QUEEN'S PARK — The NDP's Climate Crisis critic Peter Tabuns, and Environment critic Ian Arthur, released a statement in response to an Ontario superior court decision to reject the Ford government's attempt to have legal action against it by a group of young Ontarians dismissed. The group is taking the Ford Conservatives to court for what they say is a violation of their charter rights by Ford’s decision to scale back emissions targets and drag Ontario backwards in the fight against the climate crisis:
"Congratulations to the seven brave young Ontarians pursuing justice against the Ford government for failing to take serious action on climate change, jeopardizing the health and safety of current and future generations of Ontarians.
The Ford government has made it clear it intends to allow the climate crisis to spin out of control. Ford cancelled cap-and-trade, challenged the federal carbon tax and has tried three times to pave over the Greenbelt. Just last week, Ford sneakily rammed through an approval to build over an important wetland in Durham Region. He’s dragging us backwards in the fight against climate change.
It's immensely hopeful to see the drive, intelligence, and passion of young people like the seven applicants in the legal challenge against the province, who are unwilling to let the Doug Ford government trample on their rights to a healthy and safe future."