Calgary council approves $87B climate strategy
Members of Calgary city council have passed a controversial climate strategy that outlines how the city will reach net-zero by 2050.
Council debated the 99-page climate strategy on Tuesday evening for about three hours before narrowly voting 9-6 in favour of it.
"We've decided tonight that we've made a commitment to taking action on climate change," said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
Gondek says approving it allows administration to create a thorough action plan and accompanying budget in November.
"It was critical to move this forward so we could start taking some action and put the dollars into our budget.
"Our budget setting time is the end of November. It's generally a few days that council takes to set a four-year service plan and budget. What you will see is climate-impacted mitigation plans put through all of the business units and the service plans that are coming forward – and accompanying budget requests," Gondek said.
The $87 billion price tag, or $3.1 billion annually for the next 28 years, would be covered by all levels of government as well as stakeholders in the private sector.
"There is significant investment that is needed," Gondek said. "This is not money that is required by the City of Calgary alone."
The vote was initially scheduled to take place in June, but was delayed as some council members had to travel to Toronto for city business.
Councillors Sean Chu, Sonya Sharp, Andre Chabot, Richard Pootmans, Jennifer Wyness and Dan McLean voted against the strategy.
- With files from Austin Lee
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.