Thread by @juliamusing

The Road Map to Environmental Action is kicking off @SwanseaTownHall. #ParkHP residents are designing a community action plan to tackle the climate crisis. "We're trying to change the world," says Sarah Doucette, former Ward 13 city councillor and founder of @Green13Toronto.

The event runs from 7-9pm at 95 Lavinia Ave. It's a nearly full room and the event will be starting a minutes late.
Attendees are ticking their priorities for climate action on the local, provincial and national scale.
#TOpoli #ONpoli #cdnpoli
#climateaction #ClimateCrisis

Its not a #ParkHP event without a bit of heckling, provided tonight by someone who thinks Sarah Doucette, as a former politician, should not be MC. Sarah responds "everyone is political" + that she is MCing tonight as a member of Green13.
Tonight's hashtag is #ParkHP4Climate

Organizer Marian Booy says the hosts, including @safe_rail, @GreenParkRoncy + @Green13Toronto are trying to motivate people to become part of the environmental movement and to hold elected officials to account. @gordperks, @viraniarif + @BhutilaKarpoche are in the house.

Next audience input is from someone who asks if we're doing a land acknowledgment. Doucette answers yes. The audience member questions why it's not happening before the event begins, and whether it will specifically be an acknowledgment that the event is on stolen land.

The land acknowledgment refers to our obligations to be respectful under the Toronto Purchase; recognizes the coming of a postcolonial Canada based on respect, inclusion + sharing the land; asks what practices we can learn from Indigenous peoples.

The speaker mentions it is not up to Indigenous peoples to educate "us", but that it is "our responsibility to stop destruction, learn and act so the planet can be safe... We accept and share responsibilities for the health of the planet."
No mention of stolen land, though.

Now, an articling legal student from the @CanEnvLawAssn is speaking about how climate change has been called a wickedly complex policy problem. Responsibility for policy rests with different levels of govt - but also in the Canadian Constitution.

That document doesn't mention environment or climate change - rather, it is concerned with natural resources, as it is a "history trip" through the mindset of those who wrote it in 1867.

Constitutional articles relating to the environment include:
Sea coast and inland fisheries
Navigation and shipping
The "Unfortunately named section, 'Indians and lands reserved for Indians', which hasn't changed since 1867" (heckler: "Neither have we!")

There's also "POG", the power of order and good government, which covers marine shipping (heckler: "Kinder Morgan!").
The feds also have jurisdiction over boundary waters like the Great Lakes, and migratory birds.

The Constitution also says that Ontario controls industries and businesses (eg emissions regulations) and Crown land, which is most land in Ontario (this affects much mining regulation).

Other areas of jurisdiction include environmental assessments + treaties. However, the courts have found that just because Canada has the power to sign accords like the #Paris agreement, it doesn't have the power to implement it + must work with provinces + territories to do so.

Heckler now asking if s35 of the Constitution is going to be raised as we're talking about cities and provinces' rights but not Indigenous rights. References the "era of woke land acknowledgements."
So the CELA speaker is now discussing s35

S35 typically deals with fishing and hunting rights, says the speaker, but was found to deal with land rights in the Tsilqhotin decision. It also covers the duty to consult with Indigenous peoples, "one of the major legal barriers to the Trans Mountain pipeline."

The federal govt regulates shipping, aviation, fishing - and can take action in those arenas. It can also regulate "toxic substances" through the enviro protection act, which could include CO2 and methane. Greenhouse gases have also been regulated through the POG power...

...although that's before the Supreme Court right now.

On the energy front, provinces and territories regulate housing codes.
Land use planning is also a prov/terr responsibility, shared with municipalities which have zoning responsibilities.

Agriculture is a provincial and federal jurisdiction.
Parks can be created by all 3 levels.
Wetlands protection is provincial/territorial.
And municipalities can make similar land use decisions through zoning.

Feds have jurisdiction over ports and harbours, where sea level rise will be dealt with. Climate adaptation on reserves is also a federal responsibility.

"Cities are on the frontline of a lot of climate change adaptation", not limited to flooding and extreme weather events. However, cities have a very limited ability to raise revenue to deal with this responsibility.

