Fossil fuel ads on the TTC will now face pre-screening

Some fossil fuel advocate advertisingwillnow bepre-screenedby TTC staff before it runs onvehicles, as the transit agencytakes steps to ensure the groups are making factual claims in their messages to the public.

The TTC board directed staff to review allfuture advertising from a pair of fossil fuel advocates toconfirm the claimsthey're making have been independently verified. The board has also asked staff to propose changes to current policies that would allow the city to decline fossil fuel ads if they don't align with Toronto's own climate change policy,TransformTO.

The city's infrastructure committee approved a similar motion on Friday, which now needs the green light from city council before it moves ahead.

Coun. Dianne Saxe brought the issue before both committees because she thinks the city's policies are weak.

"This lends our brand and our credibility to fossil fuel advocacy, which is specifically designed to undercut climate action," she said. "(If) we're not going to take any specific role or responsibility for what appears on our vehicles, I think it is unwise. I'd go so far, personally, to think it's immoral."

Fossil fuel advocates defend advertising accuracy

The policy would apply only to the groupsClimate Action Coalition and Pathways Alliance.

The Pathways Alliance represents six fossil fuel companies that make up about 95 per cent of Canada's oil sands producers. The group's president, Kendall Dilling, said in a statement that it has a role to play in environmental and resource dialogue.

"We remain committed to communicating, including use of advertising, on behalf of the oil sands industry and the hundreds of thousands of Canadians working in our industry," he said. "Since Pathways Alliance was formed, we've always strived for clear and factual communications."

The Canada Action Coalition describes itself as a grassroots organization that encourages Canadians to support the natural resources sectors.

"All of our advertising is, and always has been, in compliance with relevant advertising regulations," spokesperson Cody Battershill said in a statement. "All of our content is sourced, cited and supported."

Saxe said she is not advocating for an outright ban on all advertising from fossil fuel advocates. But the city needs to show leadership on the file becauseit's made the commitment to achieve net zero climate pollution by 2040 under TransformTO, she said.

"I do think that we should be taking seriously the commitments that we as a city and we as the TTC have made," she said.

Move sets bad precedent: Holyday

Coun. Stephen Holyday said the TTC's third-party advertisingcontractor, Pattison, already has rules and regulations it follows to govern advertiser conduct. The additional layer of rules is just more bureaucracy, he said.

"I don't have a problem with Esso or Shell or anybody advertising with us," Holydaysaid. "We need so much money. Why would we voluntarily exclude advertisers?"

Holyday stressed that creating new standards that require compliance with the city's TransformTO goals sets a bad precedent.

"It starts with fuel advocacyand who knows where it goes next," he said.

But a number of speakers at both citycommittees urged Toronto to tighten its advertising rules relatedto fossil fuel advocates.

Greenpeace Canada's Keith Stewart urged the city to pre-screen their ads.

"Oil and gas companies want to block or delay action, which would reduce demand for the product they are selling," he said. "Even though they know very well that the production and use of oil, coal and gas are the primary driver of the climate crisis."

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment urged city council to press forward with the pre-screening of fossil fuel advertisements to prevent the spread of misinformation.

"We hope that the actions we're seeing at the TTC, and hopefully at the City of Toronto, will be a model for similar actions right across North America," said Dr. Mili Roy, the group's Ontario co-chair.