Richmond Hill is not declaring a climate emergency

Residents urged council to join more than 300 Canadian municipalities in pressing for immediate action on climate change

Yorkregion.com
June 13, 2019
Shelia Wang

Applause, tears and powerful speeches were the among the highlights of the council meeting where Richmond Hill residents urged decision-makers to declare a climate emergency.

But it was followed by gasps and confusion.

Richmond Hill is not going to join more than 300 Canadian municipalities to declare a climate emergency, not for another six months.

Council voted 6 to 3 on June 11 to refer Coun. David West’s motion to staff for a report back to council within six months providing additional information on addressing climate change.

West -- opposed to the referral motion -- said he would still like to see his original motion passed which was proposed declaring a climate emergency in recognition of the urgent need for action and as a commitment to protect the community.

“This motion is important because I think it does reinforce the message that council believes acting on climate change is important,” West said.

For the same reason, his two colleagues Karen Cilevitz and Godwin Chan, were not in favour of the referral motion introduced by Coun. Tom Muench.

“The (original) motion is OK,” Muench said, but he was “disappointed” that no substantial actions were included.

The councillor made the comment after five delegations addressed council in support of West’s motion.

“Please, I don’t want Richmond Hill to be next on the list of disasters. If people don’t understand the urgency of this crisis, then this is truly the end,” said Alik Volkov, a Grade 11 student from Ecole secondaire Norval-Morrisseau, a French public school in Richmond Hill.

He urged council to declare a climate emergency so that everyone “understand the urgency of the situation.”

“It’s talk. It’s not action,” Regional Coun. Carmine Perrelli said of West’s motion, and backed up his colleague Muench’s comment.

“We don’t want to vote against this,” Perrelli added, pointing out a reporter from The Liberal was present at the meeting.

Mayor Dave Barrow nudged the regional councillor in an attempt to interrupt his comment.

“What? I’m talking about people,” Perrelli responded. “This is about the planet. We're talking about everybody on the planet is gonna die soon, I think I can mention a few people.”

He seconded Muench’s referral motion, which Muench said was expected to bring back a staff report with “quantifiable action items” that Richmond Hill can take in order to better address climate change.

“I agree personally that we need to have actual actions written into the motion,” Volkov said. “What I don’t understand is where the attitude came from. It’s like there’s something more.”

Resident Liz Couture felt confused, too.

Couture is a local climate change activist who has been working closely with the City of Richmond Hill.

“Richmond Hill has already taken actions. What will this referral motion do?” she asked.

Back in December, Richmond Hill hired project manager Julius Lindsay who works with the city on a two-year contract to oversee two initiatives: developing a climate change framework and a community energy and emissions plan, The Liberal reported.

The two initiatives was created by the previous council in an effort to mitigate the local effects of climate change and meet the legislative and municipal obligations.

By 2050, maximum summer temperatures will increase to about 39-40 degrees and minimum winter temperatures will continue to increase and fluctuate, causing more snow-rain-ice mix, according to the Historical and Future Climate Trends in York Region and other climate projection studies in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

“Time is a luxury and it is a luxury we don’t have and won’t have. It’s time to declare a climate emergency!” Carrie Tai, one of the delegations, wrapped up her speech to council.