Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development in Ontario: A look at the Current Policy Frameworks and Discourses Surrounding Sustainable Energy and Wind and Solar Power in Major Ontario Newspapers

Abstract

Over thirty years ago we celebrated the first Earth Day, which has since marked the preservation and restoration of the environment. Ironi-cally, since this re-dedication to environmentalism and renewed spirit in learning from the past we have worked to increase carbon emissions, oil consumption, natural gas, and coal extraction. Our “ecological footprint” has nearly tripled as a result of the growth of the global motor vehicle population, human carbon emissions and, of course, greenhouse gases and their partner global warming. The problem is not going to go away, and finding Canada’s place within the policy paradigm of sustainable development and environmental awareness will not be easy. Juxtaposed against a divided federalist state, environmental policy falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial government in this country, making it in-creasingly hard to adopt a policy framework that not only works, but works consistently across this country’s political, social and economic landscapes.