This is urgent – it is cheaper to incentivize bi-directional charging now before
    millions of “dumb” and “one-directional” chargers are purchased


City Council approves bold strategy to reduce emissions from existing buildings to net zero by 2050, updates Toronto Green Standard

July 14, 2021 – City of Toronto Media Room News Releases & Other Resources

Today, City Council approved multiple strategies and plans that will be critical to achieving the City of Toronto’s TransformTO goal to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to net zero by 2050 or sooner. This includes a Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy to decarbonize all existing residential, commercial and institutional buildings within the next 30 years; a Net Zero Carbon Plan to reduce emissions in City-owned buildings; and an update to the Toronto Green Standard to achieve net zero emissions in new development by 2030.


Sudbury buys four Tesla Model 3s for non-emergency EMS calls

April 22, 2021 – Electric Autonomy

The City of Sudbury is incorporating fully electric vehicles into its community paramedic fleet, building on its leadership in municipal vehicle electrification. by Emma Jarratt

Powerful Ontario developers stand to cash in if Highway 413 is built. An inside look at their connections to the Ford government

The premier’s office says the 413 is needed to serve a growing population and relieve pressure on highways that will soon be over capacity. The province has approved controversial MZOs to help fast-track development on lands owned by some major developers

Steve Buist,Emma McIntosh and Noor Javed – Toronto Star Saturday, April 3, 2021

Eight of Ontario’s most powerful land developers own thousands of acres of prime real estate near the proposed route of the controversial Highway 413, a Torstar/National Observer investigation has found.

SUPPORTING PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE IN THE NORTH IS IN THE 2021 ONTARIO BUDGET!!

It took 8½ years of advocating for the return of the Northlander. 

March 24, 2021

Today the Northeastern Ontario Rail Network (NEORN) is excited to announce the Ontario government has committed to funding the next step to moving forward on the project with $5M and hopefully then to the final stage: putting ‘bums in seats’ on the train between Toronto and Timmins/Cochrane.


Lucille Frith and Howie Wilcox, NEORN Co-Chairs

Ontario students push teachers to pressure pension fund to divest from fossil fuels

A flare stack lights the sky from a refinery in Edmonton on December 28, 2018. An environmental coalition is appealing to Ontario teachers to pressure their pension fund to divest from companies that develop or transport fossil fuel products.

 A group of students from across Ontario read a letter to their teachers, asking them to push the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to stop investing their retirement savings in oil, gas, coal, and pipeline companies.

Grade 11 student Aliya Hirji urges teachers to “step up and take action now” and “stop investing your money in climate failure.”

By The Canadian Press Thu., Jan. 7, 2021

Seven members of Doug Ford’s Greenbelt Council resign over conservation authority changes

The Greenbelt Council is a government-appointed expert panel that advises the province on issues related to the Greenbelt, a stretch of protected land surrounding the Greater Toronto Area that Ford has promised not to develop.

By Emma McIntosh | News, Politics | December 6th 2020 National Observer

Three-letter acronym now ‘a weapon of mass destruction in the planning world,’ critics say

Opponents say Minister’s Zoning Orders ignore environmental concerns while kowtowing to developers. Local resident Bob Codd says the province and municipalities are employing Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs) with fervent abandon to the detriment of both the environment and due process

Nov 20, 2020 1:53 PM By: Andrew Philips – orilliamatters.com

ONTARIO YOUTH CLIMATE DEFENDERS WIN THEIR DAY IN COURT

In a groundbreaking judgement, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ruled the climate crisis doesthreaten fundamental rights protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that Canadian citizens can therefore challenge their governments’ climate failures on constitutional grounds,

The Energy Mix – NOVEMBER 16, 2020

‘The developers are all in control’: Doug Ford’s government moves to limit the power of conservation authorities, sparking fears for the environment

New legislation by Doug Ford’s provincial government will override the powers of Ontario’s conservation authorities, limiting their ability to assess the environmental impact of developments across the province, according to environmental groups.
Noor Javed
– Toronto Star – Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Hamilton City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Government of Ontario to phase-out the province’s gas-fired power plants by 2030.

According to the City of Hamilton resolution, a fossil-free provincial electricity system is critically important for the City to achieve its climate goals in part by replacing fossil fuels with electric vehicles, electric buses and electric heat pumps. – Clean Air Alliance – November 11, 2020

Kitchener and Halton Hills call for the phasing-out of Ontario’s gas-fired power plants

Yesterday the City of Kitchener and the Town of Halton Hills became the first municipalities to request the Government of Ontario to start phasing-out Ontario’s gas-fired power plants. You can download a draft resolution to send to your council here. You can sign as an individual here.

October 27, 2020 Building a clean, green grid, Bulletins

OTTAWA CITY PLAN SETS SIGHTS ON ZERO EMISSIONS, 4.4 GW OF NEW RENEWABLES BY 2050

The City of Ottawa has released a long-awaited energy transition plan that has it eliminating all greenhouse gas emissions, phasing out all fossil fuel use, shifting all heating and transportation to electricity or other zero-emission options, and adding 4.4 gigawatts of new solar and wind capacity by 2050.

OCTOBER 23, 2020 PRIMARY AUTHOR COMPILED BY MITCHELL BEER

Tay Valley Township Approves First Climate Action Plan

Posted on Wednesday September 16,

In late August the Council of Tay Valley Township approved Taking Steps to Make a Difference – A Climate Action Plan 2020. The Plan sets two targets – a 55% reduction in municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 2028 and a 45% reduction in community emissions.  The municipal target reflects the call by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 7.6 per cent a year, each year, in order to hold the average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A car-less dream of a Muskoka for all

Proposals abound to plan for a greener, post-pandemic future. Most focus on cities, where 81 per cent of Canadians live. But, a truly national plan must include how to connect cities with rural areas without relying on internal combustion (ICE) vehicles.

By Gordon Laxer, Gravenhurst, September 13, 2020 – The Star

Guelph to add 65 electric buses to public transit fleet through $177 million investment

The electrification strategy involves replacing 35 currently operational diesel buses with EVs, as well as commissioning 30 new electric buses and installing on-route charging stations.

16 January 2020 – ELECTRIC AUTONOMY

Let's take action together in 2022

Climate Action Muskoka is an inclusive and non-partisan group working with individuals, businesses and government to tackle climate change. Locally, we focus on education and community engagement and collaboration with municipalities to build resilience as Muskoka transitions to a post-carbon future. Everyone is welcome to get involved.

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Political Action of the Week -Keep those letters opposing Bill 23 coming

Select Online Reads - The Magic Green Belt - Margaret Atwood

Muskoka Drawdown -  Frank’s guest is Gideon Forman, a climate change and transportation policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation.

Feature Podcast – Maude Barlow - Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism:

Climate And The Law - Environmental groups taking provincial government to court over attack on Hamilton’s official plan

Buildings - Concrete Built The Modern World. Now It’s Destroying It.

Focus On The Science - Exxon scientists accurately predicted the pace and scale of climate change more than 40 years ago.

Quick N Delish - Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup.

Listen to The Music - “PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER” - C!C!C! with Patti Smith - Get inspired to join a Climate Rally 

On The Road To Zero

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  • Notes from Meeting with Graydon Smith, January 19, 2023
  • Climate groups in Parry Sound Muskoka sit down face to face with MPP Graydon Smith
  • OPEN LETTER TO MPP HON. GRAYDON SMITH
  • BILL 23 MUST GO.
  • Climate Action Muskoka Raises The Alarm About Bill 23

Quote Me

"The people have spoken. I'm going to listen to them, they don't want me to touch the Greenbelt, we won't touch the Greenbelt."
Doug Ford - May 2018

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