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Ontario New Democratic Party climate plan aims to create 1M jobs, boost economy by $1B

New Democrats say they hope to release the finished plan sometime in the new year. Jaclyn Carbone/980 CFPL

Ontario New Democrats are introducing a plan to fight the climate crisis.

The plan aims to create a million jobs, and more than $1 billion in economic activity.

“Our solution is called the ‘Green New Democratic Deal’,” said NDP environment critic Ian Arthur outside the Delta London Armouries Hotel Thursday afternoon.

Arthur says the NDP’s plan encompasses three distinct areas.

“First, we’ll ensure that everyone has the opportunity to train for and succeed in the jobs that we are going to [create].”

The second promise, he said, is to leave “no communities behind,” and the third is to “work closely with each industry and trade to transition to a net-zero economy.”

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New Democrats say they hope to release the finished plan sometime in the new year.

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Meanwhile, Arthur says the team has already completed work on the largest retrofitting program in Ontario.

“[Our] goal [is to] retrofit every publicly-owned building in Ontario,” Arthur said.
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“[It’s] going to reduce emissions the most per dollar with the retrofit program.”
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NDP MPPs Catherine Fife of Waterloo and Jennie Stevens of St. Catherines attended the conference with Arthur, and said under the Ford government, London is in need of an environmental strategy.

The NDP unveiled the plan just days after it was learned that under the Ford government, Ontario spent more than $23 billion last year to tear up over 750 renewable energy contracts.

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— With files from 980 CFPL’s Jaclyn Carbone

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