"There is room for everyone to act on climate change." And the Supreme Court of Canada encourages everyone to work together via the doctine of "cooperative federalism" - it's ok for different levels of govt to legislate the same thing as long as they're not conflicting.

Healthcare is one example of this - feds ensure the system is well funded and looks similar across the country, but it is enacted by provincial/territorial governments.
That's it from Amanda fron @CanEnvLawAssn.

Next, MPP @BhutilaKarpoche says on-the-ground organizing is very important despite the current provincial political situation. Karpoche is speaking about how climate impacts health and how the climate crisis should be part of the public health conversation.

She points to the problem of air quality with trains running along the north and south borders of the riding. She says she has called on the ON govt to electrify the UPX and GO lines - concrete actions the provincial govt can take.

She mentions that seniors and children are particularly vulnerable to such air pollution, and that she has spoken to constituents near the line who are concerned about their newborn's health.

She also speaks about reducing pollutants, including microplastics, in Lake Ontario, Toronto's source of drinking water. She says plastics are a major pollutant that is hard to get rid of. Together with the MPP from the Islands, she is calling for an aggressive plastics ban.

It would phase out the worst by 2020 and a full ban on single use plastics by 2025. Karpoche wants to work with @viraniarif on this.

Karpoche also mentions Nestle and says we need to stop private corporations extracting our water and polluting with single use bottles. She says #Nestle should not be given the 10year permit to 'draw clean water and pollute our lakes and water bodies'.

Karpoche ends by talking about the Ontario Food Terminal and the community's concerns the Ford govt is planning to close + relocate it from Etobicoke. She mentions the campaign to save the OTF by designating it a provincially important employment zone, which the city helped with.

@BhutilaKarpoche says we need to build on the momentum of the climate strike to ensure we take climate action, while talking about Indigenous rights, workers' rights, and racialized people. How do these intersect to ensure policies aren't unfairly impacting marginalized people?

(The heckler liked that last bit)

.@viraniarif now talking about what his govt has done on climate. Re cooperative federalism, he says that because air and water pollution cross boundaries, the federal govt has a lot of jurisdiction to leguslate those.

He says he wants those at Queens Park to stop spending $30mil trying to legislate their way out of that.
He also mentions the clean fuel standard and an initiative to take 60 nations around the world off of coal.

He mentions rebates on affordable EVs like the Leaf and the Volt ($5k for an electric, 2500$ for a hybrid). And says the federal govt should partner with cities to develop vehicle charging infrastructure.

(The heckler is trying to ask if he'll talk about a particular issue but is now getting shut down by the audience who say they want to hear Virani speak)

Virani is talking about protecting species at risk, protecting the Great Lakes, a tree planting program to increase employment and carbon sequestration, and conservation initiatives.

He says "amazingly, on plastics, everyone seems to agree" that plastics need to be reduced. He's talking about how rare it is to find common ground like that.
He also shouts out @RoncyReduces and other groups, saying local successes should be celebrated and replicated nationally

.@viraniarif ends by stating his government's goal of reaching
Net zero carbon by 2050, with legislated targets in 5 year increments.
He asks the audience: What do you want to see in those 5 year targets? He wants to take a strong mandate back to Ottawa.
#cdnpoli

.@gordperks says:
1. "There is no path where we get to live the lifestyle we currently live" - we either make drastic cuts or meet disaster.
2. 75% of global emissions are from cities - "so it's a good thing we're here talking about it".
3. This is about collective action...

...so we need to change infrastructure.
4. We need a hierarchy of action. He illustrates this with the "lightbulb": first turn off the lightbulb, then replace the lightbulb with something more efficient, and finally change the fuel you use to power it.

That is, we reduce consumption by conserving, then being more efficient, THEN thinking about fuel switching.
He says Toronto has a history of ambitious climate plans and TO must be netzero by 2050.

Buildings are a key consumer of energy. He says TO has:
1. Retrofitted all city buildings.
2. Provided new incentives for condos and office towers to make big reductions in efficiency and fuel source.
He says we also need to get 1.5million homes to net zero by 2050.

