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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 19 ,2 01 9 | 18 It's official - Halton and all of its municipalities have declared a cli- mate emergency. Regional council unanimouslyRegional council unanimouslyR passed a motion at its Sept. 11 meet- ing with the bold declaration, add- ing its voice to the four local coun- cils that have passed similar reso- lutions in recent months. The motion from Halton Hills Coun. Jane Fogal asserts that Hal- ton is declaring a climate emer- gency to "deepen our commitment to protecting and improving resil- iency of the economy, environ- ment and community from cli- mate change." Fogal has also spearheaded theFogal has also spearheaded theF call for environmentally-friendly action in Halton Hills, helping form a local climate action team,form a local climate action team,f which is hosting routine climate change rallies. She noted that mu- nicipalities own most of the infra- structure that's vulnerable to de- struction by climate change-relat- ed weather events. "I believe municipalities are al- so declaring emergencies because we're the government closest to the people," she said during the meeting. "Councillors recognize that when our residents lose their personal property due to climate disasters, we all suffer." At the regional level, Fogal said she'd like to see the municipality require more energy-efficient buildings as part of its official plan, pointing to the green build- ing standards and incentives used in Halton Hills to encourage build- ers to construct better homes. The motion directs staff to bring a report back to regional council in the spring that will cov- er a variety of climate change ini- tiatives, such as: • Identifying proposed short and long-term climate change goals for Halton Region, including the development of an energy management strategy and tactics to increase the waste diversion rate • Developing corporate sustain- ability and climate change policies to be applied to regional infra- structure and operations • Partnering with local munici- palities and community organiza- tions working to engage and in- form residents for community ac-form residents for community ac-f tion on climate change. The motion was lauded by sev- eral councillors around the table, like Milton Coun. Colin Best, who seconded the motion and echoed Fogal's sentiments, and HaltonFogal's sentiments, and HaltonF Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette. "Grassroots movements from many municipalities, including our own, are very important," said Bonnette, who suggested the mo- tion be circulated to all provincial party leaders in the hopes of sparking a debate on the topic at Queen's Park.Queen's Park.Q Oakville Mayor Rob Burton emphasized the importance of put- ting the motion into action and urged council members to get out into the community and engage with local residents and communi- ty organizations on climate change initiatives. "This (motion) is a great step forward in terms of modellingforward in terms of modellingf good behaviour, but without the follow through to actually work atfollow through to actually work atf the grassroots level, we're fooling ourselves," he said. The Halton Environmental Network has thrown its support behind the region's efforts, with executive director Lisa Kohler praising the resolution during the meeting. "The declaration ensures that citizens know the region under- stands, acknowledges and will plan for and mitigate the risk of our changing climate," she said. "We all must be clear as leaders - climate change is not a political is- sue; it's a humanitarian issue in which all communities must work together to ensure the change our future generations deserve."future generations deserve."f More than 400 municipalities in Canada have now passed climate change emergency motions, with that number climbing to about 1,000 worldwide. Climate change rallies have been planned for Sept. 20 in Georgetown's Dominion Gardens Park, and Sept. 26 outside the Ac- ton Arena. Those who attend are asked to gather at 3:45 p.m., with the rallies kicking off at 4 p.m. COUNCIL HALTON DECLARES A CLIMATE EMERGENCY MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com Councillor Jane Fogal, seen here during an Earth Day clean up, brought forward the motion at regional council to declare a climate emergency. Torstar file photo