WILMOT PRIORITIZES ENVIRONMENT IN JUNE ELECTION

In 2021, Wilmot Township committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 50 per cent by 2030.

With the provincial election only a few weeks away, citizen groups in the township shared their thoughts about how who they vote for will impact the environmental issues they're concerned about.

Kevin Thomason from Grand River Environmental Network said there's a climate crisis that needs all kinds of action.

He said issues like expanding the Greenbelt and protecting the community's farmland are important to him.

On April 30, protesters, including members of local community grassroots groups, rallied during the grand opening of incumbent

MPP Mike Harris' new campaign office to express concerns about the environment, health care and aggregates.

"We wanted to express our serious concerns about the Conservative government's track record of destroying our environmental protections and ignoring climate change," said Thomason in a media release.

Thomason later told the New Hamburg Independent that it was unfortunate that they had to go to the extent of protesting to have their voices heard.

Over the past months, Wilmot township residents have delegated at council meetings and succeeded in getting Cachet Homes' minister's zoning order application withdrawn, and had council disapprove the Hallman Gravel Pit application.

Thomason said citizens must collaborate to ensure they vote in the government that will "represent the people and provide the solutions that we and our children are going to need in the future also."

Speaking on affordable housing, Thomason said there needs to be intensification. "No one really wants to live in a farm field out in the middle of nowhere where they have to get their car and drive everywhere. But too often, that's the only housing choice we've offered anyone."

Citizens for Safe Ground Water's Rory Farnan said many people don't consider the environment a priority

during elections.

"I'm going to be spending some time going over the various platforms that each of the candidates have," he said. "I'm going to be voting on who has the strongest policy around aggregate reform and what their position is on the Hallman Pit."

The most important issue for his group is concerning aggregates.

"Why is it that we continue to create more gravel pits in sensitive environmental areas when there are existing gravel pits that aren't operating at the capacity that they could be?" Farnan asked.

"I hope the candidates between now and election day will be clear in terms of what their positions are when it comes to these," he added.

Stephanie Goertz from Nith Valley EcoBoosters said the environmental issues important to her are food security, good drinking water, ecological health, protecting farmland, urban sprawl and increasing the number of wetlands.

She said the public needs to become more aware of how its choices impact the environment.

Goertz thinks that politicians need to listen to the voices in their community regardless of their party's beliefs.

She said residents are feeling unheard.

Keith Brooks, programs director at Environmental Defence, said Ontario should be doing more around climate change. "And right now, the province is not on track."

"There's a lot of environmental policies that are controlled by the provincial government," said Brooks. "And so, whichever party is in power at Queen's Park is going to have an impact on the environment in Ontario."

He advised people to educate themselves and vote during the upcoming elections.

"It's an important election. And the decisions that are going to be made in the next few years are going to have impacts on this province for decades to come."

Goertz agrees. "This is absolutely not the time to just pass it on to the next year, next generation. We have no more time."

For details about party platforms concerning the environment, visit http:// www.greenprosperity.ca/ election/ and votewell.ca.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With the provincial elections only a few weeks away, New Hamburg Independent wanted to find out from Wilmot township's constituents about how who they vote for will impact the environmental issues they're concerned about.