A Plan for Ontario’s Environment and Economy

Ontario Liberals have a long and proud legacy of action to protect, enhance and embrace our environment. We led the fight to close coal-fired power plants, one of the most consequential acts Canada has taken to fight climate change and make our province cleaner and healthier. Ontario Liberals are still fighting hard today: to stop Doug Ford’s Conservatives from paving over the Greenbelt and raiding Ontario’s water resources. As Ontario Liberals we think differently. We believe Ontario must invest now to make Ontario families and businesses more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

During this leadership campaign, Lee has visited all 124 ridings in Ontario. Across the province, people take pride in Ontario’s natural beauty and the resources we share. Nearly everyone we spoke with told us the same thing: Ford’s Conservatives have squandered an opportunity to protect Ontario’s natural abundance and grow our economy at the same time.

The government’s current approach to climate policy and the environment needs to change in Ontario. These issues should be a government priority, but they have received too little attention, in part because they’ve been treated as silos, separate from the government’s other responsibilities.

The Minister of Finance focuses on the economy, and the Minister of the Environment focuses on climate change. Certain policy makers, under our existing approach, are responsible for thinking about making our air and water cleaner and must be strong advocates even inside the government to get the broader system to respond. But it has been too easy for others, including around the cabinet table, to think about climate action as someone else’s responsibility. Ontarians and businesses across the province are already living with the serious consequences of climate change. Ontario can no longer afford a climate policy cul-de-sac where responsibility gets passed around and decisions go nowhere.

It’s time for government to adopt shared climate principles and objectives to drive common purpose and collective action across the province. This means identifying and acting on the issues that matter to all Ontarians — issues that have been ignored by Ford’s Conservatives for too long.

Make Ontario a Cleantech Powerhouse

Ontario has the ingredients to become a global cleantech leader: world-class universities and colleges, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, artificial intelligence expertise, a skilled workforce, clean electricity and access to North American and international markets. There is high and growing global demand for clean energy technologies. Across Canada, the cleantech sector employs roughly 224,000 people and generates approximately $40 billion in GDP, with Ontario at the heart of this economic ecosystem.

Yet, too many promising Ontario companies struggle to secure the investment, first customers and commercial-scale projects they need to grow here. Under Doug Ford, Ontario is falling behind other jurisdictions in harnessing the potential of cleantech to create jobs now, and sustain jobs and prosperity into the future, while also helping the environment.

Lee sees the value cleantech can add to our economy and our climate. She has a plan to make Ontario a cleantech powerhouse, helping more companies to start and scale here, and supporting their efforts to bring their technology and innovation to markets around the world. Lee’s plan will help Ontario retain its competitive edge in this important sector by attracting investment, creating jobs and strengthening its supply chains, while helping to fight climate change and protect our air, land and water.

Help Ontario cleantech companies start, scale and stay here, including stronger incentives for private investment in emerging and growth-stage companies.
Address the scale-up capital gap by working with private and institutional investors and federal partners to mobilize more growth and project capital for Ontario companies.
Make Ontario a first customer for Ontario innovation through a cleantech procurement and demonstration program across government and the broader public sector, helping companies prove new technologies commercially.
Use Ontario technology to develop Ontario’s critical minerals, accelerating technologies that lower the cost and environmental impact of mining and processing, supporting Indigenous partnerships and keeping more value-added processing and jobs in Ontario.
Build Ontario’s clean industrial economy by making the province a preferred location for low-carbon steel, cement, critical-mineral processing, batteries and advanced manufacturing.
Build the workforce Ontario needs by expanding college, apprenticeship and Specialist High Skills Major opportunities connected to cleantech, skilled trades, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
Reduce internal trade barriers that prevent Ontario companies from selling their technologies and services across Canada, and be a leader in Council of the Federation discussions about interprovincial trade for cleantech.

Protect Ontario’s Nature

From neighbourhood parks to the Great Lakes, Ontario’s natural wonders are sources of enjoyment, recreation, employment and prosperity. We all share a responsibility to preserve and protect this legacy for future generations. Lee will take action to restore and strengthen Ontario’s natural environment.

Protect 30% of Ontario’s nature by 2030.
Bring Ontarians closer to greenspace and nature in their communities.
- Work with the federal government to fast track new urban national parks in Ontario, and to designate a marine protected area in Lake Ontario.
- Invest in Ontario Parks to accommodate more tourism and visitors and to make our Ontario provincial parks more climate resilient.
Work with farmers, owners, communities and others to provide more opportunities for students in publicly funded schools to experience environmental education, access our public natural lands, and gain experience in nature conservancy as a Specialist High Skills Major.
Affirm an ongoing commitment to the Greenbelt, to strengthen its integrity, and to protecting its farmland and natural beauty.
Support Indigenous-led conservation priorities and projects, including in Northern Ontario.

Build Climate Resiliency

Ontario is experiencing extreme heat, floods, forest fires and other impacts of climate change. For more than eight years, Ford’s Conservatives have failed to prepare Ontario for these threats. Lee understands it is never too late to start. A Lee Fairclough government will invest in the resources needed to reduce risks and bring together other levels of government and Ontarians to prepare and take action.

Examine the health care impacts of climate change, considering medical interventions, costs and other health-related impacts, as part of Ontario 2040 — Lee’s proposed long-term strategy to protect and strengthen our universal, publicly funded health care for generations to come.
Work with financial institutions, including banks and insurers, as well as municipalities and consumer advocates, to explore ways to update and improve protections for homeowners, renters, farmers and others against the rising costs of climate change, and to encourage private sector-led efforts to build climate resilience.
Review Ontario’s Building Code and other municipal planning policies to cut red tape and increase opportunities for communities to build climate resiliency infrastructure and facilitate local planning for measures, such as green roofs.
Review Ontario Corps’ mandate to determine whether volunteers could help communities and local organizations prepare for climate-related emergencies, including extreme heat, flooding and wildfires, in addition to helping them respond.

Building the Energy Ontario Needs

Now more than ever, Ontario’s economy needs reliable, sovereign, affordable and clean electricity. Ford’s Conservatives took deliberate action to deprioritize and devalue clean energy generation, leaving Ontario more exposed than ever to political instability and energy inflation. Ontario consumers are paying more on their electricity bills, in part because the Ford government chose to generate less electricity from renewable resources in Ontario and to rely more than ever on the global supply of oil and gas. A Lee Fairclough government will get Ontario’s energy system back on track.

Restore incentives for green energy generation and distribution that prioritize creating jobs in Ontario and lowering prices for Ontario consumers.
Work with Ontario energy producers, utilities, energy regulators and others to make Ontario’s electricity grid cleaner, more affordable and more reliable.
Work with the federal government to identify new markets and opportunities for Ontario’s expertise in nuclear power generation, including large reactors, small modular reactors and microreactors.
Support local and regional efforts to increase energy conservation and management.

A Whole of Government Approach

Lee knows we all have a role to play in making Ontario cleaner, greener and more affordable for everyone. That means that all parts of the Ontario government need to do their part. For example, Lee is proposing new initiatives to ensure the Minister of Health includes the health care impacts of climate resiliency when developing long-term plans, and that the Minister of Education works on new opportunities to connect more students with nature. As Premier, Lee will infuse the principles of climate resilience and protecting Ontario’s nature throughout government, ensuring Ministers are accountable and responsible together as a cabinet for success.

Every Mandate Letter will include specific language and directions to all Ministers to address these principles in their own portfolio.
To increase accountability and transparency, Lee’s government will publish and update Ontarians on a range of environmental indicators, including greenhouse gas emissions, increased protected land and water, and others.
Within her first 100 days as Premier, Lee will launch a review of the laws, regulations and policies Ford’s Conservatives eliminated or weakened that have harmed Ontario’s environment. The review will examine the consequences, ranging from rising pollution and contamination, to people becoming sicker, to harm to endangered species. Lee’s government will use the findings to develop an action plan.