Please find full transcript of the speech attached as a PDF and full recording of the speech here: https://youtu.be/xorrCKkJBB8
TORONTO — This afternoon, Ontario Greens leader Mike Schreiner virtually addressed the participants of the 2022 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference. Specializing in the housing crisis which is at a breaking point in lots of rural communities, Schreiner contrasted Doug Ford’s unaffordable urban sprawl agenda with the Ontario Greens’ plan to construct livable and inexpensive communities.
“The road to recovery mustn’t pave over the farmland that feeds us and the wetlands that clean our water and protect us from flooding,” he said. “It’s bad for the environment, people’s health and their wallets. It increases costs for municipalities and makes infrastructure dearer.”
Ontario Greens plan to speculate aggressively in expanding housing affordability inside existing urban boundaries by constructing 100,000 inexpensive rental units and 60,000 everlasting supportive housing spaces.
Schreiner also pledged his commitment to assist rural municipalities cope with the impacts of climate change with a $2 billion-a-year Climate Adaptation Fund.
“Rural communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis,” he said, pointing to examples of climate-induced extreme weather events akin to flooding along the Great Lakes and droughts affecting farmers. “The Ontario Greens are here to be a partner in making your communities safer and more climate resilient.”
Schreiner concluded by highlighting the potential of the green economy. “We are able to create latest careers and higher jobs for rural Ontarians as we make Ontario a cleantech giant within the fastest growing sectors of the worldwide economy,” he said.
“But to make that a reality we want a government that takes the climate crisis seriously and understands the prosperity generated by the green economy.”
