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One Click letter – Keep the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard
The Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS) is already shaping factories, charging infrastructure deployment, electricity production and vehicle deliveries across Canada. Diluting the Standard or adding exemptions would create costly uncertainty, risk stranding investments and make Electric Vehicles less affordable for Canadian families.A strong, predictable EVAS protects roughly 130,000 Canadian jobs today across manufacturing, mining, charging and services, attracts private investment, and grows EV supply so more Canadians can buy cheaper new and used EVs. It also reduces household operating costs and local air pollution; delivering real savings and health benefits for communities.
A strong, consumer focused Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, without loopholes, helps Canadians access affordable, reliable electric vehicles while protecting jobs and investment. We’re asking decision makers to keep the Standard strong, resist new flexibilities for industry that would harm consumer choice, harm air quality and increase Electric Vehicle prices. We call on government to and commit to a steady path toward 80–85% Electric Vehicle Availability Standard availability target by 2032 and beyond. For more information and to send a letter to your MP
Protect Huron Natural Area
The grassroots group Protect Huron Natural Area has formed in response to the recent approval by Kitchener City Council to allow development next to Huron Conservation Area and in the environmentally significant Hidden Valley.
The community has great concerns regarding the proposed developments surrounding Huron Natural Area. They are concerned that these developments will have significant negative impact on the ecosystems/wildlife in and around HNA.
The development plans of today conflict with the Region/City’s Official plan for the HNA park when it was established as a conservation area in 1994. In the official plan, under Planning for a Sustainable Community, part of the Vision Statement was/is: Environmental Integrity; Conservation of Wildlife and Plants as a #1 Priority!
Frank Glew (original member of the HNA steering committee and author of Samuel’s Most Important message.) states “We need to remind City Council of the agreed, permanent, environmentally sustainable plan signed by all players. The city is accountable to the public.”
- Please write to Kitchener City Council, ALL members, opposing the proposed Industrial development surrounding HNA! Access a prewritten letter here
- Sign the petition here
- Participate in a Community Walk here
- Get more info here
Attend the City of Kitchener Council Meetings where decisions will be made about the land around Huron Natural Area, to let Council know you care:
- Monday, October 27th (time TBD): Standard Planning Committee Meeting at City Hall
- Monday, November 10th (likely 7pm): City Council Meeting at City Hall (please sign up to delegate if you can).
Agendas and dates for these meetings are still unconfirmed. Protect HNA asks people follow them on Facebook, where they will post the confirmed dates / times as soon as they know them.
SUPPORT A RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY FUTURE FOR ONTARIO
The Clean Air Alliance has launched a great campaign to encourage Prime Minister Mark Carney to invest in renewable energy national interest projects in Ontario similar to recently announced projects in Labrador, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and the Yukon.
ACTION: Speak up and add your voice to their campaign and one-click letter HERE
DEMAND FEDS PROTECT NATURE
AND OUR FUTURES
Tell your city councillor, mayor and regional councillor that you want them to sign this open letter by the David Suzuki Foundation asking the Federal government to protect nature and our future, if they haven’t already (which you can sign also). So far these local leaders have signed:
- Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe
- Regional Councillor Pam Wolf
- City of Kitchener Councillor Debbie Chapman
- City of Waterloo Councillors Julie Wright and Matt Rodrigues
WASAGA BEACH and PROVINCIAL PARK
More than half of the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park shoreline could be opened for development. In a very concerning move, the provincial government plans to sell as much as 60% of the waterfront beach at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park to developers for a huge development.
Development could negatively impact the highly-endangered Piping Plover which is finally making a comeback. Already massive construction fences block access and line much of Wasaga Beach, local roads have been closed, and dozens of buildings demolished:
According to Environmental Defence: “Possibly even more concerning, the government is targeting the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (PPCRA) that protects all of Ontario Parks and Conservation Reserves. The PPCRA currently requires that elected MPPs approve any significant removal of provincial park land. Rather than simply complying with that requirement and obtaining that approval for Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, the government is proposing currently unspecified “legislative amendments” to the PPCRA itself.”
See Environmental Defence’s full statement HERE
SUGGEST CHANGING BY-LAWS TO SUPPORT BIODIVERSITY
Let nature-restricting by-laws be gone.
Throughout Canada, people are turning to habitat gardening as a tangible and hope-filled response to the greatest challenges of our time: biodiversity loss, climate change and humanity’s alienation from wild species.
But in some communities, outdated municipal bylaws and enforcement policies limit the potential of habitat gardens to positively transform our cities, towns and society.
Tell your local government to update its by-laws for biodiversity through the petition here.
KEY BILLS WE NEED TO ADDRESS:
There are three provincial and federal bills that challenge and dismantle environmental protections, the Ontario government’s Bill 5 and 17, and the Canadian government’s Bill C5. Please see below for information, actions, and media coverage on these three bills.
