MEDIA BRIEFING NOTE
December 13, 2016
Council to Make Biggest Climate Change Decisions of the Term
….on Anniversary of Paris Climate Change Conference
No Council meeting has been as important as this one when it comes to deciding whether Toronto will be ready for climate change. By the end of this Council meeting, Mayor Tory and City Council will either turn Toronto into a climate change leader or climate change laggard.
Below is a list of reports Council is considering and what they need to do to make Toronto a leader, and not a laggard.
PE15.1 TransformTO: Climate Action for a Healthy Equitable, and Prosperous Toronto.
What’s It About?
Includes actions the city must take to meet its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction targets.
What to Look For:
There is no money set aside to ramp up the actions. A last minute staff report that puts a price tag to these actions is in front of Council. Look for whether the Mayor and Councillors make funding these necessary actions a priority or whether they will pass yet another plan without adequate funding.
PE15.2 Resilient City - Preparing for a Changing Climate - Status Update and Next Steps
What’s It About?
An update on what the City has to do to prepare for severe weather events (like floods, ice storms and heatwaves) and other challenges that climate change will bring.
What to Look For:
Again, the report makes it clear money is needed if Toronto ever hopes to prepare for climate change. Given that the 2013 flood and ice storm cost Torontonians over $1.2 billion, it would make sense to invest money in 2017 to get our infrastructure ready for future severe weather events. Will the Mayor and Councillors delay this investment as well?