Ontario premier-designate Doug Ford has yet to actually take office, but last week saw a series of major announcements indicating some intended directions for his incoming government. The first was a declaration of the intent to end Ontario’s participation in …
Ontario Election 2018: The Implications for Ontario’s Environment, Economy and Politics
June 2018 Last week’s election in Ontario produced a new Progressive Conservative (PC) government, led by former Toronto city Councillor Doug Ford. The PCs received just over 40 percent of the popular vote, winning 76 of 124 seats in the …
Ontario Election 2018: Positions on the environment, energy and climate change define divisions among Ontario’s political parties.
With the Ontario election now a week away, all four major parties (the Progressive Conservatives belatedly) have now tabled their platforms. While the campaign has focused heavily on the personalities of the party leaders, a review of the platforms makes …
Ontario Election 2018: The Liberals have made a mess of the electricity file, but Doug Ford would double down on their mistakes
May 2018 Mark Winfield, York University With last week’s announcement by Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford of his plan to reduce hydro rates, electricity costs have emerged as a central question in the upcoming Ontario election. However, Mr.Ford’s less …
The Kinder-Morgan Pipeline “crisis:” Not panicking would be a good place to start
April 2018 Over the past few days, the concerns over the fate of the pipeline in the face of the BC government’s objections have been elevated to the level of a constitutional and political crisis, driven by an artificial deadline …
Which way forward on Carbon Pricing in Ontario?
Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown’s proposal to replace the Kathleen Wynne’s cap and trade system for reducing the province’s greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon tax has set off a series of debates about the merits of these different approaches …
Site C, Muskrat Falls and the pitfalls of short-circuited project reviews.
Mark Winfield York University November 2017 The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has just announced a public inquiry into how the economically disastrous Muskrat Falls hydro-electric project was approved. In reality there is little mystery. The project was strongly …
Energy East Pipeline Cancellation
Published in the Globe and Mail October 10, 2017 There were serious questions about the wisdom and economic and political viability of the Energy East project from the outset. It faced profound opposition in Quebec; Ontario’s energy board had concluded …
Is Ontario poised to repeat Walkerton-style mistakes
Published in the Hamilton Spectator October 23, 2017 Canadians, watching U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks on air and water pollution rules in the United States have taken some comfort in the notion that it couldn’t happen here. Sadly, the reality …
The Political Consequences of Interim Measures: The BC Election, Kinder-Morgan Pipeline and Federal Environmental Assessment Reform.
June 1st 2017 One of the defining features of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s approach to environmental matters was the dramatic streamlining of the federal environmental review and approval processes for energy and other resource projects through his 2012 budget …