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Platform 2007 Meeting Our Green Obligations The Green Party of Ontario Platform 2007 www.gpo.ca www.gpo.ca Contact Us! Visit our offi ce: 1484 Dundas St. West, Toronto (Corner of Dufferin and Dundas) TTC accessible by Dundas streetcar and Dufferin (29) bus connecting from Dufferin station on the Bloor line. By email: [email protected] Telephone and fax: Phone: 416-977-7476 Toll free: 1-888 647-3366 Fax: 416-977-5476 Media enquiries: Anouk Hoedeman, Media Relations [email protected] 613-236-7772 By mail: PO Box 50014 224 Queen St W. Toronto, ON M5V 1Z6 Authorized by the CFO for The Green Party of Ontario ©2007 Green Party of Ontario Stop Climate Change Achieve at least a 6% reduction in emissions below 1990 levels by 2010 to help meet Canada’s Kyoto obligations and 80% by 2050. Energy Self-suffi ciency The GPO’s target for 2020 is to reduce our peak energy usage by 50% per capita or lower it to 60% of projected consumption. Better Education Merging the Roman Catholic and public school boards to eliminate duplication, save $500 million and improve quality of education. Local Sustainability Work where we live, buy local goods, and support public transit and low- impact solutions to strengthen communities. Real Issues. Real Answers. Be Real. Vote Green. The Green Party of Ontario Platform 2007 1 Guide to Green Ontario in 2007 We can build a sustainable economy . 5 Ecological Fiscal Reform. 5 Green Jobs for a Sustainable Economy. 7 Northern Development. 8 We can grow more responsibly. 11 Energy . 11 Environmental Health. 15 Agriculture . 17 Forests . 18 We can build safe and sustainable cities . 21 Green Space, Land Use and Urban Planning. 21 Waste Reduction and Management . .22 Transportation . 23 Safe Communities . 25 We can build value into health and education. 27 Education . 27 Healthy Communities . 28 We can build equity into our social and political systems . 31 Democratic Renewal . 31 Social . 32 2 The Green Party of Ontario Platform 2007 Contents Meeting our Green Obligations Introduction In a green and sustainable Ontario, the interdependent health of society, environment and economy is our measure of success. Growth is balanced with the impera- Ontario is where it is today because tive of fi nite resources. Ontario is the mainstream parties are more more than a source of profi ts; it interested in power than in responsi- belongs to the people of this prov- bility. ince. This is our home. It is where we When the Green Party says it is time live, work and raise families. for change, we mean that it is time for The Green Party of Ontario believes this province to change fundamentally that social, economic and environ- the way it does business. mental policy should: We support the right of all taxpayers ■ create a green and sustainable to get all the information about an living for the people of Ontario issue, to be involved in its resolu- tion through citizens’ assemblies, to ■ contribute to the planet’s greater receive incentives for doing the right good thing and to know when they’re doing ■ establish the foundation for a the wrong thing. green and sustainable future. Is this about power? In a way, yes. It is about people Our platform seeks to do so not by spending more having the power to take responsibility for our province’s money, but by shifting priorities to achieve sustainable future. results. It’s time to get real. It’s time to put Green Party repre- The need to do so is urgent. The time to act is now. sentatives in the legislature to speak for you about true When other parties say that it’s time for change, they change and responsibility. mean that it’s their turn to be in power and do what they usually do. Frank de Jong, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario Introduction The Green Party of Ontario Platform 2007 3 4 The Green Party of Ontario Platform 2007 We can build a sustainable economy We can build a sustainable economy Green economics is about people, planet and prosperity. The Green Party of Ontario’s economic objectives are about enriching our society, economy and ecology. The three old parties suggest it is justice and preserving the health of acceptable to trade off environmental communities. This is the only logical and social well being for a prosperous way to measure development. economy. They want you to believe there is no other option. The GPO Tax Shifting: Pay for what you rejects this myth. Time after time, burn, not for what you earn retooling for social and environ- The Green Party of Ontario’s mental responsibility has reaped economic plan proposes to shift the economic rewards. In the emerging income tax burden gradually from green economy, we will discover labour, business activities and farm- that addressing critical issues such as ing to resource use related to water, climate change will create many new energy and aggregates. We will do so opportunities. gradually without