Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner brought his Clean and Caring Economy Tour to Peterborough on Thursday.
Schreiner spoke with Global News Peterborough prior to visiting the future site of Cleantech Commons at Trent University and holding a meet-and-greet with federal Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party candidate Brock Grills and supporters.
Peterborough is among 15 cities featured on the tour, which started Wednesday in Oshawa.
“The tour is really acknowledging what everyone knows: that we’re facing a climate emergency and we need to act,” he said.
Schreiner says investments need to be made to embrace a clean economy, which he says is the fastest-growing sector of the global economy, focusing on areas such as building mass transit, renovating homes and buildings and boosting green tech and infrastructure.
Schreiner also mentioned his visit to Ontario Tech University in Oshawa and discussed the closure of the General Motors assembly plant, saying the province should be leading the way for electric vehicles (EV).
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“Are we going to be a global leader in this EV revolution, or are we going to lose jobs to it?” he asked.
Schreiner, who became the first Green Party candidate to win a seat in an Ontario election in June 2018, said his message to Peterborough residents is simple.
“The biggest message is we can create jobs and leave a livable future for our children if we embrace a fast-growing clean economy,” he said.