Budget Chief Councillor Crawford with signed pledge.
DEAR TRANSFORMTO SUPPORTERS:
We are nearing success on our 2018 budget campaign!
We can report that both the Budget Committee and the Executive Committee have voted to support the inclusion of the FULL funding of TransformTO’s 2018 budget ask, as our CarbonFreeTO campaign has been advocating.
This victory is due to your calls, letters, and the amazing deputations so many of you made at budget hearings in January. YOU made this happen. The Mayor and Councillors heard us loud and clear. TransformTO also received support from many of the Business Improvement Associations (BIAs) contacted by ClimateFast members, and from many other Toronto climate groups including the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA).
Deputy Mayor Ana Bailao with signed pledge.
We invite you to attend the full meeting of Council if you are free during the day this coming Monday February 12
th
, at 9:30 am.
Council will start by receiving the petitions we have been gathering all fall at the film screenings and other events. Your signatures will drive home that Toronto residents support climate action – it is indeed urgent!
So if we’ve succeeded so far, what’s next?
Is funding TransformTO in the 2018 budget enough?
I was asked this question after my deputation on the budget at the York Civic Centre, by Councillor Joe Mihevc. I said ‘no, it’s not enough – and if we had more money we need to expand the community engagement programing and we need to accelerate the TransformTO programs’. It’s a very good start – but we need to do more. We need action on climate – fast. And we need to keep up the pressure to make this happen.
Councillor John Filion with signed pledge and constituents Yuen Chun Chan and Janet Love.
Next Steps
Now we must build on the success we have achieved so far. We have ensured that $2.5 million is in the budget for 2018. Though that is less than was intended at the start of the TransformTO program in 2017 - when we fell short 2 votes of achieving full funding, we now have succeeded in full funding of the staff request in 2018.
Now we need to accelerate this program.
The request for 2019 as projected by TransformTO staff is $6 million . We need to make sure that this much – or more – is pledged in the upcoming municipal election. Let’s make sure climate action is a priority for every councillor elected this fall.
We’ll be sending you invitations to strategy and training sessions for climate advocacy during the municipal campaign.
In the meantime, can you take 5 minutes and send a letter to the Mayor and your councillor? If you send it in the next 3 days they will receive it before the budget discussions start on Monday.
Thank the Mayor!
Mayor John Tory and Councillor Campbell with deputants at budget consultation, York Civic Centre, January 2018
Send to
mayor_tory@toronto.ca
and cc your councillor councillor_lastname@toronto.ca Please also the Budget Chief! cc
councillor_crawford@toronto.ca
(If you are not sure of your councillor’s email address
check here
) and bcc carbonfreeTO@climatefast.ca
“'Thank you Mayor Tory for your commitment to support TransformTO funding in the 2018 budget. And to my councillor, I am counting on your support too! We are pleased to see this going ahead in the new revised budget for 2018 going to City Council on Monday.
If it's possible we would very much like to see additional funding for accelerating hiring and implementation of the TransformTO program. Additional funding would make possible greater community engagement which is a very important part of our climate action plan. As we all know, climate action is urgent, and providing leadership now in the City of Toronto will inspire others to do the same.”
Please feel free to personalize your letter!
Many thanks to all of you for making this happen.
Lyn Adamson
lyn@climatefast.ca www.ClimateFast.ca/carbonfreeTO
ITINERARY ON MONDAY – can you join us to support climate action in the budget?
9:15 am convene inside City Hall on the main floor. We will have some ClimateFast t-shirts for those who come early!
9:30 am Council begins; our petitions for climate funding will be presented
You are invited to stay as long as you can. Budget discussion will extend to Tuesday, so if you can come then as well as or instead of Monday, please do! It's important for councillors to see that we, the citizens, care about the City's 2018 budget priorities.
