Climate change was missing during the Ontario election campaign. Experts want a different 3rd Ford term

CBC

06-03-2025

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The Progressive Conservatives shot to victory within minutes of polls closing Thursday but in his victory speech, first three-peat majority premier in Ontario in more than 60 years, Doug Ford neither spoke about combating climate change nor shared any plans around environmental sustainability. Experts want a different third term with more salience on climate change and environmental issues.
Ford said, "the people said yes" to constructing massive infrastructure and energy projects, including pipelines and electric vehicles. But the electric-vehicle industry is yet to see manufacturing start in a meaningful way, while efforts are underway to make more land available for industry.
Ford said that "the people said yes" to "unleash the awesome potential of the Ring of Fire." But there's considerable pushback from several First Nations there that are against mining and exploration activities. They argue these claims have been executed without their free, prior and informed consent.
Saying Ontario is "one of the cleanest, greenest grids in the world", Ford affirmed the faith in the province's potential. But the Ford government's decision to open parts of the Greenbelt, the environmentally protected land outside Toronto, for housing development is still being probed by the RCMP.
A 2023 report commissioned by Ford's government found that climate change poses high risks to Ontario, with impacts on everything from food production to infrastructure to businesses, and projects a soaring number of days with extreme heat across Ontario, as well as increases in flooding and more frequent wildfires. While Ontario's carbon emissions have been jumping back to pre-pandemic levels, Ford has maintained that the federal carbon tax should be scrapped.
Climate change issues "overshadowed" by tariff talks
Niharika Bandaru, the executive director of Windsor of Change, a local climate advocacy group, said climate and sustainability priorities got "overshadowed" by tariff talks this election.
During the campaign, their group had sent out a questionnaire on climate change and sustainability to parties to better inform voters.
"We did have some responses mostly from the Essex ridings. Unfortunately, we did not have responses from the incumbents or the main challengers… We were hoping to hear more," she said.
"We didn't really get a lot of valuable insight into what the Conservatives were going to do moving forward."
Activist says climate change overshadowed by other issues in campaign
6 days ago
Duration 5:13
Climate change is an ongoing issue in public discourse, but how concerned were candidates in this provincial election? Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge spoke with Niharika Bandaru. She's the executive director of Windsor of Change, a local climate advocacy group.
She said it was "concerning" to see incumbents in the region not share their plans on the environment front or any "tangible emission and energy use reductions" targets.
"That was a bit scary. Unknowns are always fearful. The lack of clarity is not helpful," she said, noting at least these issues no longer being niche is some progress.
"Quite concerning the lack of focus on environmental issues": Ontario Nature
Tony Morris, the conservation policy and campaigns director with Ontario Nature, said it "wasn't unfortunately a prominent issue" during the campaign.
"We can't continue to ignore the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis, which are a bit more existential crises compared to some of the other things that Ontario is facing," he said.
Refuting Ford's claims about the grid, Morris said it's not so much the case anymore and the province is headed in "the wrong direction."
"That was true at one point, but we've seen more recent push for natural gas plants throughout the province. One of the first things when the government was first elected was cancelling many renewable energy contracts," he said.
Morris said the government's record on the file has not been the best so far with changes to the land use planning legislation, Greenbelt being the primary example, and limiting protections to wetlands across the province.
"There's a push for urban boundary expansions, even municipalities that don't want them, the use of ministerial zoning orders that can override provincial priorities like environmental protections," he said.
While the focus on housing and infrastructural growth is important, Morris said it should not be done without environmental sustainability causing the "overall disconnect".
With GTA already experiencing 100 year storms bringing flooding, "it's quite concerning in terms of lack of focus on environmental issues".
Morris said Ontarians care about nature, as evident during the pandemic, and the government should focus on restoring nature.
"Having a concrete plan to protect and restore nature will help address climate issues as well… It's one of the simplest things Ontario can do. We've been asking the government for quite some time to commit to protecting 30 per cent of lands and water by 2030," he said.
"The Ontario government has still not committed to that. That is not a political issue. It's not an ideological issue."
Focus on flood, wildfire and extreme heat mitigation: University of Waterloo prof.
Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, said it was "odd to see almost no discussion on climate change" or how to prepare for adverse weather risks when last year, Canada had $8.5B in damage across the country due to flooding, wildfires and other extreme weather risks.
"Southern Ontario was not immune to this. We had about a billion dollars in claims due to flooding in Toronto and Southern Ontario with 10 per cent of homes in the province now no longer eligible to receive insurance coverage for basement flooding. This is problematic because the average cost of a flooded basement in southern Ontario is about $54,000," he said. "Governments have been living in denial."
Besides mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, Feltmate said the three perils that Ontario should be focusing on are flooding, wildfire and extreme heat events.
Feltmate said this term, around flooding, the government should focus on helping homeowners by having a functional sump pump and flood alarms in the basement.
"The government should provide subsidies in support of ensuring that there is a battery backup supply for a sump pump when the big storms hit."
In terms of wildfires, he said the government should advise homeowners to replace bushes around the house with river stone or nonflammable material, replace wooden fences with chain fences and have a metal roof on a house to deter ambers.
Between now and 2050 and 2080, he said it's going to get very hot, particularly in Southern Ontario,
"Their maximum summer temperature is going to increase by about 3 to 5°C by 2050 to 2080. In the Windsor area, for example, if summers are at 37°C right now, that's going to go to 42°C maximum. Also, the number of hot days that are over 30°C will increase per summer for most major cities in southern Ontario," he said.
"Windsor is the most challenging city in Southern Ontario. It has about 18 to 20 days per summer over 30°C. That's going to go to 55 to 60 days per summer in future."
Consequently, he said, the government should aid people that are in apartment buildings, for example, to make sure that they have blinds and glazing on windows and awnings or mechanical shutters.
"The warning is that we're not mobilizing known solutions to known problems and nearly not quickly enough… the Government of Ontario should launch a provincial educational campaign to address simple steps to home flood, wildfire and heat protection."
Rupp Carriveau, a professor in the faculty of engineering at the University of Windsor, said the government should focus on mitigating climate change while ensuring it is economically viable.
"I would like to see a greater connection between economic initiatives and the environment this term. I would encourage the government to make a greater effort to connect their efforts to environmental concerns," he said.
"Making the connection between the cost of adaptation and the potential benefits of efforts to mitigate change is key."
Carriveau said the government should also look at the criticality of the agricultural sector and how it's exposed to a rapidly changing climate.
"Climate change is a real threat not just to our agriculture but also energy infrastructure. We need to take steps to really be proactive about that."