Bill 5 (Provincial)
The Problem:
The Ford government has rammed through Bill 5 the “Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act” proposed on the eve of the Good Friday holiday. It will not only create very concerning lawless Economic Zones at the government’s whim where no provincial rules will apply, it will also fully repeal Ontario’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the entire province that was once heralded as world-leading. The entire ESA will be replaced with far weaker regulations, gutting protections and allowing development to destroy habitat and restoration efforts.
Media are warning that Bill 5 will lead to an environmental “slaughterfest”, while First Nations are stating that their rights can’t simply be eliminated by the provincial government. Proposed changes to the Electricity Act would allow the government to direct Ontario’s energy agencies, like the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), to stop buying goods and services from certain countries, regions or territories (e.g. China). Energy advocates are warning that by arbitrarily banning Chinese components in energy projects this bill could effectively ban new solar and wind energy in Ontario.
Groups and organizations across the province are realizing the horrors and are coming together to fight this outrageous bill that overrides environmental laws, democratic processes, municipal planning, provincial laws, and personal rights to prioritize private company profits and give “Trusted Proponents” carte blanche to do and destroy whatever they want with no recourse. This is not in the best public interest to see so much power given to so few with no oversight or rules.
Whether a Bill has passed or not, we can still fight them. We have seen the Ford government make similar efforts to override existing environmental protections in this province with the Greenbelt scandal. Thankfully, the collective action of people in this province compelled them to reverse course on the Greenbelt legislation, and we intend to do the same with this bill. This fight is far from over.
Actions:
Submit a One-Click Letter to the Government:
• David Suzuki Foundation
• NDP Repeal Bill 5 Campaign
• Green Party Campaign To Repeal Bill 5
• New! WaterWatchers – Tell The Senate – No Bill C-5
• New! Greenpeace – Carney’s Fast-Track Bill C-5 Needs To Go Back To The Drawing Board
• New! Council Of Canadians – Call Your Senator: Stop Bill C-5
Additional Info:
David Suzuki Foundation — Reckless and chilling: Bill 5 is Doug Ford’s most dangerous legislation yet
David Suzuki Foundation — Environmental laws at risk as government moves to rush Bill C-5 through Parliament
Mike Schreiner, Green Party Leader has made a great explainer video on Bill 5:
Bill 17 (Provincial)
The Problem:
The Building Faster and Smarter Act was so rushed by the government it skipped all consultation and committee hearings. Most municipalities haven’t even had time to submit comments and Staff Reports are coming forward in Council Chambers across Ontario expressing serious concerns with this Bill that will gut Green Development Standards, expand undemocratic MZO powers, and negatively impacts almost every stage of development, planning, and once again cuts essential development charges municipalities depend on to provision growth.
The province released a very troubling directive to all municipalities claiming they have sole authority over municipal building laws and regulations in Ontario – contravening decades of actions and previous decisions/statements.
Actions:
Local Waterloo NDP MPP Catherine Fife is planning on presenting a petition in the Legislature against Bill 17. You can download the petition here, and get people to sign it so that it can be presented to the Premier.
Call and email your MPP, or even visit them in person:
Current MPPs | Legislative Assembly of Ontario
(Put your postal code into this link and press search. Click on their name, and you will see their email address, phone number and constituency office address.)
Call the Premier’s Office: 416-325-1941
Additional Info:
Bill 17 Resource Hub – The Ontario Climate Caucus has created an outstanding website of Bill 17 resources learn everything that you need to know here
Bill C-5 (Federal)
The Problem:
Very similar to Ontario’s very concerning Bill 5, this federal Bill C-5, Building Canada Act (BCA) gives sweeping power to the Prime Minister and Cabinet to exempt major projects from Canada’s most important federal health, safety, and environmental laws as well as Indigenous rights. Organizations across Canada are raising serious concerns.
According to the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), Bill C-5 would fast track projects and give the federal cabinet unfettered discretion to:
• Designate any major facility, resource-based activity, or infrastructure (i.e. nuclear facilities, pipelines, mines, etc.) as “national interest” projects,
• Automatically pre-approve these projects under federal environmental laws (i.e. Impact Assessment Act, Fisheries Act, Species at Risk Act, Canadian Navigable Waters Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, etc.) and could sidestep long-standing review and assessment requirements under these laws, and
• Make regulations which could exempt these projects from any applicable federal laws.
This Bill was just introduced for First Reading last week but could quickly be passed in the coming days, overriding democratic process, transparency, equity, and meaningful public and indigenous participation in decision-making.
Actions:
Call and email your MP, or even visit them in person:
Find Members of Parliament – Members of Parliament – House of Commons of Canada
(Put your postal code into the search bar in this link and press search. Click on their name, click ‘contact,’ and you will see their email address, phone number and constituency office address.)
Send one-click letters via the following campaigns:
Additional Info: