THUNDER BAY – Madison Dyck would rather focus on her studies at Lakehead University than spend time writing 20-page affidavits.
But she feels she has no other choice.
Dyck is one of seven young people between the ages of 12 and 24 who have launched a lawsuit against Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Conservative government, accusing them of violating charter rights when they rolled back Ontario’s emissions targets, which they believe will make it tough for the province to hit its 2030 climate target.
Dyck, who has grown up sailing on Lake Superior and spending time in the boreal forest, said she’s known about climate change and its potential impact on the planet for most of her life, adding she’s appalled the province isn’t taking the issue seriously.
“For me it was a no-brainer to have this opportunity to speak out against a government that is ultimately failing us at the moment,” she said of her decision to join the lawsuit.
It’s insanely frustrating and angering to be put in this position, Dyck added.
“I remember watching An Inconvenient Truth as a youngster and saying, ‘OK, everybody’s going to watch this and things are going to change.’ And the more and more I’m involved and I’m reading about this – and I’m very much in touch with the news that is happening, it does feel very stagnant and it feels very angering because the science is very clear,” Dyck said.
“It’s no longer a debate and it’s also very clear what needs to be done. We’re heading into COP 25 and it’s been 25 years of countries meeting and being kind of wishy-washy and not having set changes. It’s angering because it’s our future and the people making decisions are likely going to be gone before we even have the chance to be parents.”
Dyck said the suit claims the appellants’ charter of rights have been violated under Section 7 and Section 15 of the Act.
The first promises protection for life, liberty and security of the person, which they say is impossible under Ford’s policy changes, which will lead to widespread illnesses and death.
“When you’re talking about climate change, the right to safety and liberty encompasses people being threatened by forest fires, by heat waves, by increasing diseases and illnesses, and also by stresses, an emotional component of this that’s facing us,” Dyck said.
“I personally feel huge amounts of stress and anxiety just around this disaster.”
The second promises equality under the law, which Dyck said won’t be possible if her generation and beyond have to bear the brunt of the worst effects of climate change.
“Using us as young people, if we’re in a drastically changing climate, 20 years down the line that’s not going to be equal to what people 20 years ago were able to live in,” she said.
A dozen Canadians earlier this year filed a similar lawsuit against the federal government, and similar cases have been made in the courts in the United States.
None of the allegations have yet to be proven in a court of law.
