VOTE 2022: Vaughan-Woodbridge candidates' views on how best to contain climate change

TheStar.com
May 18, 2022

We asked Vaughan-Woodbridge candidates running in the June 2 election five questions.

Here, they tackle the important concern of global warming.

The candidates each had a maximum of 150 words to respond.

QUESTION: How can Ontario best contribute to the fight against climate change?

Green's Philip Piluris: Our policy is to tax all goods and services that result in greenhouse gas pollution, returning all revenue back to every citizen's bank account. We will also create green jobs, establish green infrastructure, and quicken the electrification of our transportation.

Ontario NDP's Will McCarty: We will have strong greenhouse gas reduction targets of 50 per cent reductions from 2005 levels by 2030, and net-zero no later than 2050. A mandate for all newly built public, residential and commercial buildings to be net-zero emissions by 2030, alongside a world-leading building retrofit program. Ontario’s first zero-emissions vehicle strategy, ramping up electric vehicle sales to hit a 100 per cent target by 2035. A new fair and equitable cap-and-trade program.

New Blue's Luca Mele: Pollution is no joke. Instead of investing millions of tax dollars subsidy into the pockets of the main provincial parties, we can invest into technology available to create a cleaner society, without hurting the pockets of the working people anymore.

Progressive Conservative's Michael Tibollo: Did not answer.

Liberal's Steven Del Duca: We will re-establish Ontario’s leadership on the environment, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. And we will designate 30 per cent of the land as protected areas by 2030 — up from 10 per cent. We will plant 800 million new trees over the next eight years and strengthen the requirements of Ontario’s industrial carbon pricing system to ensure the biggest polluters do their part.