The issue of climate change and the government’s response to it has been a hot topic during the 2019 federal election campaign.
In Collingwood, students planned a walkout and strike for climate action last month, part of a global movement. More than 100 students were met by supportive adults at Collingwood’s town hall where they called for action to preserve and protect the environment.
The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority appeared before Collingwood council recently to say the provincial bill 108 would mean a cut to their funding, which would have to be made up by municipal contributions.
The riding of Simcoe-Grey includes the shorelines of Georgian Bay, large forested areas, and both rural and urban areas. Collingwood is designated as a high-growth area for development.
CollingwoodToday asked the Simcoe-Grey federal candidates what they will do to protect the environment of Simcoe-Grey, particularly the Great Lakes, Georgian Bay, and the waterways that feed into it.
Here are their responses:
It’s like hearing a broken record that key local agencies are facing cuts from the Ford Conservative government in Ontario. There is some capacity on the part of the federal Liberal government to move in and provide backup when this occurs and we have seen that in a number of cases, such as when funding for legal aid was cut.
We have also seen our federal Liberal government step in when provincial environmental programs, such as the 50 Million Tree Planting Program, are simply thrown overboard arbitrarily without warning or replacement. In that case, the federal Liberal government moved in and took over the program and, as part of the Liberal platform, has promised to raise that to two billion trees over the next 10 years.
This actually has a strong local flavour to it as there are tree nurseries in Simcoe-Grey that are heavily involved in growing the seedlings for the program and stood to face real economic hardship.
As for other environmental organizations that are concerned with waterways, I am totally a fan of the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust and was involved in its affairs briefly - long enough to know that they have a really good handle on what needs to be done to preserve marshes, wetlands, creeks, rivers and other sensitive areas from encroachment by development. I am constantly struck by the financial straits in which such worthy organizations constantly find themselves and worry that so much of their effort goes into putting a financial foundation under their operations. This is true for a whole host of organizations in the civil society, not-for-profit and charitable field.
I intend to work on turning the funding model for these organizations upside down so they can receive funding for their core operations, as opposed to being forced to keep applying for one-time grants for so-called innovative projects.
Another project in which I am strongly in favour is the Nottawasaga Lighthouse. It’s a reclamation project and the federal government is involved in ceding the property to the society at a reasonable cost.
One aspect of that project that I find interesting is the concern for the actual island and the shoreline and for returning the area to its rightful state. To the fullest extent possible, I would like the federal government to help that along.
Richard Sommer, People’s Party of Canada
The PPC is committed to clean land, air and water. We will invest in technology to clean, just as our platform dictates.
We are committed to eliminated funding for the UN and for non-emergency projects abroad, and these funds, in addition to what will be freed up by achieving a balanced budget in two years will make tens of billions of dollars available to serve our communities in the areas you have mentioned.
We will also pursue initiatives to solve the drinking water needs in indigenous and isolated communities.
Tony D’Angelo, Veteran’s Party of Canada
I am a boater on Georgian Bay and truly appreciate the beauty of this region.
Environment is one of the key issues that all levels of government must act on, not just talk about.
I fully endorse supporting all the action committees that protect our environment on lake, water and air.
Financial investment is required to support these efforts but also stricter penalties are required to deter misuse and contamination of the area.
The VCP believes that the most effective means to maintain organizations conducting shoreline cleanups and tree planting is to directly fund the organization. The local knowledge of what is required and what the priority of action is in a given area can be more easily assessed and action taken at the grassroots level.
Cuts to the NVCA are being discussed and under review, however, the 2020 NVCA Budget recently released at the end of September proposes a 2.6 per cent increase over last year and all activities and programs of the past are maintained in the current budget, and are planned to continue until the implications resulting from specific details of possible future cuts are known. In 2019, municipalities funded 49 per cent of the general levy of the NVCA and in 2020, it is proposed that they fund 50 per cent of this same levy.
I envision that going forward, continued partnering with the NVCA will be strong, and should be encouraged. Concurrently, there are other agencies and community groups also working to maintain a healthy environment, and these can and will also continue in their efforts regardless of the NVCA budget details.
Many of these groups work alongside the NVCA, such as the Blue Mountains Watershed Trust and Ducks Unlimited. These are super organizations which receive funding from varying sources to ensure that shoreline clean-ups, water protection and tree plantings occur not just through the NVCA.
There are different sources of funding for worthwhile projects aimed to protect and preserve our environment. I would like to support all of the local, grassroots projects. I will do my best to support funding for waterline clean-ups, removal of invasive species such as phragmites, and tree plantings. I have personally participated in streamside planting projects along the Pine and Nottawasaga Rivers.
There are other actions as well that can be advanced, in addition to protecting our waterways. For example, we can reinforce protection against pests and invasive species that are threatening our ecosystem, we can support reinstating federal funding for wetlands, watersheds and fisheries conservation, and we can re-establish the Hunting and Angling Advisory Panel for constructive consultation so that those with the greatest interest in protecting species and habitats can share their expertise.
I would support education and providing resources that would empower community groups and young people to take action for a healthy environment.
I believe in establishing and implementing a National Water Strategy with legislation and standards in collaboration with the provinces, territories and First Nations as well as consulting with the public.
Investment in public infrastructure to expand and improve our water and wastewater systems will include re-hiring proper numbers of water inspectors to prevent another Walkerton situation. We will protect our fresh water supply by excluding it from all international trade agreements, privatization and deregulation.
We will make the protection and restoration of our ecosystems central to all of our social and economic planning. We will supply funding to organizations to combat invasive species, protect our wetlands and green spaces, and create more wildlife sanctuaries.
With regards to the dire water situation in Tottenham, I will sit down with the provincial and municipal governments and discuss funding to finally resolve this situation as soon as possible. This has been going on for far too long and it is shameful that nothing has been done to help the people in this area.
We absolutely must legislate the rights of citizens to our own natural resources above the will of corporations. Food and water must be a priority for the people of Simcoe-Grey and our government must ensure that is the case.
We will fully restore the powers of the Environmental Protection Act and the Environmental Assessment Act which have been seriously damaged by previous governments.
We will renew the Environmental Farm Plan program to help farmers build and protect wildlife habitat areas, and maintain water quality on their property.
We will prevent the flow of industrial effluent and municipal sewage into waterways. We will expand the legislated protection of our fresh waters and lands by 30 per cent by 2030 and increase funding to National Parks Canada to ensure ecological integrity.
We will also use the Green Infrastructure Fund to plant millions of trees, restore natural buffers around waterways and create carbon sinks.
