Liberal Response:

The Ontario Liberal Party believes that our natural world sustains us – our businesses, communities and quality of life.

As an active participant in Canada’s Pathway initiative, Ontario supports the federal government’s commitment to protect 17 per cent of Canada’s terrestrial lands and inland waters by 2020. We look forward to receiving the recommendations that come out of the Pathway work, including how Ontario could contribute toward both the quantitative and qualitative elements of Canada Target 1. In the interim, our government continues to collaborate with representatives from all levels of government, Indigenous groups and others to protect and conserve areas throughout the province.

We will be providing $15 million over three years to agencies, land trusts and individual land stewards to help conserve biodiversity in settled areas.  Moreover, we will continue to collaborate with First Nations on Community-Based Land Use Plans which include identifying new dedicated protected areas in the Far North of Ontario. In 2017, we added nearly 2,600 hectares to provincial parks and conservation reserves – this includes a new nature reserve class park that ensures a provincially significant wetland is protected.

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In July 2017, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry released A Wetland Conservation Strategy for Ontario, 2017-2030, which outlines strategic directions, goals and desired outcomes for wetlands in Ontario and establishes actions the our government will undertake by 2030 to improve wetland conservation across the province. Priority actions highlighted in the strategy include improving Ontario’s wetland inventory and mapping, developing policy approaches and tools to prevent net loss of wetlands, and improving guidance for evaluating the significance of wetlands. Moreover, the strategy includes two overarching targets on which success can be measured. These targets include:

1. By 2025, the net loss of wetland area and function is halted where wetland loss has been the greatest.
2. By 2030, a net gain in wetland area and function is achieved where wetland loss has been the greatest.

The strategy also commits to developing performance measures and reporting to the public on progress in implementing the actions, as well as progress towards achieving the targets every five years beginning in 2020.  The strategy will help Ontario to coordinate and implement a comprehensive wetland conservation framework that can inform further policy and program development, encourage enhanced cooperation at all levels of government and support strategic partnerships.

As part of the early work to achieve the goals outlined in the strategy, in 2018 our government invested $1.9 million in the restoration of wetlands in Southern Ontario. Additionally, the government’s recently announced Land Securement Initiative, which will provide $15 million over the next 3 years to land conservancy groups for the acquisition and conservation of ecologically significant lands in the province, will also help to further protect wetlands and ensure that the important ecosystem services they provide are available now and in the future.

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We know how vitally important it is to reduce pesticides and protect bees and other pollinators to ensure protection of our agricultural sector, our economy, and our environment.  In fact, Ontario was among the first jurisdictions in North America to implement a cosmetic pesticide ban on lawns, that has reduced pesticides in our environment.  Ontario was the first to regulate neonicotinoid treated seeds – with a target reduction of 80%. We’re also one of the few provinces in Canada to review and regulate pesticides, requiring additional training and licensing. In 2016, we developed a Pollinator Health Action Plan that addresses stressors impacting pollinator health, including exposure to pesticides, disease and pests, reduced habitat and climate change.

We created new rules limiting the sale and use of neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds as the first step to restoring pollinator health. We have a mandatory training program for anyone buying neonicotinoid treated seeds. We have achieved a reduction of pesticide use of over one million acres.

We have invested in an extensive environmental monitoring program for pesticides including neonicotinoids, so that we have the most current science to understand impacts and how we could make further reductions. We have worked with the farming community to ensure that neonicotinoids are only used if there is a pressing need. 

We know that we can’t stand idly by. The Ontario Liberal Party is committed to continuing to reduce pesticides, improve bee and pollinator health to protect the health of Ontarians and our environment.

Going forward the Ontario Liberal Party will invest in programs to reduce pesticides by new soil health programs so that fewer pesticides are needed, implement our pollinator health action plan, evaluate progress under our pesticide programs, invest in environmental monitoring to understand pesticide impacts, increase outreach on the need to reduce pesticides at farm and trade shows and work with the farming and environmental communities to ensure further pesticide reductions.

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The Ontario Liberal Party supports the reduction of toxics to protect human health and the environment. We have done this by strengthening standards, requiring business to publicly report on their emissions and informing Ontarians about toxics in their communities. Our air quality in Ontario is improving.

