The Ontario government plans to repeal a key section of provincial law that requires it to set and update greenhouse gas reduction targets – a move that could undermine a youth-led constitutional challenge of its climate plan.
The Canadian Press reports that the change, outlined in the province’s fall economic statement, would eliminate parts of the 2018 Cap and Trade Cancellation Act that compel the government to establish emissions targets, prepare a climate plan, and issue progress reports.
The 2018 law has been central to a court case led by a group of young Ontarians who argue the province’s weak climate plan endangers their future and violates their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Ontario’s Court of Appeal ruled last year that the law created a legal obligation for the province to fight climate change, and a new hearing is scheduled for December.
A spokesperson for Environment Minister Todd McCarthy, Alexandru Cioban, said the province will continue to make “critical investments” in areas like transit expansion, energy efficiency, and nuclear power, but did not address why the legal requirement was being repealed.
The move comes after an auditor general’s report found Ontario was falling even further behind on its emissions targets and had not released an updated climate progress report since 2021. The report also found a 2022 update on the province’s website simply repeated the previous year’s data.
Minister McCarthy has said targets are “not as important as results,” insisting the province remains committed to achieving its 2030 goals.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
