2014 Provincial Election

There are a number of critical environmental issues facing Ontario, from the increasingly costly impacts of climate change to an alarming loss in pollinators, particularly bees, due to pesticide use. Meanwhile, myths about costs associated with green energy are overshadowing the real cost concern of rebuilding aging nuclear plants and continuing to operate the province’s oldest plant past its planned operational lifespan. Of course, the push to develop better transit and plan healthier communities is urgent and needs to quickly move from argument to action.

Meanwhile, despite a long history of destroying valuable natural services in our rush for resources, we risk doing the same in our globally important Far North boreal forest region. In Southern Ontario, we now need to turn our attention to restoring the shredded natural fabric of our most heavily populated region and recognize the importance of protecting biodiversity, including endangered species.

The Ontario Environmental Priorities Initiative has compiled commitments found in the platforms of the four major parties that address the key environmental issues facing Ontario. We also sent these parties a questionnaire seeking more information on their positions on these issues. We will be issuing a scorecard on how well we feel the parties have addressed the issue in a few days, but for now you can see for yourself what the parties have to say:

Questionnaire responses

Liberal Party response
NDP response
The PC Party did not fill out the questionnaire, but directed us to read their platform.
Green Party response

Platform comparison

These tables compare the statements on key issues made in the party platform documents only. Further details on the party positions on these issues can be found in the party’s questionnaire responses (see above).