We also support working with industry, communities and other stakeholders through policies, programs and education to develop more ways to enhance disclosure and keep toxic substances out of our environment.

Lastly, we are committed to reducing plastic pollution in our waters from single-use bottles by requiring that at least 85 per cent of all bottles be recycled.

Please see also related answers to 3.2 and 3.3

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Working with partners, Ontario has committed to the goal of 40% reduction in phosphorus to Lake Erie by 2025. We have also worked to reduce nutrients from farms though Nutrient Management Act, and proposed new wastewater emission limits for Lake Erie.  We passed the Lake Simcoe Protection Act, one of the first watershed based plans, that is helping to reduce phosphorus loads and keep Lake Simcoe healthy.  We have worked with the federal and municipal governments to increase the use of green infrastructure in our infrastructure plans and investments.  We have worked with conservation authorities and other partners to improve stormwater management, and proposed new stormwater targets. Our Long Term Infrastructure Plan commits to promoting Green Infrastructure – and we have committed $2.3 billion in green infrastructure projects to help communities mitigate and adapt to climate change, such as wastewater infrastructure upgrades.

We have also committed $52 million to help protect the Great Lakes, including:

• Invest in new technologies to address excessive algae, toxic chemicals, microplastics and road salt, and enhance real-time monitoring and research around the Great Lakes, with a primary focus on Lake Erie;
• Better manage the impacts of population growth and development around Lake Ontario through the continuation of efforts to develop operational plans to help reduce pollution from combined sewer system overflows, and certification requirements and improved training for sewage plant operators;
• Protect the health of Lake Erie by implementing the Canada–Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan. Working with all partners, the Province will support reductions of phosphorus loads from agricultural sources and support municipal wastewater and storm water management; and
• Increase engagement with First Nation and Métis communities to create opportunities for engagement and relationship building through a shared desire to protect and restore the ecological health of the Great Lakes system.

Lastly, we will work with municipalities to standardize sewage bypass reporting to the province, support municipalities on how to best notify local communities of bypasses and complete low-impact development guidelines to reduce water flows entering sewers  

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Our government’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) is recognized as a North American leader, providing protection for more than 150 species. The ESA has played a key role in the recovery of species like peregrine falcon and piping plover, and the protection of many other species like bobolink, eastern meadowlark and chimney swift.

The ESA ensures transparency and accountability as well as promoting engagement and consultation and includes strong enforcement provisions. 

We are continuing to implement is the Species at Risk Stewardship Program – this is part of our obligation under the ESA to promote stewardship activities to assist in protection and recovery of species at risk. This year marks the completion of the 10th anniversary. 

The program has supported 868 stewardship projects and 100 research projects, and helped restore 33,500 hectares of habitat. It has also led to the creation of 2,600 jobs and over 773,000 hours of volunteer work. This year, we are investing nearly $4.5 million in 68 new stewardship and research projects, and continued work in 37 projects already underway. The funding will be used for activities like creating or rehabilitating habitat, educating youth about species at risk, and gathering Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge.

PC Response:

No response.  PC Leader Doug Ford says he would move quickly to build roads to facilitate mining in the Ring of Fire. He says consultations with First Nations must be accelerated and economic benefits should take priority. According to the party’s summation of its promises released on May 31st, it will:

• Develop our natural resources: Move forward with resource revenue sharing from mining, forestry and aggregates to help Northern towns and Indigenous communities share in resource development.
• Keep Ontario beautiful by protecting and preserving our waterways and supporting and enforcing our air quality programs.
• Improve enforcement, including hiring more conservation officers and increasing policing of major polluters.
• Set up an emissions-reduction fund to invest in new technologies to reduce emissions right here in Ontario.
• Clean up our communities: Commit resources to reduce garbage in our neighbourhoods and parks.

