Young Ontarians launch lawsuit against Ontario after Ford govt scales back emissions targets

#Ontario; #SofteningEmissionsReductionTargets; #StockwoodsLLP, #Ecojustice, 
#violatingSection7ofCanadianCharterofRightsandFreedoms
 
Ottawa, Nov 26 (Canadian-Media): The Province of Ontario is being sued over climate change inaction by young Ontarians arguing that by softening emissions reduction targets, the Ford government has violated Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which  promises protection for life, liberty and security of the person, media reports said.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Image credit: Twitter handle

This is the first lawsuit filed against a Canadian province over climate inaction and its claims in the lawsuit have not been proven in court.

The applicants represented by Stockwoods LLP and Ecojustice, a group that specializes in public interest lawsuits in the name of environmental protection , range from age 12 to 24 and represent a growing trend of young people across the globe suing governments over perceived inaction on climate change.

A similar lawsuit had been launched against the federal government by more than a dozen young Canadians earlier this year.

Similar lawsuits had been launched in the U.S. and the Netherlands, with varying degrees of success.
 
"Any government that is failing to address the climate emergency in a meaningful way can expect to face litigation of this nature," said Alan Andrews, climate director at Ecojustice.

So proud to be working with these amazing young people to fight for climate action in Ontario (the province of my birth) #GenClimateAction https://t.co/xyPZ2SEvM8

— Alan Andrews (@AlaninCanada) November 26, 2019

The group's focus of the lawsuit  is on the Ford government's decision to scale back emission targets set by the Liberals in 2015.
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The Ford government's plans,  to leverage Ontario's private sector to develop green technology, and its new climate strategy will keep the province on track to meet Paris Agreement warming targets, were considered by the young people that increasing urgency of climate change is being ignored.

The result of the challenge is not yet decided, but Ecojustice recently scored a mild victory against the province over the cancellation of the cap-and-trade program when a three judge panel determined the Ford government broke the law by scrapping the program .