Two local municipalities – Clearview and Mulmur – have said this week that they will be adopting climate action language in their planning documents based on input from citizens.
This is a tangible example of how the community can make valuable contributions to the future direction of a municipality, and we should keep these milestones top of mind as we continue to work toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and as we take on new and important issues facing the community, both locally and globally.
We thank Mayor Doug Measures for clearly stating this week that council is committed to forming a Climate Action Committee.
This confirms that he has heard how important this issue is to the community and is willing to follow through on the vote held during the last term of council in support of former councillor Doug McKechnie’s motion to take steps toward addressing the climate crisis.
Since then, fearing a lack of follow-through on council’s part, a grassroots movement has grown in the form of the Clearview Sustainability Network. Supporters of the group’s mission to help local government adapt and evolve in the face of a changing climate showed up and voiced their desire to see climate action addressed in the township’s new Strategic Plan.
Although a public meeting to review the proposed Official Plan Wednesday was cancelled due to weather, we know staff has identified climate change and sustainable development as an item of particular interest to community and to council. The new Official Plan proposes to apply a climate lens tool as part of pre-submission consultation process; incorporate policies that make climate change a central pillar of all decision-making; and incorporate policies that make climate change a central pillar of all decision-making.
This is welcome news and makes us feel confident that there is a clear pathway forward. It will be very rewarding when we can redirect the energy used for advocacy toward finding creative solutions.
In Mulmur, this week, we heard that climate language was added to the Official Plan as a result of the same kind of input from residents there.
Municipalities are demonstrating an understanding that, although they many not be able to solve the climate crisis on their own, they must demonstrate to residents that they understand the issue is very important and a willingness to try will breed good faith. This new attitude must be backed by action and follow-through on climate action policies.
As we celebrate this small victory, we must keep in mind that this positive, well-informed, calculated and sensitive approach to citizen engagement can be applied with result to many issues in the community.
We have seen a grassroots movement continue to evolve to face the housing crisis, despite many setbacks. This is about ‘being the change’ by working with fellow citizens toward a goal that will benefit the community long after we’re gone. This is powerful stuff.