Green Party 

Bronagh Morgan

Personally, I'd refuse to use a personal motor vehicle for any work-related duties and put forth a private members' bill requiring my colleagues to use public transit for commuting to Queen's Park and their constituency offices.

Leading by example is extremely important. I'd also work with my colleagues to develop new procurement rules for government departments to ensure all purchases are carbon-neutral at very least.   

In terms of the Green Party's commitment to meet targets, this would include major investments in renewable energy and green industry, incentives for companies to encourage telework, support for tree-planting initiatives, and incentives for citizens and businesses to grow their own food and buy locally what they can't grow themselves.    

We would transition Ontario to a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend system. Under this approach, a fee would be levied at the source on all goods and services that result in greenhouse gas pollution. All revenues generated from this "pollution tax" would be returned directly to citizens based on their adoption of non-polluting practices.

New Democratic Party (NDP) 

Amanda Stratton

Climate change is already changing our weather, our economy and impacting our daily lives. As Canada’s biggest province, Ontario has an important role in fighting climate change. We owe it to our planet and to the generations to come.   

 The Environmental Commissioner has raised serious doubts about the government’s ability to meet its 2020 and 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets. These doubts were reiterated by the federal and provincial auditors-general in their 2018 assessment of Canadian climate change initiatives. The government refused to consider NDP improvements to make the cap-and-trade system more fair, effective and transparent. And Ford and the Conservatives' 'wild west' approach is moving backwards on one of the most important issues facing Ontario’s economy and environment.  

 The New Democrat vision for fighting climate change includes carbon pricing, aggressive energy, water and land conservation and renewable energy. It is all based on the idea that our province must make a “Just Transition” to a green future where nobody is left behind.    

Andrea Horwath and the NDP believe polluters should pay for the emissions they release, and we will continue pricing carbon through a fair, effective and transparent cap-and-trade market. We will set clear greenhouse gas reduction targets that we can and will meet.    

We will work to ensure all municipalities have active transportation plans - strategies for promoting walking, cycling, and other human- propelled transportation, by 2021.    

We will reverse the sale of Hydro One, and return it to public oversight so Ontario can implement green energy polices cost-effectively, instead of sending more public money into private pockets.   

We will dedicate $50 million in cap-and-trade revenues to seed the creation of a new no-interest/on-bill home efficiency retrofit program, allowing residents to install energy-conserving technologies and improve the energy efficiency of their home. 

Green Party 

Bronagh Morgan

What an incredibly depressing statistic! Particularly when we know many area residents are going hungry and needing the help of food banks. At its heart, the Green Party is a grassroots movement and as such, understands that problems like this are best solved at the community level with the financial assistance of higher levels of government. I would support the formation of partnerships between community groups and businesses to ensure that food that may not be sellable, but remains edible and safe, gets to the kitchens of people who need it.

Educating our children and all citizens to be food smart would be a great way to address this problem, long-term. It always surprises me, as a personal trainer, how people are unaware of the amount of food their bodies really need to function efficiently!    

And for that food that is not consumable, I would support the development of composting programs in communities that still lack an organic collection program.

New Democratic Party (NDP) 

Amanda Stratton

Since 2008, food bank usage in Ontario increased overall by 6.9%. In Ontario, more than 595,000 households don’t have access to the food they need. 48% of First Nations adults living on-reserve in Ontario experience severe (14.5%) or moderate (33.1%) food insecurity. Toronto has become the child poverty capital of Canada, with the highest rate of low-income children among large urban centres. 

We live in one of the richest provinces in one of the richest countries in the world. These types of figures are simply unacceptable. A New Democrat government will develop a Provincial Food and Water Strategy, to promote health through access to healthy food, put public access to drinking water first, and strengthen the resilience of Ontario’s food systems. 

We’ll work with a range of groups including farmers, fishers, Indigenous people, inner city  organizers, entrepreneurs, public health leaders, academics, chefs, gardeners and others, and  will build on work by groups like Sustain Ontario. 