NDP Response:

1. Meet the Aichi targets agreed to by Canada and Ontario, which require protection of at least 17% of Ontario’s lands and waters

The Ontario NDP will protect more of Ontario’s wild spaces, including an expansion of Ontario’s parks system, in consultation with First Nations

2. Better protect wetlands

The Ontario NDP will stop landowners from exploiting loopholes that allow developments on provincially-significant wetlands, in contravention of updated laws and policies to protect natural heritage

3. Dramatically reduce use of neonicotinoids in agriculture

The Ontario NDP will work in partnership with farmers, pest management experts and seed companies to reduce and eliminate needless use of neonicotinoids

4. Reduce emissions of carcinogens and toxics to air and water

The Ontario NDP will set achievable but aggressive targets to reduce air and water pollution across the province. We will move ahead with health studies of the cumulative impacts of pollution in “hot spots” like south Sarnia/Aamjiwnaang First Nation and Hamilton, strengthen monitoring to include additional pollutants, and regulate cumulative pollution in “hot spots” with appropriate site-specific policies. We will also work with emitters to ensure they comply with existing standards and requirements, and hold them accountable when they don’t.

We will clean up the mercury in the English-Wabigoon River system, so people in Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations can finally once again drink the water and eat the fish their communities have relied on for generations. And we will fund a dedicated mercury treatment centre so they can get the care they need after decades of mercury poisoning. We will maintain the commitment to index the Mercury Disability Fund, and commit an additional $12 million to make retroactive payments to people suffering because of the provincial government’s inaction

5. Reduce nutrient discharges to lakes and waterways

We will set measurable targets for reducing nutrient discharges, and follow-through on existing targets to stop algae blooms in Lake Erie, with adequate funding to achieve the necessary results.

6. Increase the use of living green infrastructure and meet onsite stormwater retention targets

After years of dithering and delays, Ontario needs a Climate Change Adaptation Plan more than ever. The Ontario NDP will deliver this plan, including strategies to build green infrastructure and manage severe storm events, with the necessary funding

7. Respect the principles of the Endangered Species Act and reverse actions that have steadily undermined its effectiveness and the protection of species at risk.

After years of cuts under the euphemism of “transformation,” Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry now lacks the ability to adequately protect Ontario’s endangered species. The Ontario NDP will ensure that MNRF has the funding and resources to do the job.

Green Response:

In order to meet the Aichi targets agreed to by Canada and Ontario, which require protection of at least 17% of Ontario’s lands and waters, the Green Party of Ontario supports:

• Setting aside a minimum of 17% of the land base in protected areas according to the internationally agreed upon Aichi biodiversity targets.
• Establishing a rigorous provincial biodiversity monitoring and reporting program as an early warning system of species loss. This would include information on Ontario’s wildlife, including population trends and habitat quality, so that we can monitor the province’s biodiversity to identify and mitigate decline.
• Creating an inventory and designating provincially significant wetlands and grasslands on an ongoing basis, and requiring that they be protected in municipal official plans within one year of their designation as such.
• Providing incentives for pollinator-friendly farming practices and invest in research about the economic value of wild pollinators for farmers and their crops.
• Establishing an independent science advisory body on wild native pollinators to ensure that the best available science informs implementation and evaluation of the government’s Pollinator Health Action Plan.
• Banning logging and other resource extraction in all provincial parks where ecological integrity is threatened, including Algonquin Park which remains open to logging in 65% of its area.
• Establishing and expanding safe harbour protections to support and financially reward good stewards of our land. This would compensate farmers and residential landowners for the public good they provide in protecting endangered species and at-risk ecosystems on their property.

To better protect wetlands, the Green Party of Ontario will:

• Create an inventory and designating provincially significant wetlands and grasslands on an ongoing basis, and requiring that they be protected in municipal official plans within one year of their designation as such.
• Prohibit further development on provincially significant wetlands.

To dramatically reduce the use of neonicotinoids in agriculture, the Green Party of Ontario will:

• Protect local food supplies with a complete ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. Experts agree that these are killing off bee populations, a key pollinator in the food chain, and threatening our food system by building up toxin levels in our groundwater.
• Provide incentives for pollinator-friendly farming practices and invest in research about the economic value of wild pollinators for farmers and their crops.
• Establish an independent science advisory body on wild native pollinators to ensure that the best available science informs implementation and evaluation of the government’s Pollinator Health Action Plan.

