Newmarket-Aurora candidates discuss environmental policies

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 30, 2015
By Chris Simon

From the protection of the local watershed to investments in public transit infrastructure, each Newmarket-Aurora federal election candidate is eager to discuss the environmental policies of their respective parties.

Perhaps it’s little surprise, but every aspect of the Green platform connects to the party’s strong belief in ecological protection. That includes the creation of municipal infrastructure and green housing funds, which would have implications for local residents, Green candidate Vanessa Long said.

“The Green Party is about changing the way the system works,” she said. “Ecological wisdom and sustainability are two of our six values. The idea of the housing initiative is to extend energy retrofits, so when people want to green up their homes, they can do that.”

A national building code would also encourage and set standards for environmentally sustainable construction projects across Canada, she said.

Others suggest there’s a need to wean Canadians off of fossil fuel dependence.

“We need to revisit the Canadian opting out of Kyoto; that was a big mistake,” Progressive Canadian candidate Dorian Baxter said, referring to the international treaty, Kyoto Protocol, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the world. “We need a national emissions program with realistic targets. A strong economy can and must be based on the preservation of our environment. It’s a no-brainer. We need to work a lot harder at phasing out fossil fuel dependence. We should be leaders in this.”

Baxter also supports the concept of creating ‘green bonds’, to develop and sustain environmentally friendly initiatives.

Liberal candidate Kyle Peterson is calling for a significant investment in public transit infrastructure, which will take pressure off local roadways and reduce vehicle congestion. He also wants the riding to focus on creating green technology sector jobs.

“We’d push for a climate change policy for the nation, which we don’t have right now,” he said. “We’d want to collaborate with the provinces to reach climate change goals and stronger emissions regulations. We’re for that. We have manufacturing capacity in Newmarket and Aurora. I’d like to do what I can to attract businesses in the sector to come (here).”

However, Canada is heading in the right direction on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving conservation efforts and protecting endangered species and fragile wetlands and ecosystems, Conservative incumbent MP Lois Brown said.

“We are working with all of our international partners; we’re working with the United States on a North American policy,” she said, noting the government will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year. “We’ve taken a sector by sector approach .. to ensure we see greenhouse gas emissions reduced from the whole transportation sector.”

Locally, the Conservatives have allocated millions of dollars toward the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund and supported the protection of the Oak Ridges Moraine. They also established the nearly 8,000-hectare Rouge National Urban Park, one of the largest and best-protected parks of its kind in North America, earlier this year, Brown said.

An NDP government should support the province’s all-day two-way GO Transit train service along the Barrie line and create full-time local jobs in the green energy sector, New Democratic candidate Yvonne Kelly said.

“As Newmarket grows we need to protect our green spaces and establish new ones,” she said.

“In our town, open space is at a premium and is under threat as never before. Over recent years we have seen the quality of life being seriously eroded as too many of us spend hours stuck in traffic jams and gridlock. The federal government has a role to play in helping us renew our crumbling infrastructure and tackle the throttling congestion that costs the nation billions of dollars every year. I want to see us have access to a good clean fast and reliable train service.”
Conservative attempts to muzzle Canadian scientists would also be reversed through the opening of the Office of the Parliamentary Science Officer, to provide factual, science-based analysis to parliamentarians, Kelly said.