We look to the next Premier to lead us to climate solutions so we can inspire others, and create resilient communities across BC. As members of the BC NDP, we call on all candidates to sign this pledge, to commit to real climate action and to stand by this commitment as Premier of B.C. How this works: Leadership candidates who sign this pledge commit to enact these commitments once sworn in as Premier. NDP Members commit to only vote for a leadership candidate who signs this pledge before November 30th, 2022. If you’re not a member yet, sign up before September 4th, 2022 so that you can have a voice in this election and help choose the next Premier: http://bcndp.ca/join Email us at [email protected] with the heading “climate pledge” to sign up for the climate first voting bloc and stay informed. Note: Ashley Zarbatany is the chair of the BC NDP's Standing Committee on the Environment and Economy (SCOEE). The action items were prioritized and revised democratically as a committee with input from broader membership as well.

If you live in Ontario, this may be one of the most important petitions you sign this year... Only massive urgent transformational change can solve the climate emergency we are in. This will not happen on its own. It will take every one of us working together to push for critical change … but it can be done! The steep price of oil and gas has driven up the cost of transportation, food and other essentials, making life unaffordable. These same fossil fuels also worsen the climate emergency causing tornadoes, floods, extreme heat, droughts and wildfires. And they produce deadly air pollution which already kills 6600 Ontarians prematurely every year [1]. The clear and cheapest solution is green renewable energy. Unbelievably, the Ontario government instead is planning a massive increase in gas-fired electricity, burning even more fossil fuels [2] - an unacceptable move that will threaten all our futures. While Ontarians are struggling to put food on the table and find affordable housing, this government has been in lock-step with mega land-developers making multi-million dollar profits while they consume our dwindling precious farmland, green spaces and wetlands, ignoring protective regulations in some areas, to promote harmful unnecessary highways [3,4] and urban sprawl [5]. The result: fewer, oversized, expensive, and more isolated car-dependent homes consuming more fossil fuels and land for the few who can afford, while further deepening the climate crisis, fatal air pollution, housing shortages and food insecurity. It doesn’t have to be this way! The solutions for the healthy thriving future we all deserve already exist. If our government chooses to ignore solutions, it’s up to every Ontarian to pay attention, to stand up for ourselves and our loved ones urgently, and demand the Government of Ontario take urgent climate action while we still have time to secure a livable future: 1) Sign this petition to demand government accountability for an urgent climate action plan 2) Sign on to the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign (OCEC) at: https://www.ontarioclimateemergency.ca/individual-pledge and share widely — join over 250 diverse groups and individuals representing over 850,000 Ontarians to increase your impact in calling for positive urgent change to protect your future 3) Use your vote - every single election! And get others to vote for pro-environmental candidates in every future election. With the lowest voter turnout in history for the June 2022 Ontario provincial election, the current majority government actually represents only 18% of all eligible voters [6]. Local level decisions have a huge impact. Voting at every level of government matters to our everyday lives like never before - add your voice because your future is truly at stake and your vote can make the difference! Connect with the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign on social media! https://twitter.com/ocecampaign https://www.instagram.com/onclimateemergencycampaign/ https://www.facebook.com/ONClimateEmergencyCampaign Sources: [1] https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/2021-health-effects-indoor-air-pollution.html [2] https://www.theenergymix.com/2022/01/10/ontario-grid-faces-375-emissions-increase-as-ford-government-embraces-new-gas-plants/ [3] https://cal.streetsblog.org/2015/11/18/caltrans-admits-building-roads-induces-congestion-but-admitting-a-problem-is-just-the-first-step/ [4] https://www.thestar.com/life/2021/12/06/highway-disease-doctors-prescribe-saying-no-to-highway-413-development.html?rf [5] https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/chief-public-health-officer-reports-state-public-health-canada/2017-designing-healthy-living.html [6] https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2022/06/03/18-of-ontario-voters-handed-doug-ford-a-majority-government-whether-thats-a-bad-thing-depends-who-you-ask.html

As Canadians, we can be proud of the reputation Canada has earned for providing safety to persecuted people from across the globe. We can't now tarnish that reputation by turning our backs on Afghans who are at risk precisely because they worked with us to advance values which we as Canadians share -- those of democracy, human rights, and gender equality. The Taliban is the most misogynist regime on the planet today, committing large scale human rights violations, establishing a system of total gender aparthied and specifically targeting those they see as promoting “western” values. As Canadians, we must now hold our government accountable for the harmful consequences of their actions internationally, and call on PM Trudeau, Minister Fraser and IRCC to fulfill a moral obligation to save as many lives as possible.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.

COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. Immune compromised people are exposed to great risk each time the virus is present around them. It is also estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. In addition, the advent of increasingly infectious variants is directly due to the decision to let COVID spread uncontrolled in a highly vaccinated population, selecting for more evasive mutations. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. This is why the Ontario science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that mask requirements be extended for high-risk, essential locations. With BA.5 on the rise and the pandemic entering what may be its most prolific phase yet, it's long past time to make decisions based on science rather than politics. The Minister of Health must implement a mask mandate at essential locations such as medical facilities, grocery stores, and on transit, to restore accessibility to immune-compromised and pregnant and people and to finally begin confronting the scourge of COVID with real mitigations.