The Creemore
ECHO
Friday, April 22, 2022 Vol. 22
No. 16
www.creemore.com
News and views in and around Creemore
INSIDE
To the Polls
Simcoe-Grey preps for provincial election PAGE 3
Publications Mail Agreement # 40024973
INVESTORS TAKE NOTE 151 MILL ST. AKA CREEMORE MEAT MARKET PLUS APARTMENT BUILDING MLS#40018368 Vicki Bell, Broker 154 Mill St.Creemore 705-446-4539
LOCATIONS
ORTH B R O K E R A G E
PERSONAL I PROFESSIONAL I PROGRESSIVE REAL ESTATE SERVICES
darci-que photos
The winners of the Creemore BIA's Easter event scavenger hunt on April 16 are Cohen Chandler (from left), Juli Tsai and Angus Lodge. Scavenger hunt participants were entered into a draw to win basket creations by event organizer darci-que. For more photos of the event, see page 7.
Councillor tables motion to declare climate emergency by Trina Berlo Just days after Earth Day, Clearview Council will consider a motion from Doug McKechnie to declare a climate emergency “to name and deepen our commitment to protecting our economy, our community, and our eco-systems from climate change.” The goal is to put in place mechanisms for community engagement, incentives for green building, reducing emissions and a general focus on climate implications. “The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report states that the world has less than 10 years to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis,” reads the motion. “Clearview Township is a predominantly rural township, where the growing effects of climate change will adversely affect our local economy, particularly our agricultural community, our local infrastructure and our property, leading to increased strain on our budgets, with significant economic and health burdens for our residents. Reducing carbon output may offer additional benefits including improved health and air
quality, greater community resilience, economic development and reduced costs.” McKechnie said he is bringing the motion forward on behalf of concerned residents Jim Campbell and Suzanne Wesetvik, who deserve all the credit. The motion, which will be put to a vote on Monday, would direct staff to prepare a report containing recommendations for priority action items, implementation measures and associated costs to accelerate and urgently work towards the reduction of emissions. He is proposing a Climate Action Committee, with strong citizen participation, which he hopes would have representation from the agricultural sector, a youth representative and a member of the Indigenous community, along with members from the community at large. And to give it teeth, McKechnie is proposing to include the Climate Emergency in an updated Strategic Plan so that climate implications and adaptations will be considered in all future staff reports through the use of a
climate lens. If it passes, Clearview will join many of its municipal neighbours – including Collingwood, Town of the Blue Mountains, and Wasaga Beach – that have already declared a Climate Emergency, creating more chances for collaboration. “We’re behind here by a couple of years at least,” McKechnie told The Echo, saying that Clearview can catch up by drawing on the knowledge gained by the other municipalities. The motion also directs staff to investigate potential membership in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Partners for Climate Protection (PCP), a free program offering member municipalities advice and support in developing a Climate Action Plan, which would allow Clearview Township access to Infrastructure Canada funding. McKechnie said PCP would help the township measure its corporate greenhouse gas emissions and set targets for reduction. The Town of Collingwood has just completed its first milestone with the PCP program by collecting data and
developing an inventory of corporate greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, the Town of Collingwood emitted 3,323 tonnes of CO2 emissions (tCO2e) from corporate operations. GHG inventories collect data on the greenhouse gases (GHG) generated mainly by burning fossil fuels for energy and decomposing organic waste in landfills. This data is tracked separately in two types of inventory: a community inventory for residents and businesses, and a corporate inventory for municipal government facilities and operations. In 2018, PCP member municipalities voluntarily reported over 160 projects to reduce GHG emissions. These projects represent over 720,000 tonnes in annual GHG reductions, equivalent to the amount of carbon stored in over 340,000 hectares of forest in one year. Along with reducing the impacts of climate change, municipalities saw other community benefits and savings, including $2.88 million in annual cost savings generated by reducing emissions from streetlights and municipally owned vehicles and buildings.
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15 Stewart Road, P.O. Box 321, Collingwood, ON L9Y 3Z7
V I EW C U R R E N T L I S T I N G S A T S U Z A N N E L A W R E N C E . C A 2021-09-21-SL-Creemore-Echo.indd 2
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