To reduce emissions of carcinogens and toxics in air and water, the Green Party of Ontario will:

• Hold the province to its commitment to resolve and clean up the mercury contamination in the English-Wabigoon River system, which has been poisoning the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation and White Dog First Nation.
• Address environmental racism by explicitly recognizing in the environmental protection processes that low-income, Indigenous and other communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental damage. Mercury poisoning near Grassy Narrows and air pollution near Aamjiwnaang in southwestern Ontario are just two examples of this.
• Resolve the air pollution problems plaguing the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia as a result of toxic emissions from Chemical Valley.
• Require an assessment of cumulative impacts of all sources of air pollution before issuing new air emission permits.
• Improve the public’s right to know about toxins by publishing a registry of air toxins in communities, require full ingredient disclosure on product labelling and full disclosure of chemical use by dry cleaners.

To reduce nutrient discharges to lakes and waterways, the Green Party of Ontario will:

• Make polluters pay for cleaning up contaminated groundwater by giving the government the power to immediately contain or clean up spills or runoff that threaten aquifers, and pursue remedies through the justice system.
• Require major municipalities to eliminate combined sewer overflows and sewage bypasses which discharge raw sewage into waterways during high volumes of flow.
• Establish binding standards that limit phosphorus emissions to water for sewer treatment plant effluent.
• Provide incentives and assistance for farmers to use less fertilizer and to better control farm field runoff.
• Develop a provincial plan to reduce road salt use by 50% on roads, sidewalks and parking areas.
• Place an immediate and indefinite ban on fracking to prioritize drinking water, public health, and climate stability.
• Invest in the monitoring and protection of the Great Lakes, including long-term funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and other programs protecting the lakes.
• Create an action plan to fight algae in Lake Erie and to clean all Ontario lakes.

To increase the use of living green infrastructure and meet onsite stormwater retention targets, the Green Party of Ontario will:

• Change the definition of public infrastructure to incorporate green infrastructure, and capture opportunities to incorporate green infrastructure into existing legislation, policy and programs.
• Create a dedicated funding stream for green infrastructure within existing infrastructure funding.
• Ensure that green infrastructure projects, such as urban forests, qualify for provincial infrastructure funding.
• Fund municipal efforts to proactively manage green infrastructure as assets through research and sharing of best practices.
• Treat stormwater and sewage on-site or early in the system wherever possible using integrative approaches including UV light, wet ponds, infiltration systems and low impact development (LID) to minimize or eliminate untreated stormwater in our waterways.

We respect the principles of the Endangered Species Act and will reverse actions that have steadily undermined its effectiveness and the protection of species at risk. We support:

• Reforming the Endangered Species Act to remove exemptions that protect companies from facing penalties for harming animals and their habitats.
• Reversing the government’s decisions to create loopholes in the endangered species act that allow industry to harm and kill endangered species.
• Increasing oversight for industry development that affects our land, water, and wildlife.

Liberal Response:

The Ontario Liberal Party believes that protecting our environment is the bedrock for sustainable communities and a high quality of life.

See answers in previous sections as well.

The Ontario Liberal Party supports the assessment of cumulative impacts of multiple sources of pollution, as it helps protect our health, environment and communities. We have released 69 new or updated science-based air quality standards since 2005. This action, along with our Drive Clean program and closing our dirty coal plants has helped to dramatically improve air quality across Ontario, virtually eliminating smog days in the province. Over the last ten years concentrations of air contaminants have dropped significantly: nitrogen dioxide by 30%, sulphur dioxide by 51%, and fine particulate matter by 12%.

We know more work can be done in heavily industrialized areas. This is why we recently phased in a tough new benzene standard. The implementation of the Petroleum Refining and Petrochemical Technical Standards requires industry to reduce significant sources of benzene by investing in best available technology.

We finalized our updated sulphur dioxide air standards and clarified reporting rules around acid gas flaring and other start-up and shutdown scenarios. These improvements will help further drive reductions in pollution in the Sarnia area. We have also working closely with local communities, including the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, to ensure a health study and related health initiatives are underway.

We have also developed a first-step and targeted cumulative impacts assessment policy for benzene and benzo(a)pyrene for Hamilton and Sarnia. We have committed to review the policy and work closely with the multi-stakeholder working group, including ENGOs, Industry, First Nations and Health groups) to look at expanding the policy to cover other contaminants, regions, and data sources.

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The Ontario Liberal Party supports taking action to reduce toxics. We have reduced toxics through strengthening almost one hundred air and water quality standards. We have shut coal plants to reduce our pollutants and help our health and environment. We have required industry to report on the toxics they emit and have made this information publically available.

