Despite the fact that they didn’t win a seat at Queen’s Park, the Green party of Ontario was in high spirits at their election night celebration at Veritas, a King Street lounge. The Greens were motivated by their increase in the popular vote – which has tripled to over eight percent – and the strong second place finish by Green candidate Shane Jolley in the riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. “It took the Green party 20 years to become an overnight success,” said party leader Frank de Jong, as supporters with green scarves munched on local food. “Now we ...

David Johnston is the Green party candidate for Mississauga South. Spacing: So I’ve asked a few NDP candidates about the similarities between your two parties… DJ: …they’re the only ones that are coming after me (laughs). They may be a little bit threatened. The Green party of Ontario is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the coming year, but we’ve been ahead of the curve. We’ve been thinking about these issues a lot longer than the other parties. Spacing: And the other parties are just catching up? DJ: Or stealing our ideas. They’re welcome to them. Spacing: ...

Kevin Flynn is the incumbent for the riding of Oakville and the parliamentary assistant to the minister of energy. Spacing: Why did the Liberals break their promises to close the coal plants? Kevin Flynn: When we moved into office, it certainly was our intent to move as quickly as we could on coal. We thought that the plans for the nuclear placements for the energy were much further along. We inherited a mess, basically…when we found out the structure of the electrical system that we were inheriting, we realized it was much worse than what the Tories ...

Peter Tabuns is the environment critic for the NDP and the incumbent for the riding of Toronto-Danforth. Spacing: We’re just days away from the provincial election. Any predictions? Peter Tabuns: (Laughs) I’m not gonna make any predictions. I’ve been in too many to be able to predict what’s going to happen…so I’m not going to even try. Spacing: What are you most proud of when it comes to the NDP’s policies around the environment? PT: I would say our climate plan and our electricity plan are outside what the other parties are doing. We actually put forward the climate change act within the last six months that would have committed Ontario to meeting its share of Kyoto by 2012, with a further 25 percent reduction on emissions over 1990 by 2020. And, I thought, for a major party in the legislature to take that position was a wonderful thing, to tell you the truth. And the commitment to an energy system – an electricity system in Ontario that’s centered on conservation and efficiency – is also a key development for a major political party in this province. Spacing: Can conservation and renewable power really eliminate the need for coal and nuclear? Is your plan realistic, or are we risking blackouts? PT: I think a plan that’s centered on conservation and efficiency, with a large investment in renewable, does give us the opportunity to shut down the coal, and not go down the nuclear path again, as we did in the last century. I think it is realistic. And I think that the Renewable is Doable report that was put out by Pembina and WWF shows that the numbers add up, that this is entirely a feasible and workable approach for energy in this province. Spacing: How are you fighting climate change in your everyday life? PT: (Laughs) Well, I use transit a lot. I live a relatively modest lifestyle. I don’t own a car. When I need a car for vacations, I rent one. My partner owns a car, which is a Prius. But I really just don’t need a car an awful lot in what I do. We also have a high-efficiency gas furnace in our home. Spacing: Why do we need a Community Right-to-Know policy in our province? PT: If we’re going to get toxic chemicals out of everyday products, we need Community Right-to-Know. If we’re going to give communities the power to deal with local toxic emitters, they need to know what’s coming out of those facilities. If we’re going to give firefighters the information they need, when they go to a fire, so that they can properly prepare themselves…for all of those reasons, we need Community Right-to-Know in Ontario. Spacing: Why was the idea shut down by the Liberals in the past? PT: I think you’d have to ask them their detailed reasons. I just don’t think they’re fundamentally committed to dealing with environmental issues. Spacing: If I’m an environmentally-minded voter, why would I vote NDP instead of Green? PT: We’ve put out the best plan on climate change. The one that goes through each policy step, piece-by-piece, with megatonne targets for reduction and cost, which is a much more detailed plan than what I’ve seen from the Greens. I would say that their focus on market measures, as opposed to regulatory, is not going to be adequate for the task at hand. I would say that the time that we have to actually come to grips with climate change and stop the recommitment to nuclear power is very short, and the Green Party is not in a position politically to actually deliver the goods in this election. And I would say we’re in a much better position that way.

Bruce Cox is the executive director of Greenpeace Canada. He spoke to Spacing from his cell phone in a Montreal train station. Spacing: We’re getting pretty close to the provincial election. What’s the biggest environmental issue on the table? Bruce Cox: I would say probably the energy policy…Ontario has a 25-year electricity plan in front of it, (and it) calls for massive investment in nuclear power. We are of the mind that nuclear power actually will kill any chance on Kyoto…because, basically, nuclear relies on coal. It is so unreliable. This past summer, ...

