Provincial climate change plan enters implementation phase

Frustrated by a lack of consultation during the development of the provincial government's newly-released Climate Change Action Plan, Ontario's First Nations want to make sure they're involved as the plan is implemented.

To that end, representatives of First Nations communities and organizations are in the midst of a two-day meeting with Ontario government officials at the Valhalla Inn. They arediscussing how to best implement the plan in a way that supports First Nations communities dealing with the effects of climate change.

"First Nations need to get caught up in the process," Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day said. "Even though climate change is moving fast, we can't allow First Nations to get left behind in any parts of this process."

Day said remote First Nations are already experiencing the effects of climate change first-hand.

"The north part of Ontario is the second-largest carbon sink in the world, and, essentially, what that means is there will be impacts, there willbe a draw on carbon in the north," Day said. "We're also seeing things like little-to-no winter roads being developed in the north ... and the animals are doing different things now. We're seeing more forest fires, more droughts, more floods."

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Glen Murray saidthe temperature in the north is warming twice as fast as in the southern part of the province, as well.

"I think one of the mostimportant things is what we have to learn from First Nations," Murray said. "Much of what we now think of modern environmentalism has actually been practiced by First Nations for thousands of years."

The $8.3billionClimate Change Action Plan was released by the provincial government last week. It includes a number of initiatives designed to slow the process of global warming.

Among those are incentives to purchase electric cars and install environmentally-friendly heating systems, such as solar or geothermal,in home.

The plan also calls for the implementation of a cap-and-trade system aimed at industrial polluters.

Murray said First Nations will be "very critical and equal partners" as the plan is implemented.

Day said he was encouraged by the plan, but disappointed in what he said was a lack of consultation in the plan's development.

"We are governments, we are nations, and we currently have a situation where the Ontario government holds the lion's share of resources with the federal government," he said. "The resources and the ability to participate in the plan are really going to be the glue that brings us all together."