Three hundred people joined a rally in downtown Victoria on Saturday, which was part of International Climate Action Day.
Speakers included climate scientist and Nobel laureate Dr. Andrew Weaver (who I first interviewed 12 years ago for an article published in Nature Canada), environmental campaigners, and politicians from the New Democrats and the Green Party.
When the Canadian government attends a new round of international climate talks in Durban, South Africa, in December, rather than entering into a Kyoto phase two agreement, it intends to join the United States, Japan and Russia in pushing for an “alternative” plan, without deep emissions reduction targets or legally binding language.
Wedded to the Alberta tar sands, the Conservative government of Stephen Harper continues to block all meaningful international negotiations, while shilling for multinational oil cartels. As other countries surge ahead with development of alternatives (Germany now supplies 17% of its needs from green energy) Canada is betting the barn on the tar sands “carbon bomb.”
Oil companies and their government handmaidens, eager to transport tar sands oil, lobby for pipelines across British Columbia, to associated oil tankers (Enbridge Northern Gateway), and through the US to Texas (Keystone XL). Today, protestors will gather in Ottawa in a replay of the Washington pipeline protest that saw 1,500 peaceful protestors arrested last month.
Citizens on both sides of the border have better ideas: the elimination of subsidies to fossil fuel industries, investment in green energy, a revolution in urban planning and public transportation, and democratic reforms to stop corporations from blocking progressive public policy.
Let’s replace that dead end sign from the last post with a new direction.
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Here in good ‘ol Ontario, we will likely elect a government that will end ‘subsidies’ for green energy and build and expand roads and highways.
(There’s also an outside chance the NDP could be opposition, and they want to make gas cheaper.)
Samsung is investing hundreds of millions (might actually be billions) of dollars to Ontario’s economy which our PC party will stop, by cancelling the current contract, which of course will end up costing a fortune to cancel.
It’s both scary and interesting watching out election play out since green energy is a major player in it.
Rural Ontario is dead against wind and will likely vote PC, while urban Ontario is more supportive of wind and will split between Liberal and NDP (despite the NDP being wishy-washy on wind).
As mentioned by various speakers in the video, Canada is a backwater in terms of green energy development. There is little incentive.
It’s up to Canadians to demand change. Are we up for the task?
After reading comments from people with regards to the election and green energy, I’d say Ontarians are NOT up for the task.
Unless gas prices skyrocket, Ontarians sit back and do very little. I suppose it’s “in our nature”.
It’s like something was dropped over Ontario and it’s become ultra Conservative.
Hopefully things turn out differently a week today :\
In terms of transportation, a key issue when it comes to managing emissions, an article in the Globe & Mail, has the Liberals offering nothing new, except a promise to make the gas tax permanent.
The NDP plan ” focuses heavily on alternatives to the automobile”, including expansion of bicycle lanes and the introduction of a “metre to pass” rule, yet, as you say, want to cap gas price increases.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives pledge to “stop the war on the car.”
One senses that the Conservatives, at least, mean what they say.
Transportation wise they all have more faults then positives.
I was sent an article that said PC transportation critic supports ‘active transportation’, which I actually believe he does. A PC member put forward a private members bill to have all shoulders on secondary highways in Ontario paved for cyclists, which I fully support.
My issue is the leader (Hudak) is a complete moron who DOES want everyone in a car. My local candidate (who will probably win) is running on one thing. She is constantly talking about how over 20 years ago she was sexually assaulted. Nothing else.
I’m still not fully sold on the one metre pass law. At least 90% of vehicles that pass me give one metre or more. That 10% won’t change even if it’s law.
My biggest fear with the (provincial) NDP is and always will be the issue with helmets.
Looking at my riding, I’m happy with the Liberal member, primarily because he helped bring the GO bus here, and is trying to get the GO train here.
At the end of the day, this election is coming down to the lesser of 3-evils, and for myself I’m not sold on the newbies.
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