We are committed to further increasing transparency and reducing toxics. We will require online and on-label disclosure of toxic substances and chemicals in key consumer products, such as household cleaning products, baby products and cosmetics, starting in 2020.

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The Ontario Liberal Party is committed to developing enhanced transit infrastructure, with an historic investment of $79 billion over the next 10 years.

We will make it easier for commuters and families to get around the GTHA by moving forwards with the implementation of GO RER, the largest rail project in Canada. We will quadruple the number of weekly trips from about 1,500 to nearly 6,000 by 2024-25. We are building new stations and enhancing existing stations including the Kipling Bus Terminal, Mimico Station, Rutherford GO station and the Milton GO Station, and are advancing the development of twelve new stations (including six SmartTrack stations). We will deliver two-way, all-day GO train service between Toronto and Waterloo, weekday GO service to Niagara Falls, and an extension to GO Transit’s Lake Share East rail corridor to Bowmanville.

We are investing in multiple rapid transit projects, including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Finch West LRT, Hamilton LRT, Hurontario LRT, the Scarborough subway extension, the Mississauga Transitway, the London BRT System, Ottawa’s LRT, Waterloo’s ION Rapid Transit, and the Line 1 Extension/Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension.

We have also committed to providing the Province’s share of funding for new projects such as the Toronto Relief Line Subway, the Yonge North Subway Extension, Toronto’s Waterfront Transit Network, Durham BRT, and rapid transit in Mississauga and Brampton.

In addition, the Province is proceeding with an initial investment of over $11 billion to build Canada’s first high-speed rail line between Toronto and Windsor. Beginning with service from Toronto to London, high speed rail will cut travel times, reduce congestion on our highways, fight climate change, and create new opportunities for workers, businesses and families.

Our recent commitment to reducing the cost of transit in the GTHA by furthering the integration of fares across multiple transit service providers will save people money, increase transit ridership and reduce congestion on our roads. All GO Transit rides within Toronto will cost PRESTO card users just $3, any trip under 10km anywhere on the GO network will cost just $3, and $1.50 per trip discounts will be introduced for transit users who transfer between the TTC and the GO network, York Region Transit, Mississauga’s MiWay, Brampton Transit or Durham Region Transit.

We are also committed to enhancing active transportation options. Building on an initial investment of $94M, which supported 118 municipalities to build bike lanes and bike parking, we have committed $140M more in carbon market proceeds to continue this progress as well as invest in “first mile / last mile” transit solutions to make it easier for people to get to and from transit stations.

We have made investments in highways where it makes sense — investing $2.5 billion across the province in 2017/18 to repair and expand highways. However, we recognize that we can’t continue on a path of doing things the way they’ve always been done. That is why Budget 2018 commits $79 billion for transit over 14 years –three times more than our commitment to highway infrastructure. 

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The Ontario Liberal Party knows that reducing waste and reusing our resources is a critical part of achieving our goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protecting our land and environment, and creating a greener future for Ontarians.

The Ontario Liberal Party is proud of the changes we have made in passing the groundbreaking Waste Free Ontario Act. This Act uses a full producer responsibility model as the cornerstone of our actions on waste.

The Ontario Liberal Party is committed to continuing to transform the way we address waste in Ontario.  We have started moving Ontario towards a circular economy and we support expanding recycling and organic waste programs. Creating a “circular economy” means we’re moving beyond the linear “make, use, dispose” model – to a new model where we make productive use of materials for as long as possible. This past fall, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario stated that the successful passage of the Waste-Free Ontario Act was a significant achievement.

Building on these efforts, the brand new Food and Organic Waste Framework, outlines our path forward for reducing food waste and increasing the recovery of organic materials in Ontario. Our organics framework would lead to improvements in waste processing infrastructure through better planning, coordination and decision-making processes for environmental and land use approvals.

The framework also has the potential to create thousands of new jobs in Ontario and establish us as a world leader in organic waste and its positive spin offs such as renewable natural gas. This is another step in moving Ontario towards a circular economy.