Together, we'll work to develop a food curriculum that will deliver culturally and regionally appropriate learning about growing and cooking food and a plan that protects our water and food lands and develop a provincial food and water policy that serves the public interest.  Our focus on putting food and water first will ensure that we protect our drinking water,  support our farmers, teach our children to make healthy food choices, and address income  inequality and persistent poverty in Ontario so that all families across the province have access  to nutritious food and clean drinking water

Green Party 

Bronagh Morgan

This is an easy "yes" to the ban, as well the investment in environmentally sound and sustainable alternatives to pesticides. It's a win-win - healthier food, grown with farming practices that are less dangerous to ecosystems.

New Democratic Party (NDP) 

Amanda Stratton

The Ontario NDP support regulating neonicotinoids and protecting pollinators and farmers.  NDP Candidate and previous Agriculture Critic, John Vanthof, has 30 years of experience in crop and dairy farming.

He previously spoke in favour of a plan that works for pollinators and farmers: "[The] goal should be to have the most effective program to protect pollinators and farmers." http://hansardindex.ontla.on.ca/hansardeissue/41-1/l060.htm. But regulating neonics isn't a solution in itself. For too long Kathleen Wynne has pushed policies that squeeze out family farms and make operating more expensive for everyone. Liberals have failed to support local, sustainable family farmers, and have instead supported policies that favour large-scale, pesticide-dependent, export-oriented farms. 

What’s worse is Doug Ford’s plan to cut billions in services and programs which means programs that support agriculture, agri-science and rural areas would be on the chopping block of a Ford government.  New Democrats will protect farmland from developers and we will introduce an Ontario Food Strategy that ensures Ontarians can buy healthy, locally sourced food. We recognize that farming policy is not one-size-fits-all. An NDP government will work with all farmers as partners.

Green Party 

Bronagh Morgan

Similar to my answer to your first question, I think it takes leadership in this area. I'd like to see more elected officials and government workers using people-powered transportation means.   

Smart urban development puts people first, not second or in some other subordinate position, to cars. It's good for business too, since more money gets spent in places where people walk and bike than drive!

The Green Party would introduce new legislation to require the inclusion of safe bike lanes in all new highway projects and whenever highways are resurfaced. 

New Democratic Party (NDP) 

Amanda Stratton

Ontarians are proud of our natural heritage. And we know our well-being -economic, social and physical - relies on the health of our environment. Under previous governments, transit has been squeezed. The last Conservative government cut the provincial government’s funding for municipal transit, and Kathleen Wynne refused to restore it. 

The NDP has long been a strong voice for both environmental sustainability and fairness. We believe the necessary transition to a green, low-carbon economy must be a fair one, so we don’t leave communities behind, and so all of us can realize the benefits.

The NDP will restore the province’s 50% share of funding for municipal transit operations - improving service and helping make fares affordable. We’ll build and expand transit to get Ontario moving smoothly. 

In addition to our transit commitments, the NDP will also fund cycling infrastructure that is safe for people of all ages and abilities, and set targets for increasing trips by foot or bike. Access to better transit and safe active transportation will mean less congestion, pollution and sprawl.  We will work to ensure all municipalities have active transportation plans - strategies for promoting walking, cycling, and other human-propelled transportation, by 2021. 

Green Party 

Bronagh Morgan

Once again, our government should lead on this issue with a ban on the procurement of single-use plastics and products containing microfibres and microplastics. Public campaigns about the dangers these materials pose to ecosystems are helpful in raising awareness, but they can't eradicate it.

We also need to ensure that consumers are aware of the real costs of such materials, from manufacture to disposal. The Green Party would also provide support for industries bringing to market safe alternatives.

New Democratic Party (NDP) 

Amanda Stratton

Ontario is blessed with great wealth and fresh water. Yet our food and water systems are at risk. It’s time our provincial government brought everyone to the table, and stood up together for Ontario’s water. 

