Province puts climate goals at risk, report finds
Ford government’s policies falling short of targets, watchdog warns
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government “risks missing” key greenhouse gas reduction targets because of policy changes on building codes and energy conservation, an independent watchdog has found.
Auditor general Bonnie Lysyk’s annual environmental report concluded the Tories are not taking the action required to meet climate-change goals.
“Our audit found the province risks missing its 2030 emission-reduction target, in part because climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not yet a cross-government priority,” Lysyk said Wednesday.
“We found there is not enough of a focus on reducing fossil fuel use or greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario’s buildings sector at the moment.”
Environment Minister Jeff Yurek insisted that the government is still committed to meeting the target of reducing emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels within a decade, but conceded that “it’s a difficult path to go forward.”
The auditor blasted the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for cancelling “proposed changes to the Ontario Building Code that could have improved energy efficiency by 20 per cent and required major renovations to meet the same standards as new buildings.”
Instead, the department “is now focused on harmonizing with the updated national construction codes, which delays energy efficiency improvements and creates uncertainty regarding future requirements for new buildings.”
Lysyk’s four-volume, 308page report found that ministries haven’t “made progress to reduce emissions or prioritize climate change in their building programs.”
“This puts achievement of the 2030 target at risk,” her audit concluded, noting “the Ministry of Energy does not have an integrated long-term energy plan that aligns with Ontario’s 2030 target, despite a growing trend in natural gas use, especially in buildings.
“The ministry has not directed the Ontario Energy Board to develop an updated natural gas conservation framework to replace the one that expires in December 2020. This means conservation efforts will likely remain at current levels, and opportunities for further emissions reductions may be missed.” NDP MPP Peter Tabuns (Toronto Centre) said the report was a “scathing” critique of the Tories.
“No minister who has read that report can be proud of the work that they’re doing. None,” Tabuns said.
Liberal house leader John Fraser said Lysyk’s findings underscore the damage that has been done since the Tories “cancelled” so many of the environmental initiatives put in place by the previous Grit government.
It is the second year in a row that Lysyk has warned that Premier Doug Ford’s government is falling short on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
In 2018, Ford axed the independent office of the lowerprofile environmental commissioner, shifting the responsibilities to Lysyk’s army of auditors.
Dianne Saxe, the ousted environmental commissioner and now deputy Green leader, warned, “I’m frightened. You should be too.”
“This report shows the government is totally at odds with its own environmental laws and responsibilities. None of the beautiful places we love are safe,” Saxe said.
Indeed, Lysyk found the Tories need to do more to protect parks.
“As we have seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for people to be outside and enjoy green space for both physical and mental health reasons,” the auditor said.
“Unfortunately, the part of the province with the highest population density — southern Ontario — only has 0.6 per cent coverage of protected areas. This is unfortunate for both people and nature.”
Lysyk’s audit exposed problems at the Ministry of the Environment about “the state of biodiversity within existing protected areas to know whether it is meeting its legislative responsibility to conserve species and their habitats in these areas.”
She noted the department “does not collect sufficient information on species at risk and invasive species, or on the impact of hunting, fishing and trapping on native species in provincial parks and conservation reserves.”
There are more than 2,200 species of animals and plants in Ontario that scientists consider are “of conservation concern,” meaning their future survival is threatened.
“Biodiversity loss has been ranked as a top-five risk — by likelihood and impact — to economies over the next decade because of the economic value of the services that the natural environment provides.”
Yet only seven of the 254 staffers at Ontario Parks “are ecologists responsible for leading science-related activities to understand impacts on biodiversity.”
“We found there is not enough of a focus on reducing fossil fuel use or greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario’s buildings sector at the moment.” BONNIE LYSYK
AUDITOR GENERAL