Cheap today, pay tomorrow

Editor:

These headlines in another paper in the province this week made me respond to Mr. Arnill’s letter last week about Bill 5:‘I lost everything’: Swiss residents in shock after glacier debris buries village; U.S. Supreme Court approves oil railroad expansion in Utah despite outcry from environmental groups; Death toll rises after floods submerge north-central Nigeria town.

Clearly there are different perspectives about how important it is to protect the future for our kids. Unfortunately, it does appear that most people see environmental concerns as a trade-off to economic concerns. And politicians see that as a simple path to follow, rather than providing the leadership needed to ensure that there is a functioning economy in 20 years. Which requires a functioning ecosystem.

A major concern is that Bill 5 would eliminate the municipal building standards put in place to address the climate emergency. In the interest of streamlining, the province plans to eliminate all but the requirements of the Building Code. Unfortunately, the Code is based on historical conditions, including weather, not the future conditions created by carbon pollution – 40 per cent of which comes from operating buildings, and even more when constructing them is factored in. It takes a very long time to change the Code, so in the interest of “cheap today,” this Bill will create even more cost for future generations stop the damage caused by carbon emissions.

Surely we would not allow asbestos or the refrigerants that blew a hole in the ozone layer to be used again.

Passing this Bill will be just like that, requiring the next generation to pay the costs for health impacts and replacing the polluting systems with solutions that are already available today.

Unfortunately, MPP Saunderson has refused to answer my repeated request to explain his government’s inattention to this concern. Which makes him a “member,” but not the “representative“ I thought we were supposed to have.

Peter Halsall,

Creemore.