Environmental issues take the spotlight in N.S. election debate

Party positions on the environment and climate change were in the spotlight Wednesday night at an election debate in Halifax.

Candidates representing the Greens, Liberals, Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats touted their party's platforms at an Ecology Action Centre event, and fielded questions on some of the province's most controversial environmental topics, including Owls Head.

The only party leader on the stage at the Ummah Mosque and Community Centre was the Green Party's Jessica Alexander. The other three major parties put up some of their Halifax-area candidates:

• Liberal Pam Cooley,Dartmouth North.
• Progressive ConservativeScott Ellis,Halifax Needham.
• New DemocratTyler Colbourne,Dartmouth East.

On some questions, the four found common ground. When it comes to mitigating climate change, all agreed greenhouse gas emissions need to be drastically reduced and renewable energy use needs to spike upwards although each party varies on its exact targets.

The Greens are aiming for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and being net zero by 2045, the Liberals want 53 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050, while the NDP say they'll get to 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.

The PC platform doesn't lay out a specific goal for greenhouse gas reductions, although Ellis said the party would introduce legislation with new climate change goals during a first sitting of the legislature.

How much will it cost?

"There's no price tag we can put on the planet," said Ellis. "The truth is that we rely on the planet for everything we do every single day."

Still, the PC candidate highlighted that his party has put dollar figures on its platform. On the environment, the PC platform says it would take a little over $7 million annually to fulfilthe party's promises to improve active transportation, install more infrastructure for electric vehicles and get coal power off the grid by 2030, among other items.

The New Democrats have not fully costed their platform, but Colbournesaid at least $100 million would go into capital projects over the next four years including energy efficiency retrofits and active transportation networks.

Sound Off: Election Edition - Breaking down the party platforms

3 years ago

Duration 4:13

Party platforms, planks and political positions are coming into focus. In some cases, there are some interesting role reversals.

Cooley highlighted an $8-million, four-year program for solar power projects targeted at regions that have experienced environmental racism, have high levels of energy poverty or have been historically marginalized.

The newly-costed Liberal platform details $173 million worth of environment spending over four years, but it also estimates $200 million in revenue from cap-and-trade auctions, negating the costs.

Colbourne, Ellis and Cooley all talked about the need to invest in green job creation, but Alexander diverged on that point.

"We are opposed to chasing jobs and in favour of a guaranteed livable income for everyone," she said."Employment is something from a previous millennium jobs are being automated."

The Green Party platform includes a guaranteed income starting at $18,329 per year for every adult, increasing to $20,000 over four years.

Owls Head

On questions about the future of Owls Head a 285-hectare coastal property on the Eastern Shore Cooley defended her party, while the other three candidates attacked the Liberal decision to remove the land from a list of Crown properties pending legal protection.

The land was delisted to make way for the possibility of selling it for a development involving three golf courses, but it hasn't been sold yet.

Cooley said a "mature democracy" requires listening to both sides of an argument in this case, the argument for economic development in the rural community of Little Harbour versus the protection of sensitive ecosystems.

She said there has been misinformation circulating about Owls Head.

"I want to be clear This is not a done deal," she said.