Here are a couple of actions we can all take without breaking our social distancing quarantine. You can sign a petition requesting more transparent payment of the Carbon dividend and; you can send a letter to the Ontario Government to protest the suspension of our Environmental Bill of Rights under cover of the Covid-19 crisis.

For ideas about what else you might do, check this page on the 4RG web site to see examples of recent letters to the editor from 4RG members. Then write one yourself. 

Petition on Carbon Tax Transparency 

I recently received this email from James Hansen in which he congratulates Canada for providing a good example to the rest of the world by placing a price on carbon. But he also points out the weakness of our method of paying the dividend through the tax system where most people do not even notice it. He refers to this official Canadian government petition that calls for a direct payment through a cheque or direct deposit.

This change would increase public awareness of the facts and acceptance of Canada's carbon pricing program. Increased awareness would make it harder for opponents to spread the lie that the carbon price is just a tax grab not acknowledging the reality that all Canadians are receiving a payment that exceeds increased costs for all but the wealthiest 20% of citizens.

Please sign the petition: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2542

Letter to Ontario Government

The Ontario government has suspended the Environmental Bill of Rights under the pretext of the need to act quickly to handle the COVID-19 emergency. This is not surprising given the Conservative government's recent track record for trashing or ignoring regulations that they refer to as "red tape."

Previous environmental commissioners Gord Miller and Dianne Saxe both express pride in this powerful legislation that helps protect our natural environment by requiring public consultation on matters that could damage our water, air, land, and wildlife. The EBR already contains provisions that could allow for actions directly related to addressing the pandemic. This suspension could allow unrelated projects to be pushed through without environmental scrutiny.

Many of us are finding new appreciation for nature, clean water, and fresh air while we are social-distancing. Will we emerge from this crisis more determined to protect these values only to find our environmental democracy in tatters?

I urge you to write a letter to express your concerns to your MPP as well as the Premier and the current Minister of the Environment.