Ontario to miss emissions reduction goal by an even wider gap than it admits: auditor

Ontario’s environment ministry says it will miss its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target but the auditor general says even that admission of failure is downplayed.

Auditor general Shelley Spence writes in a report Wednesday that the government has projected that it will miss its 2030 target of reducing emissions by 3.5 megatonnes, but in reality it will likely be an even wider margin.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important for the future of our province,” Spence said at a press conference.

“The cost of not reducing emissions far outweighs the cost of reduction. We’re already seeing the effects of climate change and the millions of dollars it is costing.”

The Ministry of Environment, however, disagreed with three of the auditor’s four recommendations on this file, sh