Toronto Declares Climate Emergency

Toronto Declares Climate Emergency

Climate scientists widely agree that the world must rapidly reduce carbon emissions over the next 10 years to reduce dangerous effects on our collective health, infrastructure and economy.

This week Toronto City Council unanimously voted to declare a Climate Emergency, joining hundreds of governments around the world and cities across Canada seeking to ensure that Toronto does its part.

Council had previously introduced a climate action strategy in 2017 titled TransformTO. It seeks to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into Toronto by focusing on more efficient buildings, increased use of renewable or low-carbon energy sources, improved waste diversion and encourage more travel by walking or cycling.

The recent vote at Council asks City staff to find ways to accelerate the TransformTO plan and explore steps needed to complete the plan by 2040, rather than 2050. This move will require significantly more investment in a range of program areas. John will be watching this through the upcoming budget cycle to ensure this isn’t a program Council approves in principle, but fails to fully fund amidst a pending financial crunch.

John will continue to call on his counterparts at the Provincial and Federal levels to take their climate policies seriously and ensure that this is a top priority. He will also continue to work in Willowdale to encourage home and condo retrofits to make them more energy-efficient, look for strategies with condo boards to divert more waste away from landfills and champion active transportation in the community, starting with a more walkable Yonge main street.

A community consultation on the TransformTO implementation plan for the next three years will be held on Thursday, October 24 at North York Memorial Hall. For more information click here.

This post was written by