impeding economic development or employment. The GPO has a practical economic plan to create a prosperous and The Green tax plan rewards busi- sustainable economy by encouraging nesses and individuals for making innovation, effi ciency and competitiveness. Government good environmental decisions and discourages harmful policies currently encourage ineffi cient and wasteful eco- decisions by making people pay for what they use. By nomic activity. This hinders prosperity and is bad for the imposing taxes early in the production process, the GPO planet. Greens believe that the best strategy for a vibrant will encourage innovation, effi ciency and alternatives. economy is to encourage green production, create green Taxes on resources infl uence the sourcing of raw materi- jobs and open opportunities for sustainable practices. als, the energy used to extract them, the manufacturing and distribution chain, and the amount of energy used by Ecological Fiscal Reform the fi nal product. This will allow green and responsible The cornerstone of the Green Party of Ontario’s companies to profi t over irresponsible companies. economic plan is a balance of market-based solutions, By the end of the next four-year term, the GPO’s tax plan regulations, environmental taxes and a tax-shift away will have shifted approximately $7.9 billion dollars from from personal and business income onto environmentally productive activity onto environmentally detrimental harmful goods, services and activities. activities and resource use. Our four-year green tax shift Ecological fi scal reform addresses lifecycle costs of plan is a bold and important fi rst step in the fi ght against production, distribution and disposal. Independent from climate change and protecting our environment, while special interests, GPO policies protect the planet while supporting a vibrant economy. developing meaningful employment, ensuring social We can build a sustainable economy The Green Party of Ontario Platform 2007 5 ■ Increase the annual aggregate (sand and gravel) To achieve these goals, the Green Party licence and wayside permit tonnage rate from of Ontario will: $0.115 to $1 per tonne in 2008, with a $1 per tonne per year increase for three years ($4 per tonne by ■ Reduce personal taxes by $3.5 billion over the 2011), capped until 2015 then indexed to infl ation, next four years by phasing out the Ontario and increase the royalty fees (for aggregate extraction Health Premium Tax in a fi scally responsible man- on Crown land) from $0.50 to $1 per tonne. Under ner through a revenue-neutral green tax shift. the GPO plan, fees paid to municipalities and other The phase out of the $2.6 billion Ontario Health programs will remain unchanged. The estimated Premium Tax, which is a tax on jobs, will be achieved year one revenue increase is $154 million. The total by raising exemption levels. In four years, everyone four-year revenue is estimated at $1.66 billion, which with income under $100,000 will be exempt. The tax can be used to reduce taxes on jobs and profi ts and will be fully phased out as revenue from carbon and encourage conservation and recycling of aggregates. resource taxes increase. ■ Implement an immediate tax on permits for ■ Reduce personal income taxes by $2.3 billion water taking of $100 per million litres, with an an- over four years by gradually raising the personal nual increase of $100 per million litres over four years tax exemption to $11,000. Raising the personal tax ($400 per million litres by 2011). This tax will value exemption will benefi t all wage earners, particularly and encourage conservation of one of Ontario’s most low-income earners, and will be increased on a rev- precious resources, while generating approximately enue-neutral basis with the establishment of carbon and $1.8 billion over four years to be used to reduce taxes resource taxes. When fully phased in, this tax reduction on jobs, profi ts and to encourage the diversifi cation will save Ontarians about $1 billion per year. of Ontario’s economy. Usage for agriculture will be ■ Reduce corporate income taxes by $1 billion over exempted. four years through a revenue-neutral green tax ■ Establish a sustainable business development shift. By shifting taxes from profi ts onto resource use, program for northern and rural communities by the green tax shift will reward successful companies investing $1 billion over four years to encourage that produce clean, green products and services. green business investment and job creation. As the ■ Apply an immediate 2% carbon tax on oil, natural tax system shifts towards one that supports a green gas and coal imported or extracted for use in the economy, northern and rural areas will likely face province, to be increased 2% annually every year disproportionate challenges that can be turned into for the next three years to 8% total tax in four years.
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