By Lincoln DePradine

A couple of Ontario politicians are calling on more residents of the province to become advocates for the environment and also more “politically active’’.

“I cannot underscore the value of advocacy,’’ Dr Jill Andrew, Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) MPP for Toronto-St Paul’s said on Monday.

Andrew made the comment in an online discussion on the environment with NDP colleague Peter Tabuns, the party’s spokesperson on energy and climate issues.

The ongoing “climate crisis’’, which includes changing weather patterns and greenhouse gas emission, is not a top agenda item for the Ontario government of Premier Doug Ford, Andrew charged.

Andrew, a member of the NDP Black Caucus, said people are facing “trying times’’ as they attempt to deal with climate issues and the Coronavirus.

“Not only do we have the COVID pandemic but we also have one of the – if not the – most seminal issue for our lifetime, the climate crisis we’re currently in. It’s one in which the Ford government has shown, time and time again, it is not a priority,’’ Andrew said.

She appealed to people to be “environmental stewards’’ by “advocating for our environment, even during COVID-19. The reality is, the crisis that we’re facing with our climate was here long before COVID-19’’.

Tabuns, MPP for Toronto-Danforth, said that without action on the environment, there will be threats to “our way of life’’ and with “disruptive’’ weather patterns, “the incidence of pandemics is expected to increase as the world gets hotter; not only would we see more tropical diseases but we will see new novel diseases presenting themselves as COVID has’’.

Tabuns, a former executive director of the environment organization, Greenpeace, suggested that by taking action such as making buildings more “energy-efficient’’ and avoiding the use of “fossil fueled-powered transport’’, while transitioning to a green economy, society can benefit positively.

“We have an opportunity to create hundreds of thousands of jobs; we have an opportunity to open up the economy to marginalized peoples in a way that we haven’t been able to for many decades,’’ said Tabuns. “I think that we have to keep our eyes on that opportunity, as well as being cognizant of the risks that our society is facing at this point.’’

In criticizing the provincial administration, Andrew recalled that one of the first moves by the Ford government after taking office in 2018 was “axing of the Ontario environment commissioner’’.

Tabuns added that the government is “very focused’’ on making groups such as developers, speculators and lobbyists rich and happy, “so they’ll continue to support his party and support their election campaign’’.

In the move to a new, green economy, some jobs will disappear, Tabuns said.

However, to help in the transition, “there has to be a commitment by government to making sure that people have the financial supports and the training supports that they’re going to need to go from one job to another’’, he explained.

The environmental change required, said Tabuns, must include political involvement by people  of the province and country.

“Because in the end, in order to shift our society, we’re going to have to change laws and we’re going to have make very large investments, and elect political parties that are willing to do that,’’ Tabuns said.

“As much as we do individual things that are really meaningful and useful, if we don’t change the larger structure, we’re going to be out of luck. Things will not move forward. I say to people be politically aware and be politically active; and, politically active even if it means just going out and voting in every election for the person that you think is going to be able to advance an agenda that protects you and the environment.’’

Activism also could include supporting environmental groups and attending climate demonstrations “to show that there is huge public support for action’’ on the environment, Tabuns said.

BELOW    – Peter Tabuns