Dear Community,
Late last month, the provincial government, quietly and with no alarm, dropped the climate change impact assessment report, which can be read in full HERE. The results are nothing short of GRIM.
In the very near future, Ontarians will have a harder time growing food because of "declining productivity, crop failure, and livestock fatalities"; businesses will face increased climate-related risks; Ontarians will experience 55 to 60 extreme heat days per year - a nearly fourfold increase. The impact that climate change will have on every facet of our lives is STAGGERING.
Unfortunately, the Ford government doesn't seem phased. Why? Perhaps because of their own duplicitous complicity!
Consider Ford's track record when it comes to climate:
- Cancellation of cap-and-trade climate plan, which aimed to lower greenhouse gas emissions by putting caps on the amount of pollution companies could emit.
- Cancellation of green incentive programs, which included ending contracts for solar and wind energy projects.
- Weakening conservation authorities, particularly in the management of water and land resources.
- Rollbacks in environmental regulations, including those related to water quality, land conservation, and endangered species protection.
- Slashed funding for Indigenous conservation efforts, including the elimination of about 70 per cent of provincial funding for the Anishinabek/Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre.
- Strident refusals to protect the Greenbelt, putting a great number of species and protected waters at risk.
The list is seemingly endless - I could go on and on about the sundry ways this government continues to fail the planet, and Ford's profound lack of urgency to the very real climate catastrophe.
If you care about the future of our planet, the availability of housing, the accessibility of food, your health, I hope you'll write to Premier Ford and let him know you won't stand idly by while his government twiddles their thumbs, watching our province and our planet burn.
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The legislature is set to resume on September 25 and after one of the most damning summer's Ontario politics has ever seen, it's sure to be a start like none other. |
Notably, this day also falls on Yom Kippur, meaning the Jewish community aren't able to attend this important action as they observe this holy day. As such, our own community's Rabbi Shalom Schachter has seen that the Ontario Health Coaltion will also host a second rally on Queen's Park front lawn the following day (September 26 at noon) in order for Jewish Ontarians to participate. Thank you, Rabbi for ensuring that this call to action is inclusive of Jewish voices.
Yom Kippur is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. It is a day spent in self reflection and prayer on how we can live more respectful and caring lives. We abstain from acts of pleasure and dominance over one another and nature. Each of us accepts as an individual our collective responsibility for the wellbeing of everyone in society and for the planet. We have a responsibility to protect the work of Creation for future generations. We have a duty to ensure that everyone has the basic services to live a respectful life.
In our prayer titled Unetaneh Tokef we recognize that not everyone will survive the year. We recite; Mi Yichyeh u'Mi Yamut - who will live and who will die; Mi va'Ra'av u'Mi Va"tzama - who will die from hunger and who will die from thirst; Mi Yishaleiv u'Mi Yityasar - who will have access to all they need and who will be deprived.
The prayer ends with a recognition that our future is not cast in stone, that we have the ability to change our destiny and that deeds of social justice can provide relief.
During the Yamim Nora'im the Days of Awe consisting of the time period from Rosh Hashana the Jewish New Year to Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement, we recall that all humanity is created in the Divine Image and that our collective actions have consequences. Every person deserves access to basic public services whether to food, shelter, education or health care.
The public rallies outside Queen's Park have been organized because the current provincial government is seeking to privatize much of health care. We know that privatization of health care reduces the quality and quantity of health care. Private provision of health care is more expensive and therefore reduces the capacity of the provincial government to finance other basic services such as food, accommodation and education.
The annual opening of the Legislature is a day when ordinary citizens have the ability to meet outside Queen's Park to express their views on the priorities of the government. It is an essential element of the democratic process. This Government has chosen to move the date of the opening of the Legislature to Yom Kippur, which will deprive observant members of the Jewish community of the opportunity to participate in this vital democratic event. Out of respect for our community the Ontario Health Coalition is organizing a second rally on September 26, the day after Yom Kippur, to enable Jews who spend Yom Kippur in synagogue to come to Queen's Park to express their views to the Government. Members of other faith communities will attend in solidarity as well as members of the Legislative Assembly.
If you care about the future of health care please make plans to be at Queen's Park on September 26.
Doing their part to tackle growing food insecurity in our community & beyond, Frankel Lambert Outreach Committee's (FLOC) food table at Marian Engel Park is back this Saturday.
Whether you've got donations to spare or need some extra groceries to get you through the week, come on down between 11AM to 1PM to take what you need and leave what you don't. No questions asked!
Each year across Ontario, thousands of lives are lost to overdoses. We need every level of government to prioritize implementing harm reduction strategies to combat these senseless deaths, and you can help.
As many of you know, Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, and these kits are FREE with training at participating pharmacies across the city. Together, we can prevent unnecessary deaths and work toward a more compassionate society that is safe safe for everyone.
Find a pharmacy with Naloxone kits near you, and make sure you can recognize the signs of an overdose.
In Solidarity,
Jill Andrew
Toronto-St. Paul's
