Green Giant

Tuesday December 11, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 11, 2018

Environmentalists fear provincial changes mean Greenbelt is open for development

Environmentalists and critics are accusing Premier Doug Ford of breaking a promise to protect the two-million-acre Greenbelt from development with changes they say endanger wildlife and drinking water, setting Ontario’s environmental protections back 40 years.

May 3, 2018

The Progressive Conservative government’s proposed changes to the planning act will undermine the province’s anti-sprawl smart growth plan, the Greenbelt Act, the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe Protection acts and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, said Environmental Defence executive director Tim Gray.

The changes were announced Thursday as part of Bill 66, the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act.

It would allow municipalities to obtain provincial approval to use a new open-for-business zoning bylaw that would bypass some of the existing development requirements. The bylaw would only be available if the municipality could prove a development would create 50 jobs for places with populations under 250,000 or 100 jobs in larger municipalities. Of eight Ontario municipalities with more than 250,000 people, five are in the Toronto region.

“The aim is to have all provincial approvals in place within one year so qualifying businesses can begin construction,” said an emailed statement from a spokesperson of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark.

March 9, 2005

Conditions would remain on the building, material and other design elements of the employment projects but municipalities would not be required to provide advance notice of the bylaw’s adoption.

The new tool is the kind of opening environmentalists have feared since Doug Ford was caught on video during the election campaign telling developers he would open up the Greenbelt if he became premier. He walked back the remarks after the video was released.

From a Stop The Sprawl protest in 2023. Photo Credit: Lisa Schumph

“There is no longer any rational approach to land designation so all areas that we’ve carefully considered being worthy of protection no longer have that protection. Anyone with a property just has to convince Queen’s Park to give them an exemption and (that’s) all it (needs) to go forward for development,” Gray said.

While the bill is driven by job creation, retail and residential components can be part of the projects which qualify for the bylaw’s use, he said. (Source: Toronto Star) 

 

Saturday May 16, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Saturday May 16, 2015 CanadaÕs new emissions target far from ambitious, critics say Canada has set a new greenhouse gas emission reduction target as it prepares for international talks later this year, but critics say the goal is the weakest among G7 countries. Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Friday that Canada proposes to cut emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 Ñ a target she called Òfair and ambitious.Ó Speaking in Winnipeg, Aglukkaq promised to introduce new regulations on methane emissions produced by the oil and gas industry. There will also be new rules for natural gas-fired power generation and for the chemical and nitrogen fertilizer industries. ÒThis target is . . . an ambitious commitment based on our national circumstances, which include a growing population, a diversified, growing economy and CanadaÕs position as a world leader in clean electricity generation.Ó The target is slightly weaker than that of the United States, which has pledged to cut its greenhouse emissions by up to 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2025. Canada, the U.S. and other countries are taking their targets to a United Nations conference later this year in Paris, where a new international emissions regime is to be negotiated. Environmental groups said CanadaÕs target is anything but ambitious. ÒThe European Union, already with per-capita emissions well below CanadaÕs, has a 40 per cent reduction target for 2030 Ñ more than five times greater than CanadaÕs,Ó the group Environmental Defence said in a statement. ÒTo keep our people, communities and economy safe requires that Canada join the global community in making deep cuts to carbon pollution by shifting away from burning coal, oil and gas,Ó read a statement from the Climate Action Network. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/05/15/canada-sets-new-target-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html Canada, Climate

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 16, 2015

Canada’s new emissions target far from ambitious, critics say

Canada has set a new greenhouse gas emission reduction target as it prepares for international talks later this year, but critics say the goal is the weakest among G7 countries.

Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Friday that Canada proposes to cut emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 — a target she called “fair and ambitious.”

Speaking in Winnipeg, Aglukkaq promised to introduce new regulations on methane emissions produced by the oil and gas industry. There will also be new rules for natural gas-fired power generation and for the chemical and nitrogen fertilizer industries.

“This target is . . . an ambitious commitment based on our national circumstances, which include a growing population, a diversified, growing economy and Canada’s position as a world leader in clean electricity generation.”

The target is slightly weaker than that of the United States, which has pledged to cut its greenhouse emissions by up to 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2025.

Cartoon by Graeme MacKay. Originally published in the Hamilton Spectator A one-time print license has been extended to Redbubble.com. Unauthorized use is prohibited. All kinds of stickers, greeting cards, postcards, framed prints and t-shirts displaying the illustrations of Graeme MacKay are available for purchase through Redbubble via http://www.redbubble.com/people/mackaycartoons

Wacky pack version available

Canada, the U.S. and other countries are taking their targets to a United Nations conference later this year in Paris, where a new international emissions regime is to be negotiated.

Environmental groups said Canada’s target is anything but ambitious.

“The European Union, already with per-capita emissions well below Canada’s, has a 40 per cent reduction target for 2030 — more than five times greater than Canada’s,” the group Environmental Defence said in a statement.

“To keep our people, communities and economy safe requires that Canada join the global community in making deep cuts to carbon pollution by shifting away from burning coal, oil and gas,” read a statement from the Climate Action Network. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Published in the Brandon Sun, Gull Lake Advance, National Newswatch, and The Saskatoon Star Phoenix