He says we need to plan communities to be actively walkable, and that people shoudl be able to access everything they need on foot or a few stops away.

Perks then says that the waste problem goes beyond plastic - that Canadians "are worse than Americans" at creating solid waste. He repeats that for emphasis.
He says he's worked his whole career to reduce this and he "needs your help" to get Extended Producer Responsibility...

...where companies pay for the waste their products create. He says when companies have the incentive, they reduce their waste. He says waste is a tricky problem in Canada because all 3 levels of govt have to agree.

He moves on to food waste. He references the Indigenous history here, that "in 50 AD, the most efficient food system - the most nutrients for the least waste" happened right here on the shores of what is currently Lake Ontario. That's the Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash).

.@gordperks says the most important question is money.
"We can't do anything without the money." He turns to @viraniarif and says, "Arif, I need some money."
Laughs from the audience.
#cdnpoli #TOpoli #parkhp4climate

On to audience questions. 1st person points out that emissions have gone up since last year, and asks how the 3 levels of govt can work together on something as simple as an efficient water heater.

Perks says the first issue is money. The second is making investment in skilled trades for new buildings and old retrofits. And the third is the City's HELP program. He says the questioner should call him and they'll get her on the program.

Virani (MP) points to federal commitments including a free home energy audit, a 40k interest free loan to act on that audit, and a 5k rebate on the price of a netzero home. He also says sometimes city councils are slow to apply for the money that is available.

But he acknowledges people are here for cooperation, not bickering, and he wants to hear when programs aren't working or are inaccessible. He reemphasizes the need to get people trained to deliver these programs.

Karpoche says the current ON govt has cut back on rebates and retrofits, leaving some constituents in the lurch. Says she is working on a "net zero ready" buildings program, says we should update the building code to require solar panels, fuel switchable systems, etc.

She says the Ontario Municipal Board gets in the way of the city trying to take action. She says it needs to be accountable to cities and citizens, not developers. (Perks did a little Boo at the mention of the OMB).

Next question is about building nee apts and condos - why not put in a proviso saying the new residents can't have cars, or have very limited spaces for cars? Points to alternatives like car sharing and uber. "There's just no more room for cars."

Perks says part of the problem is that TO has to pay for all transit vehicles out of its own funds - the only big city in the developed world that doesn't get help from higher levels. Says a big bus deployment is the best, fastest way to get people out of cars.

Karpoche adds that the province used to contribute 50% of TTC operating costs, but Mike Harris stopped that. She says that if the province picked that back up, it would free up $330million/yr for the city to spend on improving the system.

Virani says we need to be moving to electrifying buses. He points to federal commitments on transit. He suggests giving Uber and Lyft hard targets for the amount of electric vehicles in their fleet.

(Heckler: "And not giving companies $3 billion per year in oil and gas subsidies? That'd be cool too.")

Next question is about the constraints Karpoche faces in the current legislature. She says they have put forward a motion about the climate emergency, which was shut down. Also, we are seeing a cancellation of all climate-related programs.

She says the Conservatives ARE keen on antiplastic/littering issues, so they'll push hard on that.
She says there is no longer an independent Environmental Commissioners Office. So how can we assess or critique the govt's plan? It's now solely on the Opposition's shoulders.

She points to the public pushback on the endangered species act to show that the Ford govt will backtrack. So we must make sure the climate is one of those issues.

.@gordperks says he worked with Ford for four years on council, and the only option "is to defeat him."
He agrees with Bhutila - we must be vigilant, fight him on every action, all of the time. Until Conservatives are headed by someone more reasonable, he is in conflict w them.

Next question is, are we going to start taxing corporations to pay for this?
The heckler is intervening to ask why the federal govt bought a pipeline with her money.

Virani is now explaining how the carbon tax works, saying that corporations do not get a free ride. He says the govt is trying to bring corporations along not just by penalizing them but by welcoming them into this new economy.
Talks abt a local beeswax packaging company.

Quite a lot of back and forth between the heckler, who is repeating questions about Indigenous rights and fossil fuel subsidies as Virani tries to speak. Some of the audience says to let Virani speak and the MC says the heckler will be asked to leave if they don't let him answer.

