This week and in previous weeks, we have had stories on major green infrastructure announcements, courtesy of the federal government.
First there was the pledge to build 72 electric vehicle charging stations across the NWT SA国际影视传媒� though exactly where remains to be told SA国际影视传媒� and now a second announcement to both construct a net-zero community centre in Fort McPherson and retrofit the Midnight Sun Complex to harness the power of said midnight sun.
These are fantastic developments that are years overdue, and the next funding announcement canSA国际影视传媒檛 be made soon enough, because science seems to be telling us weSA国际影视传媒檙e running on borrowed time.
Recent studies have suggested parts of the Arctic are warming seven times faster than the global average. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 less data available for the Antarctic, but we know itSA国际影视传媒檚 not getting any colder down there either. Once-in-a-century forest fires are happening nearly annually. Flooding from melting glaciers is cutting off supply lines, and droughts are starting to eat away at civilizationSA国际影视传媒檚 bread baskets. The climate crisis that millennials like myself were warned about our entire lives is here.
Critics of green infrastructure spending will point out these programs are like using a meat cleaver when you need a scalpel. But as just mentioned, the writing has been on the wall for a very long time and the reason weSA国际影视传媒檙e so late to the green transition is because, as a nation, weSA国际影视传媒檝e spent much of the last few decades saying our industries need time to adapt, while many of those industries did not. Ironically, other oil-exporting nations, such as Scotland, have managed to move their entire electrical grid to renewables while still exporting oil in the same amount of time. The idea we had an either/or choice was and is completely false.
ItSA国际影视传媒檚 hard to feel sympathetic for businesses that have been aware of climate change for over three decades and have received endless favours from successive federal governments, yet claim they arenSA国际影视传媒檛 ready for the energy transition. ISA国际影视传媒檒l single out the fossil fuel industry, which has had the benefit of Stephen Harper pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol on its behalf SA国际影视传媒� since then our SA国际影视传媒済reenSA国际影视传媒� Prime Minister Justin Trudeau bought into an oil pipeline project that is now costing taxpayers in excess of $20 billion SA国际影视传媒� all to help out our oil industry. Accusations by those in the oil sector that the rest of Canada is somehow against them are demonstrably inaccurate.
ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not the rest of CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 fault oil executives made the decisions they made. TheySA国际影视传媒檝e received a lot more financial support than most Canadian industries.
So I welcome these green initiatives and hope we get many more as soon as possible. Among other things, the federal and territorial governments need to figure out a way to solarize the entire Beaufort and Mackenzie Delta grids without putting Northwest Territorials Power Corporation employees out of work. At this point, there is no reason why we should be burning a drop of diesel in the summer. Projects like the Inuvik Wind Farm also need to increase in frequency SA国际影视传媒� Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson should be able to take advantage of their natural resources as well.
Voters have made it clear they want Canada to be a leader in the energy transition. Keep the cash flowing.
