Peterborough’s Environment debate took place on Thursday, May 12, at Trent University. The event was organized by local youth activists in conjunction with For Our Grandchildren, GreenUp, Kawartha World Issues Centre and the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association and was by broadcast live on YouTube to over 220 viewers. The recording can be viewed here. When I looked it had already been viewed 356 times.
Candidates from parties who had won a seat in the last election were invited and accepted, but the incumbent Conservative MPP was unable to attend because of a family emergency.
Here are some memorable quotes from the debate:
- Dempsey: “The biggest challenge to climate action is the Doug Ford government.”
- Gibson: “The biggest challenge is the lack of meaningful policies to increase density of housing and development.”
- Deck: “We need to do both. We need to work towards eliminating emissions but we also have people who need help right now.”
All candidates present promised that if elected their party would reverse many of the measures that the Conservative party implemented that make climate action more difficult.
4RG has prepared this summary comparison of the party platforms to help you decide how to vote on June 2.
You can see coverage of the debate in the Peterborough Examiner at this link.
My best wishes go to the incumbent Conservative MPP who was unable to attend. I hope that his family emergency is resolved.