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FORUM: Ontario’s terrible climate plan should inspire action (June 2026)

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FORUM: Ontario’s terrible climate plan should inspire action (June 2026)

August 9th, 2026 · No Comments

The Ontario government is hiding under a rock

By Jessica Bell

In April, I participated in hearings to assess the Conservative government’s progress in implementing its climate action plan. I left feeling betrayed and undeterred. 

This is how bad the Conservatives are failing on the climate file.

We’re not meeting our targets. In her 2025 report, Ontario’s auditor general, Shelley Spence, concluded the government is on track to reduce its emissions by 22 per cent  below 2005 levels by 2030, well below the 30 per cent goal. 

In committee, officials from the government boasted about this 22 per cent reduction, but they were taking credit for something they didn’t do. 

Ontario’s emissions reductions are largely because Ontario closed its coal plants in 2014.  Since the Conservatives came to power, emissions reductions have stalled in the building and agriculture sectors and emissions are rising in transportation, electricity, and industry. 

The premier has made a career of hating the environment. With his “axe the tax” mantra, he hammered away for years on the misleading message that a carbon tax is why everything is so expensive.

From ending the cap-and-trade program, to cancelling wind energy contracts, to rewriting Ontario’s planning rules to allow carbon-intensive, low-density sprawl, the Conservatives  committed to gutting environmental protections.  

I’m most alarmed by the Conservative’s move to keep Ontario hooked on gas. 

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is favouring gas plant applications over more competitive renewable energy generation, and Enbridge is now allowed to bill existing ratepayers for connecting new homes to gas, even when cheaper options exist. 

The plan is sloppy and secretive. The auditor general found the government made gross mistakes in its climate plan, like double counting emissions reductions or including the benefit of the federal carbon tax after it had been repealed. 

When questioned about these gross inaccuracies, officials said they’re using best practices, but we can’t verify if that’s true because the government is refusing to release any updates to its original flawed climate plan.  

After 2030, we are flying in the dark. Officials in the hearing confirmed the government, after 2030,  will have no public targets, plan, or tracking.  

Ministry officials defended their abandonment of a climate plan by saying they’re still committed to reducing emissions, but with all the economic uncertainty, they need to remain agile and adaptable.  

There is no comprehensive adaptation plan. 

Experts have been warning governments to get ready for extended and extreme hot weather, dangerous wildfires that threaten towns and cities, intense rainfall and flooding, threats to Ontario’s farming and food supply, and increased pressure on our emergency responders and hospitals. 

Reducing emissions and preparing for a hotter and more extreme climate is the only morally, socially, and economically sound decision because the consequences of ignoring reality is just downright terrible across all the benchmarks that matter: standard of living, mortality, GDP.

The devastating 2025 fire in the Los Angeles area is one example of a natural disaster that could hit Toronto. 

The L.A. fire burned for three weeks; entire neighbourhoods were razed, and it cost the economy over $70 billion. 

A city and state investigation confirmed that the city wasn’t ready for climate-fuelled extreme wildfire. The winds were so extreme that planes could not fly. The emergency systems were outdated. There weren’t enough fire fighters. A postmortem study is no comfort to the 18,000 people who lost their homes.

An NDP government would fully accept the auditor general’s recommendations to develop, publish, implement and track a sound climate action to reduce our emissions, along with a comprehensive plan to ready our towns, cities, key economic sectors, health-care system, and more.

The solutions are all around us. Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway, are either carbon-negative or very close. Cities like Paris and New York are executing plans to prepare for extreme heat and extreme flooding. 

While Doug ignores the issues, there are lots of things we can do to act on climate: support and improve the city’s NetZero strategy;  or support a group doing good work, such as the Toronto Climate Action Network, Environmental Defence, and the Ontario Clean Air Alliance.   

Doug Ford is not a monolith. People are devastated by his cuts to hospitals and schools.  His obsession with his pet projects. The corruption. His disdain for the environment. 

We know there’s a rash of byelections coming up, starting with Scarborough Southwest.  He’s vulnerable.  His popularity is tanking.  It’s time to flex our political muscle. We will be campaigning in these byelections, and I encourage you to do the same. 

Jessica Bell is the NDP MPP for University-Rosedale and the shadow minister for finance and the treasury board for the Official Opposition. Contact her at jbell-co@ndp.on.ca or 416 535 7206.

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Tags: Annex · Opinion

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