TRANSFORMTO ADOPTED BY TORONTO CITY COUNCIL ON JULY 4 TH 2017
Big news from yesterday at City Council!
The TransformTO 2050 Climate Action Plan passed unanimously!
A big thank you to all of you for signing the petition for climate action and sending letters to your councillors –you helped to make this happen!
RECAP OF THE COUNCIL MEETING
Our petition now has nearly 2000 names! Thanks to Sharon Howarth for organizing the presentation of the petition at the start of City Council yesterday. Some hours later the debate on the TransformTO 2050 Pathway to a Low Carbon Future report began. You can watch the recording of the debate on youtube. See what your councillor had to say!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8gXcTxGq88 starts at: 1:30:15
In the evening Council adopted TransformTO after voting on an amendment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYW6tAQ93n0 Starts at 16:15
Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon presented an amendment that will require Council to consider prioritizing the actions and programs rather than to implement all the programs as an integrated whole . With this amendment the TransformTO 2050 climate action plan passed unanimously. However it opens the door to debates about which parts of the plan will be funded.
So we will celebrate – and then we will continue working to make sure all parts of the plan are funded and implemented.
MEDIA COVERAGE
A big thank you yesterday for all who attended City Council and a special thanks to Rosemary Boissonneau who served as our media representative and worked with teacher James Snetsinger and his 2 students. ClimateFast was featured in 3 news stories of the day including CBC, Radio Canada (French radio) and a radio interview with AM640 Here’s a link to the CBC coverage.
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/toronto/transformto-debate-1.4189886
Rosemary Boissonneau on AM640 John Oakley show: http://globalnews.ca/news/3574335/john-oakley-show-tuesday-july-4-2017/ Scroll down to the 2 nd story
Dusha Sritharan of TEA spoke on Metro Morning today: http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/983720003598/
Let Metro Morning know you are glad they are covering this issue: metromorning@cbc.ca
Photo above of students and their moms from Thorncliffe Park Public School being interviewed by CBC reporter.
THANK YOU TO COUNCILLORS
It's time to thank our councillors! And let’s reinforce the need for fully funding all the programs. Here's a sample letter:
Dear Councillor... (councillor_lastname@toronto.ca)
Thanks so much for your support for TransformTO at City Council yesterday. It's a big step forward for our city on a matter of urgent importance for our city’s present – and our future. It is part of our commitment to work with other municipalities around the world to ensure that we stay below a 2 C rise in global temperature.
As a constituent this is a matter of great importance to me. I urge you to support the full budget for TransformTO so that all its programs can be funded. All of the programs will work together for maximum benefit and at a cost of just $2.60 per person. Fully funding the plan will enable us to move as quickly as possible toward reaching our GHG reduction goal.
Name and Address
Cc mayor_tory@toronto.ca , bcc: carbonfreeTO@climatefast.ca
We will post councilors voting record (for Layton’s motion, for McMahon’s amendment) on our webpage: www.climatefast.ca/carbonfreeTO
LET’S CELEBRATE! POTLUCK PICNIC NEXT WEDNESDAY JULY 12 TH , 6 PM
Come out and celebrate with us next Wednesday July 12 th at a potluck picnic in Taddle Creek Park, right across the street from Friends House 60 Lowther Ave (which will also be our indoor location in case of rain) at 6pm to 7:15. Then we’ll move indoors for a debrief of the outcome at City Hall and sharing what we learned from this campaign. All welcome. Bring your own water bottle, reusable plate and cutlery if you can, along with food to share that is ready to serve (not hot foods). ClimateFriendly options preferred! That would be local and vegan –let me know what you are bringing. lyn@climatefast.ca