Young People Holding Our Feet to the Climate Fire

Ottawa's Alexandra Neufeldt is one of seven plaintiffs in a lawsuit alleging the Ontario government's decision to claw back emissions targets in 2018 violated the Charter's guarantee of the rights to equality, life and security of the person. PHOTO BY ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIA

Back in the BC days -- Before Covid -- a group of Ontario teenagers filed a statement of claim against the province, arguing that the climate policy would not protect them from the impact of climate change. Young people in jurisdictions around the world began similar legal action in their countries. This was back in the heady days of Fridays for Future, the climate strike movement led by Greta Thunberg and hundreds of thousands of other teens. 

The Ontario lawsuit was backed by lawyers from Ecojustice and Stockwoods LLP and alleged the Ontario government’s decision to claw back greenhouse gas emissions targets in 2018 violated the Charter’s guarantee of the rights to equality, life and security of the person.

 In April 2023, an Ontario Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit as a “positive rights case” – a case that established novel legal rights. But in October 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario disagreed, and said the group’s lawsuit could proceed. And yesterday the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear an appeal by the province.n greenhouse gas emissions complied with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

Who knows where all this will go. The Emperor Dougie has declared that he can't stand bleeding heart judges, whether it's bail hearings or bike lanes. This may cause him to have a stroke. Who wants a judicial sytem when "Supreme Leader" has such a nice ring to it.

I admire these young adults who want a better future and have realized that adults are adept at weasel words and broken promises. As a Baby Boomer who is a Christian I experience a fair amount of guilt about the state of the Earth. My convictions about respecting Creator and Creation can seem hollow given the mess we've made and our reluctance to fix it.

I just finished the novel Wild Dark Shore about a family living at a research station on an island near Antarctica in a near-future moment when rising seas and fierce weather is changing everything. A woman who literally washes up on the shore speaks with one of the children and observes bluntly that fire, drowning, or starving is going to get us all. While it was a grim thing to say I'm hoping that this generation can push us to accountability and change.