Committee unanimously supports declaring climate emergency in Calgary
A move to declare a climate emergency in Calgary is one step close to becoming official for Mayor Jyoti Gondek and her new city council.
A city committee unanimously endorsed the motion Tuesday and it'll now head to council next week for debate.
"The sooner, the better," said Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal.
He represents some of the areas in the city that were significantly damaged in a 2020 hail storm. Dhaliwal said he heard from many people in his ward that the city needed to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change.
"We can start working with our administration to put the policies together, some measureable goals, some accountability. There's no point in wasting any more time," Dhaliwal said.
"We can start working with our administration to put the policies together, some measureable goals, some accountability. There's no point in wasting any more time," Ward 5 councillor Raj Dhaliwal said.
CLIMATE EMERGENCY
During her campaign to become mayor, Gondek said declaring a climate emergency would be one of the first orders of business if she was elected.
"Lots of members of council weighed in on why this is indeed an emergency and why this is something we need to focus on," Gondek said.
If the motion is passed, Calgary would join other Canadian cities that have already declared a climate emergency, including Edmonton, Vancouver and Halifax.
The motion calls for the city to update its Greenhouse Gas target to reach net zero by 2050. It would also mean investments to reduce emissions and climate risk.
However, there's no word on what it all could cost, but the city would call on all orders of government to help fund the work.
"Whether it be transit, whether it be active mobility, whether it be accessibility lanes and so on -- that's one huge way of us changing our culture of convenience, our lifestyle to actually create a much more forward and future-friendly, climate resilient city," said Courtney Walcott, the councillor for Ward 8.
Some councillors acknowledged that they had received emails from constituents who were not in favour of the idea to declare a climate emergency. But they add they believe this is a way to also create jobs and boost the city's economy.
"Is this symbolic? Yeah, absolutely it's symbolic. But there are numerous business advantages, there are investment opportunities we are missing out on," said Ward 14 Cllr. Peter Demong.
The notice of motion is part of the agenda that will head to council on Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.