I have regular telephone conversations with my friend Dave, who lives in Winnipeg. Like me, he has a very jaundiced view of those elected to 'serve' us, and part of our routine is to compare and bemoan the atrocities committed by our respective provincial governments. While things are bad under the 'leadership' of Brian Pallister, I always maintain that our suffering under the Ford government is more acute and embarrassing. Ontario's shame in electing a bully and blowhard ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of life today is one we must collectively bear, at least until the next election.
The latest cause for cringing comes from our Energy Minister, Greg Rickford, who recently had a very peculiar justification for the cancellation of almost 800 green energy project in the province, a cancellation that could ultimately cost the taxpayer well in excess of $231 million (with some suggesting it could top $1 billion).
Ontario Energy Minister Greg Rickford is taking heat for quoting from an online magazine — which denies the scientific consensus on climate change — to justify scrapping more than 750 renewable energy projects at a cost to taxpayers of $231 million.Rickford claimed the periodical is one of his favourities, and that as a well-educated person, it is incumbent upon him to always look at both sides of an issue, an assertion that drew derision from the Opposition:
For the second day in a row, Rickford referred Tuesday to an article in the U.S.-based Climate Change Dispatch headlined “Germany pulls plug on wind energy as industry suffers severe crisis,” as the NDP raised concerns about the Ontario government’s cancellation of wind turbine and solar projects.
Opposition parties jumped on Rickford for relying on the magazine, whose website says it “does not believe in consensus science” and describes “global warming alarmists” as “those who believe man is wholly or largely responsible for any fluctuation in the planet’s overall surface temperature.”Happily, outrage is not confined to the legislature, as the following letter to the editor make abundantly clear:
“It’s shocking,” said New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath, slamming the Ford government for cancelling the Liberal cap-and-trade program aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions, firing the independent environmental commissioner and scrapping programs to promote electric vehicles.
“Everything they’re doing is falling in line with people who would be denying climate change.”
Ontario’s minister of energy, Greg Rickford, characterizes himself as a “well-studied man” and a lawyer, yet he quotes from a fringe climate change denier website. Perhaps Rickford is not as well studied as he purports to be.I, and I am sure countless others, look forward to the day we will be liberated from this rambling, ridiculous and retrograde regime. It cannot come quickly enough.
Neither is he employing logic, a mode of thinking which is to be expected of a lawyer. While it is commendable to hear both sides of any issue, sometimes, when there is overwhelming scientific proof, as is the case with the anthropogenic climate change position, the “other side” does not stand up to scrutiny at all. Climate change is not a matter of opinion any more than the fact that gravity is keeping us from flying off into space is an opinion. Perhaps the minister would seriously entertain arguments from flat-earthers, anti-vaxers and Creationists as well, evidence to the contrary notwithstanding? Science is evidence based, not opinion based. Facts are facts. No amount of posturing or proselytizing can change that. To paraphrase astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson, it’s your prerogative to think what you like about the world around you, but that doesn’t change the facts. Climate change is cited as the single most urgent issue facing our planet.
While Minister Rickford claims he is not a climate change denier, his behaviour says just the opposite. To have a minister of energy who rolls back green energy initiatives, tries to stop the federal carbon levy and quotes from fringe websites is just beyond the pale and highly irresponsible.
Pandering to his voter base, rather than pursuing positive action to reduce greenhouse gases, does all of us a huge disservice. We should all expect better from our elected officials.
Jonathan O’Mara, Whitby
It's a sorry gawdamned mess, Lorne. From what I read, people like Rickford often understand and accept the science but reject it for immediate partisan advantage.
ReplyDeleteEvery day under this regime is a black eye for the citizens of Ontario, Mound. But, the voters made their choice and must bear the consequences and the derision that comes with it.
Delete.. in my view - 'things flow into a vacuum' .. and 'water seeks its own level' - Doug Ford was the beneficiary of a 'perfect storm', or in real terms, was active politically, had 'name recognition' or enough myth.. and most important, Patrick Brown imploded, just as Kathleen Wynne's Liberal ship was sinking. The NDP were lost in the bewilderness. Doug Ford benefited from the 'vote the Party' electoral phenomena and the reality there seems to be a built in percentage simply vote Conservative, Liberal or NDP. As one pundit put it 'The Conservatives could have run an empty chair and won'.
ReplyDeleteOK.. on to an appointed Minister of Energy, Mines, Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs in a majority Empty Chair government.. Greg Rickford. His background in Kenora - Rainy River is nursing, has two diplomas, but also degreed in common & civil law, was elevated from back bench status by Stephen Harper as an MP (seems he was elected when the Liberal incumbent did not run & defeated when the former incumbent returned to politics)
We all know Harper's stance on resource extraction.. petroleum superpower, fueled by Bitumen, environment got lip service, species and their habitat ? Harper destroyed protective legislation re inland waters, muzzled environmental science, biology & research
So Rickford.. appears to be a solid Reformer trooper, an obvious pick for a below mediocre city councilman who won the soon to be vacant Premier of Ontario lottery. Perhaps Charles McVety concurred during basement sessions in Ford's basement rec room, or Pope Harper 'suggested' it was a good reward for a solid & stolid trooper. There seems zero concern re Grassy Narrows mercury poisoning, and Trudeau is doing a great job fumbling that 'promise' of a medical support unit for the poisoned. The 'remediation' is gaseous hot air as usual, thus the slow constant mercury seepage into the river system continues as 'world class failure' for all the world to see..
What drives Rickford or his boss Ford to rely on & quote climate warming deniers is a mystery. But this observer suspects it has to do with Mound's perspective.. plus the resource extraction uber alles mindset of captured governments.
Never mind.. the Rapture cometh.. mankind & a few women hold dominion over the earth and all its creatures.. gawd is good.. He's up there, our invisible friend, above the clouds & chatting with his wealth manager, reviewing his holy resource portfolio.. Lo.. and on his right wing.. well hell, aint that the late saint Jim Flaherty smiling down on Dr Kellie 'asbestos queen' Leitch & his great buddy Doug Ford
Our poisoned politics has clearly paved the way for the outrages currently on display, Sal. One hopes that in the heavenly realm, things will get sorted out, as the prospects for earthly salvation seem increasingly remote.
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