Children are being hit, smacked, kicked and pinched by their parents everyday in Canada. In other countries that have banned corporal punishment, new support became available for all parents to learn more safe and effective ways to discipline. In Canada, we wait until it is too late to support parents who are at risk of abusing children. We wait until children are struggling from trauma to support them. Canada is not proactive. We are failing families.

Our children's life is in danger!! The Taliban is the most misogynist regime on the planet today, committing large-scale human rights violations, establishing a system of total gender apartheid, 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.

If Ontario government cannot be stopped from building the unnecessary Bradford bypass, which many Ontarians strongly oppose because of its irreparable harm to the huge Holland River/Marsh natural drainage, then the environmental damage must be mitigated by building it to best available technology (BAT) and therefore MUST USE ONLY THE LATEST LONG BRIDGE TECHNOLOGY DESIGNED BY STANTEC AND NOW EMPLOYED BY U.S. ARMY ENGINEERS FOR BRIDGING WETLAND SLOUGHS IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES. (See photo). We demand latest long-bridge tech as an environmental minimum for any Bradford Bypass project we otherwise continue to reject. WE ALSO SUPPORT THE EXTRA COST OF THIS ESSENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT, if the project is ever built. SEE: Shark River Slough: Bridges Help Bring Water Into Thirsty Everglades Park | WUSF Public Media

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

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra: — ban private jets to protect our climate. In the last six weeks, Drake’s personal jet has taken three flights between Toronto and Hamilton — creating as many polluting gas emissions as the average person does each year [1]. If the federal government is serious about tackling climate change, Canada’s Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra must ban the super-rich from using private jets. Private jets emit more than the entire country of Denmark and are approximately 50 times more polluting than if Drake were to hop on a train instead [2,3]. The super-rich need to make massive shifts in their lifestyle if we’re to address climate change. 1% of the world’s population is responsible for half of the emissions associated with flying [4]. The ones responsible for making the mess should also make the biggest changes to fix it. Experts say we need to “stop bringing buckets of water when only fire engines will do” [5] [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/29/drake-defends-short-private-jet-flights [2] See [1] [3] See [1] [4] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/17/people-cause-global-aviation-emissions-study-covid-19 [5]https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/18/heatwave-extreme-weather-uk-climate-crisis

I grew up with dogs my whole life, and when I moved to BC I couldn’t wait to get my own. The only thing stopping me is that I haven’t been able to find an affordable place to live that was dog friendly — and this is because BC landlords are legally allowed to refuse and/or evict tenants for having pets. According to the BCSPCA, about 25% of people who surrender their pets do it because they cannot find housing that they can afford that also allows for pets. [1] That means over 1,000 pets are surrendered every year because BC landlords are legally allowed to discriminate against pet-owners. [2] The two and a half years of the pandemic have been an incredibly lonely and isolating time for all of us, and many adopted companion animals to support their mental health during this time. But now, anyone who wants to move or get a pet can’t do it because they cannot find affordable housing that’s pet-friendly. This is an issue that particularly impacts people with disabilities in the province. [3] Renting in BC, especially cities like Vancouver, is already incredibly expensive and difficult and having or wanting a pet makes it even hard. Even Vancouver City Council passed a motion in 2020 to allow tenants to have pets— but here’s the catch: Rental agreements are set out by the Province. [4] This means we need to get David Eby, to eliminate that clause in the Residential Tenancy Act. Landlords have claimed they put this clause in rental agreements because they want to protect their property value, but there is no evidence that pets cause more damage in an apartment than non-pet owners. [5] We know that it doesn’t have to be this way. Several years ago, Ontario made it illegal for landlords to refuse tenancy or evict people because of pets (except in condominiums). [6] Renting in BC, especially cities like Vancouver, is already incredibly expensive and difficult and having or wanting a pet makes it even hard. BC Landlords shouldn’t be able to discriminate against pet-owning tenants. If you agree, will you sign this petition calling on Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing, David Eby, to eliminate the ‘no pets’ clause in the Residential Tenancy Act? David Eby, how would you feel if you got evicted because of having a pet? [1] https://spca.bc.ca/ways-to-help/take-action/animals-in-the-home/pet-friendly-housing/ [2] See 1 [3] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/housing-pets-struggles-1.6096109 [4] https://globalnews.ca/news/7399404/vancouver-council-supports-call-to-end-no-pets-rental-units/ [5] See 1 [6] https://www.canlii.org/en/on/laws/stat/so-2006-c-17/latest/so-2006-c-17.html?autocompleteStr=residential%20tenancies%20&autocompletePos=1

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.

Climate Change is occurring. Our drinking water and water that is used for agricultural purposes is under threat. Water must be protected now and into the future. The land on top of the aquifer is subject to chemicals, sewage and other pollutants that in turn will filter down into the aquifer poisoning it forever. Water is life...please remember this!

If the FortisBC Okanagan Upgrade gas pipeline is built it will take us further in the wrong direction, locking in decades of emissions and indoor air pollution. The $271 million that Fortis budgeted in 2020 for this project would be better spent developing green, clean, renewable electric energy. Learn more about WHY the project is bad. https://www.firstthingsfirstokanagan.com/fortis-capacity-upgrade

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.