The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change announced March 9 the appointment of John Godfrey as special advisor and chair of the government’s new climate action group.
Godfrey will provide strategic advice and make recommendations to Glen Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, including identifying opportunities to advance Ontario’s leadership internationally and strengthen collaboration with other subnational jurisdictions.
The climate action group will advise the minister on effective climate change actions that will help Ontario meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals and transition to a prosperous, low-carbon economy. This advice will build on feedback received through the government’s public consultations on climate change.
The climate action group includes academics, business and civic leaders. It will meet quarterly and collaborate closely with Québec’s Climate Change Advisory Committee to support work between the two provinces. In keeping with the objective of minimizing emissions, any joint meetings of the advisory groups will be by video or teleconference.
Ontario will host a Climate Summit of the Americas from July 7-9, 2015, “to advance collaborative action on climate change ahead of the Conference of the Parties in Paris in December.”
Climate action group members include Louise Comeau, John D. Coyne, Lisa DeMarco, Dennis DesRosiers, Peter Gilgan, David Herle, Daniel Leeming, Don McCabe, Michael McSweeney, Kathleen Padulo, Robert Page, Tom Rand, Sheena Sharp, James St. John and Kate Sullivan.