Dear Premier Ford,

Hoping to avoid any misunderstanding between us, I will use your vernacular and COVID terminology to discuss the climate crisis with you. I am hoping that by using a communication style you have created, my message will be clear to you.

WE ARE IN THE RED ZONE!!!! 

What would I say when my provincial government removes oversight of the environment in favour of development and sneaks it into an omnibus bill? I’d say “you guys wanna go out there acting like a bunch of yahoos?”

How do I feel when my provincial government ignores a call-out by numerous climate experts to stop the attack on nature? I feel much like you felt when Ontarians were partying during COVID or not wearing masks, and I too would say “Guys, give your heads a shake!”

What would I say when my provincial government wastes my taxes to fight our federal government’s policy: a policy created to move us away from fossil fuels and toward forward-thinking energy investments through a tax on pollution.  I’d say the same thing you did “… there’s a few people out there that don’t want to follow the rules and think we’re out of this; we aren’t out of this.” And “They’re hurting their family members, they’re hurting all the great people pulling in the same direction."

How do I feel when my premier misleads the public by failing to tell them that they will get rebates from the federal government as part of the plan to solve the climate crisis? Much like you were quoted this past week, “I’ve never, ever, ever been more disappointed….”

This time it is you, Premier Ford. Not the anti-maskers, and not the partiers. Your government’s policies are reckless with our environment and moving us in the wrong direction. We will never get out of the RED ZONE if you keep this up.

You are moving Ontario, and Canada along with it, into the GREY ZONE!!!! A precarious zone that makes dealing with the climate crisis exponentially more difficult. When Ontario misses opportunities to deal with the climate, and leaders do not heed expert advice for protecting our natural environment, we risk creating irreversible damage.

Nature is our protective mask. We need to distance from carbon producing energy sources.  

Therefore, I beg you. Do your part to move us into the climate GREEN ZONE!