Impacting Climate Discussions in Municipalities across Canada

Parents and grandparents are making sure local elected officials at cities and communities across the country hear their call to bolder action on climate change.

Throughout November, city and town councils have been debating how to fund climate action initiatives, given the deficit situation municipalities find themselves in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's tempting for them to put off allocating any money to climate action plans and instead use those funds to offset the deficit. In Ontario, for example, provincial legislation prohibits municipalities from carrying a deficit.

 

But parents and grandparents know that climate action needs to be taken now, with clear targets set for the next 5, 10, and 20 years, and accountability for meeting those targets mandated in legislation. 

So, they took actions like these:

Sending an open letter to Council and staging a public art installation in Ottawa 

Publishing information parents needed to understand the issues and encouraging them to take action in Vancouver, including this online letter of support

Presenting live (virtually) to Vancouver City Council (you can hear FOK mom Jinhwa at the 4:23 mark of the video). 

End result in Vancouver: Council approved a $500 million climate emergency action plan (by the way, that's one of Babies for Climate Action's moms on the cover!) 

Writing personal letters to Council members sharing their stories, their fears, and their hopes for their kids' futures.

 

The debates continue at councils across the country, so you still have time to bring your voice to the table. More than 500 communities across the country have declared climate emergencies and are developing climate action plans.

Check out the November action of the month page for three simple steps you can take right now.

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