The Green party fares best, and the Conservatives worst, in an analysis of their environmental policies by advocacy groups.
The unsurprising result was not stated in the report, released yesterday by a coalition of 13 organizations. Most offer income-tax receipts to donors and so aren't allowed to express opinions about political parties competing in election campaigns.
Instead, the report notes whether each party's platform is in accord with the groups' views on six key policy areas – the Greenbelt, energy, toxic pollution, waste, the Great Lakes and protection of the northern boreal forest.
Each main area was broken down into several questions – 25 in all.
The Star gave two points for each "Yes," subtracted one for each "No," and awarded a single point when a party's stand was partly okay. On that system, the Greens scored 40 points, the NDP 38, the Liberals 34 and the Conservatives 8.
The Greens had 20 "Yes" evaluations; the Conservatives only four.
The coalition picked the six topics last spring, in an effort to focus debate on environmental issues during the campaign for the Oct. 10 election, and to raise their profile.
Although opinion polls suggest the environment is a major issue for voters, it hasn't figured prominently in the campaign. Other issues, particularly Tory's promise to fund faith-based schools, have grabbed most of the attention.
"If an issue doesn't have religion and education in it, it's been hard-pressed to get much coverage," said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, one of the member groups.
Still, the coalition's effort was a success, he said.
In response to the questionnaire, it secured a long list of promises, including a last-minute flurry Tuesday after it sent a draft version to each party and they, in turn, replied with more detail and clarifications to try for more "Yes" tallies in the final report.
"The goal ... was not necessarily to ensure that the environment was the dominant issue in the campaign," Smith said. It "was to set the environment up for progress after the election, no matter who wins.
"The fact that we have a phonebook of commitments is a very positive development. Ontarians now have considerable detail about what to expect from the parties. That's good news."
And, he said, "there's certainly more focus on the environment in the platforms than in the last provincial election."
The major clear differences among the parties centre on a handful of issues. The Liberals and Conservatives say they'd build more nuclear power plants; the NDP and Greens are opposed.
The Liberals and Conservatives would consider energy-from-waste projects – a high-tech form of burning garbage to produce heat and electricity. Again, the NDP and Greens are opposed.
Many of the distinctions, though, are a matter of degree.
The full analysis is at www.PrioritiesforOntario.ca.
