Climate motion passes unanimously
Clearview council has unanimously supported the climate declaration tabled Monday by Councillor Doug McKechnie.
The term ‘climate emergency’ was downgraded to ‘climate crisis’ at the suggestion of Deputy Mayor Barry Burton. The motion prompts staff to bring back a report to include potential membership in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Partners for Climate Protection, the development of a Climate Action Plan, potential funding sources and the creation of a Climate Action Committee.
“Council, I ask you to show leadership and approve this motion,” said McKechnie. “We have a civic and moral duty that we owe our children and grandchildren to leave our environment better so that they won’t have to shoulder the financial burdens of dealing with our failure to act. This will be our positive legacy for the future.”
Councillor Thom Paterson was absent but McKechnie read his comment aloud, “I support the intent of the resolution and am not too concerned whether we call it an emergency, a crisis, an existential threat, or a major defining municipal challenge, as long as we acknowledge that we are facing ever increasing negative impacts that will alter economic development, lead to financially unsustainable growth and most concerning impose health and security harms to our community that must be addressed,” he wrote. “We are in the front lines of government- provided infrastructure and services; from roads and bridges to waste-water, safe water and flood protection that contribute to keeping our residents healthy and safe. I ask my council colleagues to support the resolution before us tonight.”
“We definitely should be supporting this,” said Burton adding that Clearview is part of the Niagara Escarpment, a designated world biosphere, for which he is a commission member.
It was noted that council members had received a lot of community support for the motion. While other municipalities have staff dedicated to climate related endeavours, McKechnie is confident that Clearview can draw upon its enthusiastic and knowledgablevolunteer base, noting that the offers to help are already pouring in.
Suzanne Wesetvik, a Duntroon area resident who worked with McKechnie to bring the motion to council, made a deputation at the beginning of Monday’s meeting. She urged council to take the opportunity to deepen understanding, strengthen resolve and work together to mitigate and adapt to climate change and use a climate lens to ensure a sustainable environment for citizens, businesses, farms and infrastructure.
“The reason why we are making this declaration isn’t that we haven’t done anything in the past it is an opportunity to continue the good work and take a proactive, structured overall approach to make a positive impact on our future,” said Wesetvik. “Naturebased solutions are often the most cost effective, productive and fitting methods for addressing climate change.”
Staff was encouraged to bring the report back to council in the near future, with the intention of having a plan in place by the end of the current term of council, which ends in October. The motion directs staff to include the climate crisis in a review of the township’s Strategic Plan “such that climate implications and adaptations will be considered in all future staff reports through the use of a climate lens.”
Mayor Doug Measures rhymed off a list of things the township has already done to address the climate crisis, from installing LED streetlights to low-flow toilets.
“I’m quite impressed with what we’ve done across our township over the years and when you hear the township doesn’t do anything for energy consumption, it’s ridiculous. I can’t believe it. That’s all we do. We try our very best to make sure that we’re being energy efficient and looking after our environment,” he said. “When you hear criticism from the public and they jump on us I really disagree. I think we have a beautiful place and that’s what makes this a beautiful township so I just wanted to put those notes out there for people to understand particularly when people say we are behind the times, we’re not behind the times. We just haven’t got to this politically motivated motion to talk about a climate emergency. I’m happy to say it’s a climate crisis, rather than a climate emergency, it’s a much more appropriate language.”
