Raging wildfires show urgent need for climate action

June 1, 2023

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to news that out-of-control wildfires and forest fire warnings are wreaking havoc across much of Ontario.

“The hot weather is just getting started and already forest fires are raging across northern Ontario, while multiple communities sit under extreme fire warning.

Ontarians are bracing for a severe fire season that will once again damage buildings, decimate communities and force many people to evacuate their homes.

Yet in the midst of this chaos, Doug Ford continues with his full-frontal attack on climate action.

As the climate emergency worsens, weather-related disasters like forest fires will become more severe and frequent – disproportionately impacting First Nations communities in the North, as well as people facing precarious housing situations.

This is a matter of environmental injustice. Doug Ford needs to wake up and take action on the climate emergency.

That means providing municipalities with funding to make infrastructure climate-ready, immediately stopping his plan to expand polluting fossil gas plants and investing in cheaper, safer renewables.”

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