THUNDER BAY -- The North thinks it has a way to help the province when it comes to dealing with climate change.
On Thursday the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association heard from Karen Clark, director of climate change at the Ministry of the Environment.
She spoke to the crowd of regional municipal leaders, in Thunder Bay for the NOMA regional conference, about how so far the government's plan to cut carbon emissions, including cap and trade, has to do with Southern Ontario now that the region's generating stations are no longer burning coal. Things like regional transit and making a push for more electric cars might not necessarily work as policy in the North she said.
"The reality check is, we're way ahead of them," NOMA president Dave Canfield said about the North's plans to adapt to climate change, like Thunder Bay's proposed strategy, and ideas for how to help.
He hopes the province listens to leaders in Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario as they argue for the forestry industry to start cutting more old growth in the boreal forest to make way for new trees. Canfield said a tree sequesters carbon the best and gives off the most oxygen between 20 and 80 years of age. Anything beyond that will be claimed by nature. The province should see an economic opportunity and a way to combat climate change.
"That tree will either burn, blow down or the bugs will get it," Canfield said.
"There's an opportunity here. Not only an economic opportunity but a huge opportunity for climate change."
Clark said listening to ideas like that is why she came to Thunder Bay.
"The answer always is 'let's talk'," she said.
The province is looking for creative ways from all over Ontario on how to address climate change. While there will be short-term goals, the policy is going to be long-term, looking all the way ahead to 2050.
