City of Burlington to hold ‘climate action’ meeting for residents

The City of Burlington will be holding the latest in a series of meetings for residents on climate action, hosted by the Burlington Sustainable Development Committee on Tuesday.

The City of Burlington will be holding the latest in a series of meetings for residents on climate action, hosted by the Burlington Sustainable Development Committee on Tuesday.

City staff will be highlighting projects and initiatives they’re working on to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate.

“The Climate Action Plan is a pathway for all of us to work collaboratively towards the goal of being a net carbon neutral community,” said Lynn Robichaud, Sr. Sustainability Coordinator with the City of Burlington. “The city has been taking climate action initiatives for many years, including installing EV chargers, improving energy efficiency of our public buildings, addressing flooding in neighbourhoods, adding tree planting funds, developing a community energy plan, hosting solar panels on city roofs, investing in public transit, and many other initiatives.”  

“The programs in the Climate Action Plan will support a prosperous, healthy and green community.”

Five presentations are scheduled with time for Q & As on:

• Climate Change Projections and Impacts in Burlington
• Energy Management – City Facilities
• Forestry
• Stormwater Management
• Climate Action Plan update

The event will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Burlington Public Library, Central Branch.

Attendees can register for the free event online.

There will also be “climate change-related door prizes” for attendees, including one free Home Flood Protection Program inspection available to owners of single or semi-detached homes and townhouses. Other prizes include an Ecobee Smart Thermostat and a home carbon monoxide detector.

Coupons for $75 off a smart thermostat will also be available.

“Burlington has been experiencing more extreme events including the ice storm in 2013, the flood in 2014, high Lake Ontario levels in 2017 and 2019 and increased windstorms. Such events have impacted Burlington residents and businesses financially,” according to an official media release from the City. “The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation has also reported impacts of flooding on mental health.”

On April 23, 2019, Burlington’s City Council unanimously passed a motion to declare a climate emergency “for the purposes of deepening our commitment to protecting the economy, environment and community from climate change”.

On June 17, 2019, staff presented, “Take Action Burlington – An Update on Our Local Environment to Council”, which had four areas of focus: land, air, water, and waste.

City staff will present a follow-up report to the Committee of the Whole on Dec 2.

(Photo credit: Tourism Burlington)