The NDP has long recognized the threat improper waste diversion has on our treasured watercourses. Current NDP Candidate and former Critic for Environment and Climate Change Peter Tabuns has addressed the legislature on the issue of waste diversion, and criticized the Liberal Government for their slow timeline in introducing individual producer responsibility.  "We’re in bad shape in Ontario when it comes to waste diversion. I don’t think there’s any argument on that. We need action on this issue."   "We need to be taking substantial action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce our waste production. We need to have waste diversion numbers that will eliminate the need for new landfills in this province. There’s no question that we need to act on this issue and there’s no question that we’ve needed to act for a long time"  "We support the idea that the producer is responsible for the full life cycle of the product.  That’s extended producer responsibility. The producer of a product must internalize the full cost of their product’s life cycle."  http://hansardindex.ontla.on.ca/hansardeissue/41-1/l137.htm

We believe water is a public trust, and an Ontario Water Strategy will prioritize planning for water needs now and for future generations based on the public interest and sustainable public access to water. The Ontario Water Strategy will be based on the principle that the public should have access to water for drinking, sanitation and food; ensuring that communities have the water needed for planned sustainable growth. The strategy will create an inventory of water use and return across the province and will prioritize sustainable long-term water use planning.

Green Party 

Bronagh Morgan

I just participated in a campaign to halt development of the Medway Valley in London, home to several threatened species, so obviously this is a matter that's close to my heart! I'm sure it comes as no surprise that the Green Party advocates for greater protections for species at risk.

We would reform the Endangered Species Act to remove exemptions protecting companies from facing penalties for harming animals and their habitats. We would freeze urban sprawl now to protect farmlands as well as natural ecosystems. We would establish a provincial biodiversity monitoring and reporting program as an early warning system for species loss. Logging and resource extraction in provincial parks would be banned, while landowners and farmers engaging in good stewardship practices would receive financial incentives.

New Democratic Party (NDP) 

Amanda Stratton

Ontario continues to pave over protected wetlands and prime farmland while putting drinking water sources at risk because the government refuses to enforce its own land use policies, allowing sprawl to continue. And this government has failed to protect species at risk in Ontario.

Previous Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources, Kathryn McGarry, was even sued by environmental groups for failing to issue recovery strategies for 37 species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Additionally, for the past 20 years, Conservative and Liberal governments have failed to meaningfully update the Environmental Bill of Rights to keep it relevant and effective. 

Andrea Horwath and the NDP have pledged to protect more of Ontario’s wild spaces, by expanding existing parks and creating new ones in consultation with First Nations. We will end the loss of provincially significant wetlands, which are crucial in preventing and limiting floods, and begin to reverse it.  We will update the Environmental Bill of Rights for the first time since the NDP introduced it more than two decades ago, to restore accountability, transparency, and public participation whenever the environment is affected.

Green Party 

Bronagh Morgan

One can never know until one gets a job how well things will go. I certainly don't appreciate it when politicians make promises to earn my vote, then have to go back on them because the situations they inherit from previous governments aren't what they expected. What's great about being a member of a party that's yet to find its way into power is that we know how to effect change even given little resources to work with and little chance for success.

It might surprise people to know that the Green Party's Mike Schreiner, although not yet elected to Queen's Park, was instrumental in getting campaign finance law changed to remove corporate money from politics in Ontario. Whatever challenges we face, we as Greens will tackle them head-on and find practical solutions that work for not just people, but also the planet. We don't see ourselves as having any choice in the matter. There is no Planet B.

New Democratic Party (NDP) 

Amanda Stratton

Thank you for your questions. The New Democrat vision for fighting climate change includes carbon pricing, aggressive energy, water and land conservation and renewable energy. It is all based on the idea that our province must make a “Just Transition” to a green future where nobody is left behind.