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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 28 ,2 01 8 | 8 Waterloo Chronicle 630 Riverbend Dr. Kitchener, ON N2B 2G1 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-579-2029 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Advertising Director Bill Ford bford@metroland.com Sales Lead Michelle Stevens ext. 795062 Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow ext. 795066 Zach Peters ext. 795068 Jan Bodanka ext. 795072 Editor Bob Vrbanac Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi WHO WE ARE The Waterloo Chronicle, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 100 community publications across Ontario. The Waterloo Chronicle is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca waterloochronicle @wlchronicle ABOUT US ® Chronicle.WATERLOO $1.00 CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA OPINION • EDITORIAL • No matter how you look at it, no matter how you try to explain it, Doug Ford's foolhardy vow to kill Ontario's carbon cap-and-trade program is bad news for everyone. It will be financially toxic for the provincial govern- ment and taxpayers alike. It will spark a legal war between Queen's Park and Ottawa that damages national unity. Worst of all, it will be a cruel blow to the planet's envi- ronment, ending one useful initiative in the international battle against climate change, while offering nothing of substance in its place. You'd think Ontario's premier-designate would know better. You'd think he'd be aware of the overwhelming body of scientific evidence that shows human activity is altering the Earth's climate in ways that are threatening life - human life included - on this planet, and that re- versing this trend is the most important task facing hu- manity. But there he was, just days ago, proudly proclaiming his very first act after becoming premier on June 29 will be to kill the province's carbon market and then to chal- lenge the federal government's carbon pricing rules. There he was fiddling - while the Earth's climate burns. If only Ford would reconsider. Ontario's cap-and-trade system aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions by cap- ping the amounts of carbon companies in certain indus- tries can release. If they exceed those limits, they buy allowances at auctions or from companies that are under the limit. Ford insists cap-and-trade makes families poorer while doing nothing good for the environment. He's wrong on both counts. Yes, the program raised gas prices for motorists by about 4.3 cents a litre and natural gas prices by about five dollars a month for typical households. But couldn't most Ontarians easily afford that, given what's at stake? Won't inaction cost us more as we cope with climate-change fuelled catastrophes? Already Ford has axed one of those programs that would help, which provided rebates for energy-efficient renovations. That was a win-win proposition, because it helped individuals and businesses save money, while they cut their greenhouse gas emissions. When it's gone, those benefits will go, too. But Ford's haste will lead to other waste. Companies have already paid close to $3 billion at auction as part of cap-and-trade since the program began in January 2017. Meanwhile, as he struggles to cut taxes, save money and eventually balance the province's budget, how will he make up for the more than $1 billion a year cap-and-trade was pumping into the Ontario treasury? Those aren't the only problems with Ford's cap-and- trade cop-out. The federal government intends to impose a carbon tax of its own on any province without a carbon- pricing plan. Most legal experts agree Ottawa has the right to do this, but Ford has set aside $30 million to fight the Liberals in court. More haste. More waste. Sadly, far from offering anything constructive, his ac- tions to date are entirely destructive. Wrong direction on climate change June is the month for graduations and this week is no exception as some of the high schoolers out there get ready for the next stage of their lives. In keeping with the grad- uation theme, I'm also an- nouncing my departure from the Waterloo Chronicle after 21 years of service to the community effective July 13. This wasn't an easy deci- sion for me because I lived, breathed and ate out on cov- ering this community. Per- haps I ate out a little too much because I'm far from my soccer playing days and my ideal weight. The decision I made was a family one made in concert with my wife Tara and my boys, who have graced the pages of this paper so many times. I wouldn't have been able to have such a long ca- reer in community journal- ism without them. That's be- cause they believed in the same ideals of leaving a place better than you found it. That's what I hope I've done in my years at working at the Chronicle, which more often than not was a 24-7 thing, and required some great personal and family sacrifices. So I thought it was time to pay my family back when I was offered a buyout package and the time to de- vote more of myself to them. I also thought it was impor- tant to be around for a few more years for them. This is a bittersweet fare- well because of how I've seen Waterloo grow and have seen it develop as a compassion- ate community with an eye on the future. The great struggle going forward will be to make sure the people who are left behind all these technological advances be- ing created locally are given the means to close the gap between the haves and have nots. I'm pretty certain that people in Waterloo will be able to forward some of this social innovation along with the technological ones that have become our hallmark, because every time this com- munity has been put to the test it has shown in cares. I cared too, and I hope that was reflected in our cov- erage as we tried to make the best community we could to- gether. I personally strived to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, and add a laugh at the same time. I'll still be around to do some of that work over the next few weeks, so I don't want to say goodbye just yet. More like until next time. - Managing editor Bob Vrbanac is an award-win- ning columnist. After 21 years of service, it's been a pleasure covering this community, says Bob Vrbanac June is a time for graduations including mine BOB VRBANAC Column