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The Ontario Liberal Party supports the identification and cleanup of contaminated sites in Ontario. We will create a common set of criteria among Ministries to evaluate contaminated sites. Wherever possible, the cleanup of contaminated sites needs to work towards the “polluter pays principle” to ensure that those responsible for the pollution are held accountable for the cleanup.

PC Response:

No response.

In a video released to media, Doug Ford assured major developers that he would “open a big chunk” of the Greenbelt to new housing if elected while running to be PC leader.  Later Ford said that any lands removed from the Greenbelt would be replaced with lands somewhere else.  Following this he stated that a PC government would not remove lands from the Greenbelt and would leave it intact.

In the media, Doug Ford has said he will ensure a three-stop subway is built in Scarborough.  He will leave it to Hamilton City Council to decide whether to proceed with an LRT or spend provincial funding for the project on other things, such as roads. He says he would “review the plan” to extend GO Train service to Niagara.

Ford says he will close the Sheppard Ave subway loop to the Scarborough Town Centre, build a downtown relief line and extend the Yonge TTC line north to Richmond Hill. He has not outlined how he will fund these projects. He has also committed to two-way, all-day GO Train service to Bowmanville, Niagara and Kitchener 

Ford says he is not committed to repealing or modifying the Places to Grow Act, but does believe local governments should have a larger say in development decisions.

According to the party’s summation of its promises released on May 31st, it will:

• Deliver two-way, all-day GO service, including expansions to Bowmanville, Kitchener and completing the Niagara GO Expansion, and support regional transit projects in places such as Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga/Brampton, Kitchener-Waterloo and London.
• Upload responsibility for subway infrastructure, including the building and maintenance of new and existing subway lines, from the City of Toronto to the Province. Add $5 billion in new subway funding to the $9 billion already available to build the Sheppard Loop with Scarborough, the Relief Line, and the Yonge Extension while building future crosstown expansions underground.  Keep responsibility for day-to-day operations, including labour relations, with the City of Toronto along with a guarantee that the City will continue to keep all revenue generated by the subway system.
• Actively explore potential for high-speed rail and highway projects including the potential six-laning of Highway 401 to the 416 between Toronto and Ottawa. Also, complete the environmental assessment for the GTA West Corridor, invest in increasing safety on the 401 West and four-lane Highway 17 in eastern Ontario and Highway 3 in Southwestern Ontario.

NDP Response:

See answers to Questions 1 & 2

Green Response:

We will reduce pesticide use by:

• Passing the Organic Products Act, which would establish a standard definition for Organic, so that any producer’s use of the term can be backed up by third-party certification that they use sound organic practices that protect our water and soil.
• Implementing a long-term Organic Growth Strategy that will support transition, small-scale certification, access to organic advisors and capital, and organic research and promotion expansion. Establish an organic check-off program to provide marketing support for organic farmers.

To assess the cumulative impacts of multiple pollution sources on air, water and communities, we will:

• Establish rules that consider the externalized costs of water taking activities such as ecosystem needs, cumulative impacts, pollution, waste, contamination threats, etc. when making water use decisions.
• Ensure that water use decisions incorporate sources of knowledge such as cumulative impacts, community values, citizen science and traditional knowledge.
• Require an assessment of cumulative impacts of all sources of air pollution before issuing new air emission permits.

To support the requirement of the full disclosure of toxic ingredients in consumer products, we will:

• Empower local decision-making and increase public awareness by instating community right-to-know toxics laws and supporting research on the impact of chemicals present in Ontario on environmental health.
• Mandate a deposit and take-back program of toxic materials by making it convenient, standardized and well publicized.

We will expand and enhance transit by:

• Establishing transparent, expert-recognized standard methods for making transit investment decisions and publicly share business case analyses and all associated assumptions and data.
• Studying best practices to better coordinate transit systems between municipalities, including establishing regional authorities.
• Harmonizing regional transit into a single pay user system.
• Ensuring urban rapid transit projects feature effective integration with local transit services.
• Requiring urban rapid transit projects to plan for density around each subway/LRT stop, such as retail stores and residential buildings, instead of parking lots.
• Prioritizing low-cost high-performance rail in the short-term as the province plans long-term for higher-cost, high-speed rail projects.
• Providing permanent operational funding support for municipal transit services in order to reduce fare increases for users, as well as funding for cycling and walking infrastructure.
• Working with rural municipalities to explore the feasibility of licensed private local transit services in low density communities where public transit service is not available.
• Restoring passenger rail service in the north as critical core infrastructure for the entire economy of Northern Ontario.
• Immediately improving intercity bus services, especially in underserved areas.
• Electrifying GO train services as quickly as possible, and replace bus service with electric and hybrid buses where feasible.
• Increasing the number of people accessing GO stations without private automobiles by providing safe and convenient pedestrian access, providing improved cycling facilities and bikeshare stations, and facilitating car-pooling.
• Exploring all public and private options for regional train services in underserviced areas.
• Establishing a Complete Streets Act, which would require streets across Ontario to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities, regardless of their mode of transportation.
• Requiring all new and resurfaced highways to have paved shoulders for safe cycling.
• Establishing commuter cycling networks across Ontario.
• Allowing municipalities to implement road tolls, including granting Toronto’s request for road tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway (two of the highways that Premier Mike Harris downloaded to Toronto twenty years ago).
• Implementing dedicated revenue tools to fund our updated transportation systems that are fair and progressive, such as congestion charges, gas taxes and parking levies. For example, a $2 per day parking surcharge on all commercial parking lots in the Greater Toronto area would raise $2 billion per year for transit in the region.

To extend and enhance Active Transportation options such as walking and biking, we will:

• Establish a Complete Streets Act, which would require streets across Ontario to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities, regardless of their mode of transportation.
• Require all new and resurfaced highways to have paved shoulders for safe cycling. Establish commuter cycling networks across Ontario.
• Establish a permanent long-term sustainable funding stream for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure for all Ontario municipalities.
• Dedicate 5% of the transportation infrastructure budget for walking and cycling infrastructure.
• Provide incentives for transit users, carpooling ride shares, and employers who provide opportunities for workers to work from home. This can reduce road congestion, air pollution and increase productivity of employees.

To move away from further development of destructive 400 series highways, we will:

• Freeze urban boundaries now to stop urban sprawl and protect farming, water and natural heritage in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
• Prioritize public transit over the expansion of 400 series highways.

We need to expand recycling and organic waste programs and fully extend producer responsibility for waste. We will:

• Establish Individual Producer Responsibility regulations under the Waste-Free Ontario Act so that companies, not taxpayers, are responsible for the cost of disposing and recycling the products, packages and waste they produce.
• Reinstate the deposit and return system for all single use plastic containers, which was hastily abandoned without public consultation in the mid 1990s.
• Ensure companies have a strong incentive to eliminate toxins through the extended producer responsibility measures found in the newly passed Waste- Free Ontario Act.
• Give municipalities the authority to take control of source separated recyclables from the Industrial, Commercial & Institutional stream at their discretion.
• Turn organic waste into compost and renewable natural gas by requiring organic source separation and banning organic waste from disposal.
• Create incentives for companies to design products and processes to reduce waste and make products easily repairable and upgradable.
• Impose a fee on any new landfill volume created, which would be paid into a special purpose account to be redirected to support research and innovation in solid waste reduction, greenhouse gas reduction and energy from waste technology.

We support several methods to clean-up contaminated sites, including:

• Holding the province to its commitment to resolve and clean up the mercury contamination in the English-Wabigoon River system, which has been poisoning the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation and White Dog First Nation.
• Addressing environmental racism by explicitly recognizing in the environmental protection processes that low-income, Indigenous and other communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental damage. Mercury poisoning near Grassy Narrows and air pollution near Aamjiwnaang in southwestern Ontario are just two examples of this.
• Resolving the air pollution problems plaguing the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia as a result of toxic emissions from Chemical Valley.
• Making polluters pay for cleaning up contaminated groundwater by giving the government the power to immediately contain or clean up spills or runoff that threaten aquifers, and pursue remedies through the justice system.
• Working with the Federal government and International Joint Commission to bring a coherent vision for the Great Lakes and Great Lakes Water Basin by implementing comprehensive policies and targeting investments that address invasive species, climate change mitigation and adaptation, reduce chemical and biological waste discharge, while enhancing drinking water protection, cleaning contaminated sites and emphasizing water conservation.
• Mandating a deposit and take-back program of toxic materials by making it convenient, standardized and well publicized.