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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 26 ,2 02 2 | 30 NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN It's in your hands. The Readers' Choice Awards were created for you to tell us which local businesses and service providers are the best at what they do! Once the nom- inations close, the nominees will be shortlisted and you will have another chance to vote for your favourite. NOMINATE TODAY to help make your favourite local business become a Readers' Choice Nominee. insidehalton.com Many Ontarians are fo- cused on the cost of living now, and that's under- standable. But when you cast your ballot in the June 2 provin- cial election, please re- member that our very lives -- and the lives of our chil- dren -- depend on a healthy planet. The David Suzuki Foun- dation hopes that when you vote, you'll keep the cli- mate crisis and protection of nature top of mind. There are some issues to consider as you begin thinking about which can- didate you want to support. Protecting green space. Here in southern Ontario we're blessed with the Greenbelt, an extraordi- nary landscape of farms, rivers and forests abutting one of Canada's most densely populated regions. If you've spent time walk- ing its trails, as I have, you know how marvelous it is. Its trees capture carbon and help us tackle the cli- mate crisis; its cool streams provide habitat for fish and wildlife; its farm- lands grow succulent fruit. But our Greenbelt is under threat because the Ontario government is planning to pave part of it with High- way 413 and the Bradford Bypass. These unnecessary highways will waste bil- lions of dollars and make congestion worse: new roads inevitably mean more cars and driving. If you're concerned about our Greenbelt, it's crucial that you vote on June 2. Renewable energy. Sci- entists urge us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and shift to alternatives such as solar and wind power. These energy sources -- abundant in many parts of Ontario -- don't create carbon pollu- tion but they do create lo- cal employment. A few years back, the province's renewables sector was starting to take off and in- vestor confidence was high. But in 2018 the Onta- rio government cancelled more than 750 renewable energy contracts, saddling Ontarians with more than $230 million in cancellation costs. If you're concerned about this loss of jobs and emissions-free power, it's crucial that you vote on June 2. Protecting species at risk. The animals and plants that live in Ontario enrich our lives with their beauty and song and have intrinsic worth quite apart from the joy they bring hu- man beings. But more than 230 species in the province are now at risk of disap- pearing. Threatened creatures include Blanding's turtle -- with its brilliant yellow chin -- and the bobolink, a magnificent bird that can fly as far as 1,800 kilo- metres in a day. You'd think the Ontario government would do all it could to save at-risk spe- cies while it still can. But the province's record in this area is poor. In a recent report, Ontario's auditor general wrote, "Our audit found that the Environ- ment Ministry is failing in its mandate to protect spe- cies at risk." If you're concerned about losing some of our animal friends forever, it's crucial that you vote on June 2. We know Ontarians feel strongly about these is- sues. A recent EKOS poll found 85 per cent of us agree the province should do more to protect forests and wildlife. (Interestingly, in the 905 region the figure climbs to 87 per cent!) But the challenge is electing politicians who will respect our wishes and make laws that actually preserve nature and re- duce emissions. It's something to think about as you decide which candidate gets your vote. Gideon Forman is a climate change policy ana- lyst at the David Suzuki Foundation. THIS ELECTION, VOTE WITH CLIMATE AND NATURE IN MIND OPINION OUR LIVES, AND THOSE OF OUR CHILDREN, DEPEND ON A HEALTHY PLANET, WRITES GIDEON FORMAN GIDEON FORMANColumn SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM