On Monday, April 15, Councillor Lori Baldwin-Sands will forward a motion to declare a climate change emergency for the City of St. Thomas.
In order to convince council to accept the motion, Coun. Baldwin-Sands is calling the public to action. Anyone who supports the motion and wants to see immediate action addressing climate change should come to the gallery at City Hall on the night of the meeting. Another avenue is sending letters of support to council members, showing the public’s desire for city-wide action regarding the earth. Baldwin-Sands believes that the motion is unlikely to be accepted by the council unless there is evidence of widespread support.
The motion to declare a climate change emergency was first put forward in late March, but deferred by council. If the motion is accepted, St. Thomas will join several other Canadian cities that have declared a climate change emergency, including Kingston, Hamilton, Vancouver and Edmundston, NB.
It is expected that more cities will soon follow their lead, especially after a recent report by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The extensive study found that “both past and future warming in Canada is, on average, about double the magnitude of global warming.”
If you want to support Councillor Lori Baldwin-Sands’ motion, go to St. Thomas City Hall tonight. Council starts at 7pm and the item will be close to the end of the agenda. You can enter by the side doors on Mondamin Street and go to the 4th floor.
I want to see more jobs in city park space clean-up, trail clean up, money incentives for homeless to get paid for returning recyclable materials, stores that pay individuals for used clothing items when they bring them in, grocery stores that encourage discounts when you bring in your own reusable containers and bags. The list could go on. More bike lock up spots and bike lanes in the city. A bike path dedicated to London from St. Thomas perhaps using an old rail path. 🙂
Well LBS won’t be around to worry about how the City of St. Thomas deals with climate change. She intends to run federally in the fall to be the MP. This is just for show.