Now Gord Perks is reiterating that real taxes are going down and we can't continue living this lifestyle. "Every time someone says they're going to give you a tax cut, you should be hearing, 'I'm not going to deal with the climate crisis.'"

He says, "We have to make a choice. Maybe it means instead of 3 suit jackets, you own 2. (I own 2). Maybe it means fewer luxuries. But your children will have the luxury of a sustainable life."
He says we need to raise taxes to achieve this.

Karpoche is now saying those earning more than $500k, or in the millions, should be paying a little bit more to keep our tax system fair. We have so many little categories at the bottom of the tax bracket, but no difference between those earning $300k and $20million.

She also raises the numbers of empty houses and says we need to tackle land speculation through taxes.
Time for a few more Qs.

.@nickcapra_gpc says immediate target needs to be 1.5 degrees by 2030. "Forget about talking about 2050 right now." Says if we don't start setting targets for TODAY, the @IPCC_CH says we will hit 3 degrees of warming.

Next question is for Virani, saying the oil and gas industry is our largest source of emissions and we need to bring that number down to zero. How is that going to happen and when is it going to happen by? "Completely eliminating emissions from the oil and gas industry."

Next question (more of a statement, really) is about costs on carbon. The questioner says we all need to engage with our neighbours and friends who may have concerns and reassure them it won't be as costly as they fear.

Next Q: "You are our representatives, but we also expect you to be leaders." How can the politicians instigate citizens' action and work across party lines towards action?
(Three Qs in a row, answers coming up)

.@viraniarif says he agrees w Perks we need to raise the amount of revenue generated through tax, although not necessarily true that not raising taxes = not acting on climate. On oil and gas, he says we need to get oil/gas subsidies to zero by 2025, and focus on alternatives.

He says key messaging needs to focus on the cost of inaction, pointing to the Australian bushfires and other devastation.

He says it's key that everyone understands they have a stake in climate action. It's difficult, but the key is amplifying good programs and sharing them with each other and the country.

.@gordperks says we need to get carbon emissions to zero maybe in his lifetime, but definitely in the questioners. He says the great news is that retrofitting buildings is how to create wealth "faster, better and with more sustainable employment" than with oil and gas.

Perks says that carbon taxes were originally a compromise supported by Conservatives and the left.
He says that Conservatives are different from the "yellow vesters", an "American-funded movement that is politically irrelevant".

He also says that low income people are just as keen to reduce emissions as everyone else, and that the second leading cause of evictions is not being able to pay the energy bill.

He also shouts out @progresstoronto and says we need to build a citywide movement for climate action. Says #ParkHP must bring what they know to the rest of the city.

.@BhutilaKarpoche mentions a townhall on Nov. 26 about building an inclusive movement. She asks us to look around the room (which is very white and on average middle aged) and think about who isn't here. "Equity has to be central to the climate conversation."

She asks us to go home and google the Green New Deal, "a bold, ambitious plan of how we can do this", and jobs are a part of it. She says it's an exciting read.
#GreenNewDeal

All done! The MC is now asking the 3 politicians to show up to an event in the new year and is also asking for people interested in being on subcommittees.
I think that's it for the Road Map to Environmental Action tonight.

MC Sarah Doucette, after the event, said, "We love it when people sign up to join something, because that's how you get it done. That's how you can go after the politicians, to really hold their feet to the fire."

"You've got to have a plan, you've got to know where you're going - but you've got to bring the community with you... We got a lot of people out today, so it was great!"

There will be a similar event in Parkdale in January or February and a follow up with the politicians in April to check their progress.
#ParkHP #TOpoli #onpoli #cdnpoli #ClimateActionNow

I spoke to the heckler after the event. They had a lot to say:
"If you do take a look around this room, it's white. And it's affluent...
I think what happened tonight is they think I'm disrespectful, I'm rude, I'm aggressive, and I'm cool with that, because you have to be...

...Last year I came, I didn't speak at all. I wanted to say some other things, but I'll be honest, when I was like, oh, '3 billion a year in [oil + gas] subsidies' I did not expect my neighbours to tell me to shut up."