  John Yakabuski is the energy critic for the Progressive Conservatives and the incumbent for the riding of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke. Spacing: Why do you think the PC energy policy is more effective than the Liberal energy policy? John Yakabuski: Well, for starters it’s predicated on an honest approach to energy issues in the province of Ontario. It’s not coming from the point of misrepresentation and falsehood. There’s was, though, when they got elected, promising to shut down coal plants in 2007. (There was) no possible hope of that being the reality, yet they went ahead ...

Frank de Jong is the leader of the Green Party of Ontario and a candidate in the riding of Davenport. Spacing: Do you think your omission from the leaders’ debate shows a disinterest in the environment from voters and the province? Frank de Jong: I think it shows our dysfunctional electoral system, and I think we need to encourage everyone to vote MMP, Mixed Member Proportional, to make our electoral system more favourable to minority opinions. The Green Party is going to start electing people now, but there are other parties that are going to come behind us. It ...

Shaila Kibria is the NDP candidate for Mississauga-Erindale. Spacing: What are some of the environment-related issues occurring in your riding and in your city? Shaila Kibria: Well, definitely the fact that we need to get back to our roots and fix retrofits for homes…you start saving money right there, and start saving energy right there. We’re actually offering Mississauga residents an amount of money so that they can retrofit their homes for energy-saving mechanisms. Number two is…providing the solar energy-saving light bulbs in homes from now on, so whenever new homes are built, that’s the kind that will be ...

Gord Perks is a Toronto city councillor for Ward 14 (Parkdale-High Park). He currently sits on the board of directors for the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, and serves as a vice-chair of Toronto’s Parks and Environment Committee. Spacing talked with the councillor to see how local environment issues will play out during provincial election. Spacing: Speaking in terms of the environment, what are you most concerned about with the provincial election looming? Gord Perks: I think there’s been a sea change in public attitudes on environmental issues in the last few years, and I ...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9urIsyoWEa4[/youtube] It’s the kind of Saturday in autumn where you wear a jacket, even though you’re covered in sweat when the sun comes out. Members of the Toronto Green Team, a local environmental group, stand along the Danforth as they hand out pamphlets and strike up conversations. Sunil Angrish sips a hot liquid from a thermos, Kathryn Wrong wraps a long scarf around her neck, and Rupert Price rolls down his sleeves as he tries to tell people about the possibility of a clean energy future. This is what these people do on weekends. As the provincial election approaches the Green Team is helping out with the Vote for Clean Energy campaign, something we’ve mentioned before on Spacing Votes. The campaign, created by a coalition of five environmental groups, encourages the province to start phasing out coal and nuclear power. The coalition is also promoting Renewable is Doable, a new plan for Ontario’s energy future that is based on three pillars: stopping energy waste by Ontario’s households and businesses, tapping into the province’s renewable energy sources, and recycling waste heat and pressure into electricity (also known as cogeneration). Angrish, known as the “blue leader” of the Green Team, tells me about the misconceptions that some people have about the campaign. “We’re not simply saying, ‘turn off the power switch for coal, turn off the power switch for nukes, and let’s start building a bunch of windmills,’ he says. “We understand there is a transition phase. So, we’re asking you to stop investing in nukes, and start phasing it out. Once those generators start breaking down, put them to bed. The same thing with coal – start phasing out coal. “We’re not asking you to protest and tie yourself to a tree,” he continues. “We’re asking you to think for a few minutes about what kind of energy future, what kind of environment you want to live in, and then vote.” As cars honk in the background, Price tells me about the importance of combining numerous environmental groups for one specific goal. It shows the government that the environmental movement is cohesive, he says, and it conveys the message that residents are aware and concerned about their energy sources. “I think it’s a question of letting people know what the options are,” he says. As we stand on the sidewalk, the Green Team receives various responses from people: A woman ignores them by pretending to talk into a cell phone, a man yells at them for blocking the sidewalk, and people shrug off Price’s questions with unintentionally humourous answers: Price: “Interested in a clean environment?” Passerby: “No thanks.” Price: “Do you want a clean energy future?” Passerby: “Not today.” Still, the group’s message seems to reach a number of interested people, like Jennifer Burns, a legal assistant from Toronto. I notice Burns lingering on the sidewalk as she browses through a pamphlet. She says she plans to place a big emphasis on energy and the environment when she votes on October 10th. “It’s the number one issue on everybody’s plate right now,” she says. When I ask her about the level of media coverage around Ontario’s energy plans, we discuss the prominence given to the funding-for-faith-based-schools debate. “It doesn’t matter how many schools you have,” she says, “if our environment is going to hell in a hand basket, then what’s the point?”