No ban on the words `climate change,´ top Ontario bureaucrat says
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

A top Ontario bureaucrat says no directives have been issued banning civil servants from using the words “climate change� on official government social media accounts, and blames “false information� for reports to the contrary.The response from acting secretary of cabinet Steven Davidson came Friday after BlogTO reported two separate emails from communications staff in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and at Ontario Parks — who are not Progressive Conservative political staff in the Doug Ford government — advised colleagues the words “climate change� should be avoided. “The premier’s office never provided direction regarding the reference of climate change in social media posts,� Davidson said in a memo to deputy ministers in all government departments.“The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks remains responsible for climate change and it remains a priority for this ministry and this government.�Ford’s executive director of communications reiterated no such directives against using the term “climate change� were issued, something she had previously told BlogTO.“The premier’s office has never given direction to anyone in the government not to use the term climate change on social media,� Laryssa Waler said in an email. “To say otherwise is 100 per cent false.�Davidson’s memo did not explain how or why the two staff reached the conclusions relayed in their emails but said an investigation is “underway to determine how this inaccuracy was released to the media.�A government source told the Star there was a “misinterpretation.�Concerns about the supposed ban on using “climate change� gained momentum on social media Friday, with some commenters slamming the Ford government for scrapping the previous Liberal government’s cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emi ...