'Now is the time to act': Residents pushing East Gwillimbury to declare climate emergency

Town council to deliberate climate emergency declaration in near future

Yorkregion.com
April 19, 2023
Simon Martin

Evidence of Holland Landing resident Mark Goldsworthy doing the little things to help the environment is strewn around his house. There is the electric car charger in the driveway, the newly installed heat pump, the multiple compost bins, the gardens, the solar panel and the native plant species.

“We try and do what we can,” Goldsworthy said. Even though it's small and won’t solve the world’s climate crisis, Goldsworthy said its important for people to do what they can on a small scale.

As chair of East Gwillimbury’s environmental advisory committee, Goldsworthy is also trying to advocate for change on a larger level. He and the committee are hoping the town will declare a climate emergency this year, just as neighbouring municipalities Newmarket, Aurora and Georgina have done.

“I think for the town and for residents, it will mean a lot,” he said. “There’s opportunities to think about how fleet operates and how administrative tasks are done. How materials are sourced. It think it will have a lot of widespread impacts in many areas.”

Goldsworthy pointed to various actions municipalities have taken across the province. Kingston pledged to reduce emissions by 40 per cent in the next five years, and then eventually to become carbon neutral by 2040.

Aurora established a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, as per the Paris Accord. Meaford pledged to reduce municipal consumption of fuels and electricity in all municipal operations by an average of 1.5 per cent per year.

“The number of municipalities in Canada is growing, and now is the time to act,” Goldsworthy said.

While federal and provincial governments have expansive funds to fight climate change, Goldsworthy said change is going to come at the local level. “It’s going to be the town and cities that actual do the legwork,” he said. “The town needs to put a lens on its decision-making.”

Ward 1 Coun. Loralea Carruthers said the committee has been working on getting the town to make a declaration for several years. But the effort was sort of put on hold during COVID-19. But Carruthers doesn't think the town can wait any longer. “By declaring a climate emergency, it puts it top of mind,” she said.

Carruthers hopes that declaring a climate emergency will nudge the town to think differently in everything it does, including planning and development. “We can't meet our emission reduction targets if we keep building sprawl,” she said.  

Council will deliberate later this month on making a climate emergency declaration.

The town has already undertaken several initiatives to tackle environmental concerns. It partnered with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and installed low impact development rainwater harvesting features at the Nokiidaa Trail Parking Lot, the accessibility entrance and Green Courtyard at the civic centre, and new operations centre.

The town also installed retrofits to existing municipal facilities, including: high efficiency HVAC systems, low-flow hands-free plumbing fixtures, LED lighting technology and motion and occupancy sensors.

Goldsworthy envisions a future with net-zero development goals, restoration of farmland, intensification of existing communities and walkable communities. But it's all a pipe dream if people don't start speaking up and acting now.

“I think there is a lack of urgency from a lot of people right now to get the ball rolling,” he said. “You know we hear time frames of five to 10 years if we don’t reduce emissions, things are off the rails for good. I would much rather keep the train on the rails.”