Federal Party Survey on Environmental Platforms
2019 Canadian Federal Election
In anticipation of the need to bring forth important issues facing Canadians today
– environmental protection, economic justice and human rights
– a questionnaire representing the collective priorities of the organizations listed below
was sent to Canada’s six main political parties in July 2019.
https://election2019envirosurvey.ca/summary/

​To ensure that environmental issues are addressed in the 2018 Haliburton County municipal elections
​we have sent a questionnaire to all candidates. 

• Each week a different question will appear in County Life
• Candidate submissions will be posted to this website after September 22nd.
• ​The questionnaire for the candidates can be read or downloaded below.
• Candidate responses will be entered starting September 25.

Your candidates' responses and the dates of the All Candidates meetings
(Click on the name of your Township to view candidate replies)
Algonquin Highlands   Thursday Sept 13, 7:00 pm  @ Dorset Recreation Centre
Dysart et al            Thursday Oct 4, 7 pm – Dysart et al @ Fleming College 
Highland East     Thursday Sept 20, 7 pm – Highlands East @ Lloyd Watson Centre
​Minden Hills        Thursday Sept 27, 7 pm – Minden Hills @ Community Centre

Thur Oct 11, 7 pm – County (Mayors & Deputy Mayors) @ Fleming College

eh__2018_candidates_survey.pdf
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2018 MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES SURVEY
QUESTIONS TO CANDIDATES

Environment Haliburton! is a long-standing environmental organization in Haliburton
County. Our mission is to take a comprehensive holistic view of environmental issues and to
provide a strong voice that encourages positive initiatives and opposes those initiatives that
could have an adverse impact on the environment. EH! works in conjunction with other
organizations to develop campaigns that raise ecological consciousness that protect, preserve
and restore the natural environment of Haliburton County for future generations.

To ensure that environmental issues are addressed in the 2018 Haliburton County
municipal elections we are asking you, the candidates, to respond to the following questions.

Your responses will be published, unedited, on the Environment Haliburton! website and
shared with local media outlets.

1) Transportation:
Communities across Haliburton County recognize the need for and value of public transit.
Without public transportation employers can not find employees, seniors stay at home, youth
can not participate in school activities and we increase our release of greenhouse gases. The
County has contracted for a plan to implement the shared booked ride model proposed by the
Transportation Task Force. For more information go to www.transportationhaliburtoncounty.ca
If you are elected, will you commit to implementing an operating transit system by the
end of your 4-year term?
YES or NO
Comments

2) Climate Change (Adaptation):
Climate change is accelerating, and municipalities around the world are rushing to adapt to the
impacts of severe weather, flooding and invasive species. Jurisdictions surrounding Haliburton
County already have or are developing Climate Change Adaptation Plans to protect people
and property from the impact of the climate changes already locked in by past greenhouse gas
emissions.
If elected, will you commit to doing everything you can to develop a county-wide
Climate Change Adaptation Plan within the next term of council?
YES or NO
Comments

3) Climate Change (Mitigation):
Over the last term of County Council, a county-wide initiative to address climate change was
discussed but not acted upon. It’s even unclear whether Township and County corporate
greenhouse gas emissions have been rising or falling over the past six years because no one
has tallied the results of provincially-mandated annual energy use and carbon emission reports
and compared them to the modest reduction goals set out in the Township and County Energy
Management Plans.
If elected, will you fight to make adoption of a Climate Change Action Plan a Council
Priority, pursue funding and staffing commitments to make it happen, and urge Council
to take climate change into account when making all Township and the County
infrastructure investments?
YES or NO
Comments

4) Food Security
Food insecurity has many sources – poverty, lack of access to healthy foods, long food supply
chains. It is estimated that stores stock only 3 days food. Should the supply chain collapse
people in Haliburton County will be in a food deficit. Relying more on locally produced food
would go some way to alleviate food insecurity. Our Haliburton Townships and the County are
to be commended for having taken many steps to support local agriculture and the food
system, including participating in Harvest Haliburton (http://www.harvesthaliburton.com/).
If elected will you ensure that your Municipality takes into consideration the production,
processing and retail of local foods and land use, when formulating by-laws and by-law
amendments, recognizing our rural nature?
YES or NO
Comments

5) Wetlands:
Wetlands are important. They provide habitat for fish and wildlife, groundwater recharge and
discharge areas, water quality protection through filtering, flood and erosion control and are
rich in biodiversity. They are also carbon sinks, helping to mitigate the impact of climate
change.
It is estimated that over 20,000 wetlands in the County have not been evaluated, 8 are
protected as Provincially Significant Wetlands. Municipal and county land use plans do
provide protection for wetlands. However, we continue to lose wetlands to development.
Enforcement of wetlands protection on municipal lands is weak at best.
If elected, will you ensure that the wetland protection provisions in your land use plan
are enforced?
YES or NO
Comments

6) Species at Risk:
Scientists say that we are in the sixth mass extinction of plants and animals. Differing from the
other five extinctions, this one is caused by us through loss of habitat, introduction of exotic
species and climate change. Haliburton County is home to several known species at risk.
From bats and turtles to Butternut trees and American Ginseng the list is a getting longer as
Climate Change alters our living environment. A list of the identified species can be found on
the Haliburton Land Trust website https://www.haliburtonlandtrust.ca/wildlife/species-at-risk.
If elected, do you commit supporting the efforts made by several local organizations to
protect species at risk and their habitat?
YES or NO
Comments

7) Shorelines:
Natural shorelines are in serious retreat clear across Haliburton County. Healthy shorelines,
with a minimum of 75% of their original natural vegetation intact, are not only essential to
maintain healthy lakes and high levels of water quality, they are central to the economic health
of the entire County.
The recently completed Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners’ Associations (CHA) 4-year,
60 waterbody “Love Your Lake” assessment closely examined 12,000 waterfront properties
encompassing some 1000km of shoreline and concluded that fully 92% of Haliburton Lakes
failed to meet the 75% natural shoreline standard.
If elected, what are you prepared to help stop the decline of natural shorelines and
encourage the renaturalization efforts required to bring us back to the 75% natural
standard essential to protecting the health of Haliburton’s Lakes?
Comment

8) Lake Health:
In 1990, Ontario passed the “Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act” to address the health of our
deteriorating waterways. Today, un-inspected septic systems, wetland and shoreline
development, and increased water temperature pose a real and significant threat to lake
health.
Lake health is vital to the survival of our natural environment, and to the economic
development upon which Haliburton County has prospered. The likelihood of a blue-green
algae outbreak for instance, could have detrimental impacts on human and environmental
health- contaminating our air, and drinking water.
If elected, will you support implementing measures to protect the water in our lakes and
streams with measures such as:
a) Implementing and enforcing procedures to ensure all septic systems in the
County are monitored and working properly? YES or NO
b) Consider restricting boat sizes within county boundary lakes to mitigate erosion?
YES or NO
c) Ban the use of fireworks and lead based lures to eliminate lead entering the water
systems? YES or NO
Comments