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JUNE 2023
 

The ClimateFast newsletter shares information, resources, news, and activist opportunities about the climate crisis that may interest our readers, and does not necessarily reflect the views of ClimateFast members. If you have an event or resource you would like to share, please send it to newsletter@climatefast.ca.
CLIMATEFAST ACTIVITIES
Campaigning for a #ClimateMayor in Toronto
 

Election day is June 26th! For those of you in Toronto, find information on where and when to vote here!

Toronto’s mayoral by-election is rapidly approaching. Torontonians will go to the polls on Monday June 26th, in an election that has the potential to be transformative for the city. As extreme weather events sweep the country, and the planet passes more and more grim climate milestones, it is essential to elect a mayor who will take bold action to reduce Toronto’s emissions and prepare the city to weather the effects of global heating.

With this in mind, Climatefast and our fellow environmental groups have spent the last 2 months pressing candidates and educating citizens about climate issues. Our Climate Commitment Campaign has asked each of the mayoral candidates to commit to funding and implementing climate action in the city, starting with the city’s ambitious TransformTO plan. To date, 6 candidates have signed the pledge: Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Olivia Chow, Josh Matlow, D!onne Renée, Jeffery Tunney and Kiri Vadivelu. 

Other groups have also worked to create resources to help voters choose a candidate who will make progress on climate issues. Check out our colleagues’ work!

In the last few days leading up to the election, we encourage you to help spread the word, get out the vote, and keep the climate in mind as you cast your ballot. Here are some ways you can help:

  • If you haven’t already cast a ballot, vote on election day, Monday, June 26th. Details are available here.
  • If you support a candidate, consider volunteering your time, taking a lawn or window sign, or donating to their campaign. The last few days of a campaign are always busy, it’s never too late to start helping out!
  • Share this message with friends and family, and encourage like-minded friends, relatives and neighbours to vote. Call 5 friends and invite them to vote with you! Share information on candidates’ climate commitments. Voting can be a fun, positive and social action to do together!

We also appreciate all of you who spread the word on social media. Please use the hashtags #ClimateMayor and #TransformTO so we can find your message. Here are some sample tweets to get your creativity working:

  • June 26th is Election Day in #Toronto. This is our chance for a mayor who understands that we need real action to protect everyone who lives in the City from the worst impacts of climate change.  Every vote counts.  Grab a friend and lets get a #ClimateMayor elected!
  • On June 26th, #Toronto heads back to the polls to elect our next Mayor.  This is our chance for a Mayor that understands we need to invest in our city & everyone who lives here.  Every vote counts.  For information on voting visit: http://bit.ly/3NMlTlm #ClimateMayor
  • #Toronto: June 26th we get to vote for a candidate that is serious about taking action for a better, more livable city for everyone!  Every vote counts.  For information on voting visit: http://bit.ly/3NMlTlm #ClimateMayor
  • Toronto needs a Mayor who knows the changing climate impacts all of us. It affects housing, affordability, health & transportation. Investing in #TransformTO is an investment in Toronto’s future. Every vote counts. For voting info visit: http://bit.ly/3NMlTlm #ClimateMayor
  • Toronto needs a mayor who can see the big picture & won’t shy away from working towards solutions and is committed to funding #TransformTO On June 26th, vote for the candidate who will take action! Every vote counts. For voting info visit: http://bit.ly/3NMlTlm #ClimateMayor

Above all, remember to VOTE! 
 
CALLS TO ACTION
Oppose Further Development of Fossil Gas Infrastructure in Ontario

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) recently released new contracts to expand its natural gas system in Southern Ontario. Their six contracts include new construction of gas plants in Windsor and St. Clair township and increased generation at plants throughout the GTA. City councils should have the authority to block these projects according to their constituents’ will, but in some cases the provincial government has moved to bypass municipal approval and install these outdated, polluting plants in spite of local opposition. Groups including the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA) and Environmental Defence are working to mobilize citizens and halt this move. 

Contact the provincial government via OCAA
Contact the federal government via OCAA
Sign the petition from Environmental Defence
Stop the flow of finances into the oil and gas industry

Even as the impacts of climate change become harder and harder to ignore, most private banks and financial institutions continue to support the production and burning of fossil fuels. Environmental groups are taking aim at these funding sources: Greenpeace Canada has launched a campaign calling on the federal government to enact banking regulations to ensure banks’ practices align with our national emissions targets, while a petition from EKO calls on bank directors to take action themselves, in advance of an international meeting of financial leaders scheduled for the end of this month.

Write to your MP via Greenpeace
Sign the EKO petition
Have your say on transportation in the Greater Golden Horseshoe
 

A coalition of Ontario municipalities is currently conducting a survey to help determine its transport priorities in and around the GTA over the next several years. It’s important that they hear from those who use public transit and active transportation. The deadline to complete the survey is June 25th.
 
More info & complete the survey
Call for a ban on fossil fuel advertising in Canada 

Since last year, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) has been campaigning for a federal ban on advertising of fossil fuels and related products (such as gasoline-powered vehicles). Ads from oil and gas companies, and from organizations representing them such as Pathways Alliance, present misleading information, exaggerating their emissions-reduction efforts while downplaying the dangers of their products. All Canadians, health workers and laypeople alike, are invited to sign on in support of their campaign
Learn more & sign the petition 
EVENTS
Day of Action: Canada is Burning

June 28, 2023, Various times
Various locations

350 Canada is coordinating a nationwide day of action in response to the recent wildfires. Rallies and events will be held across Canada to demand an end to fossil fuel subsidies and a rapid transition to 100% renewable energy.
Learn more & find an event near you
Youth Environmental Leaders: Personal Branding and Storytelling Workshop

June 28, 2023, 6:00-9:00pm
Impact Hub Ottawa, 123 Slater St, 6th Floor, Ottawa

GreenPAC, in collaboration with Ecology Ottawa and Environtastic, will host a 3 hour in person course on effective communication. The workshop is intended for young people who are interested and/or active in environmental politics.
More info & registration 
City of Toronto community environment days
 

Various Dates, June-September
Various locations

ReduceWasteTO has spearheaded a program with the City of Toronto to help reduce the amount of reusable or recyclable waste going to landfills. In 2023, the city will host 45 Community Environment Days at various locations. If you have any books, sports equipment, clothing, electronics, or household hazardous waste, bring them to a Community Environment Day near you.
 
More info & find an event near you
 
 
NEWS
The World Has Officially Surpassed the Infamous 1.5 Degree Warming Benchmark
 

For the first time, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service recorded a temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. According to the 2015 Paris Agreement, a rise in temperatures greater than 1.5 degrees Celsius could cause significant ramifications for the human way of life including increased numbers of severe weather events, famines, and mass displacement. In early June, the EUCCS recorded unseasonably warm temperatures that brought the global temperature increase to 1.5C. The temperature increase will need to remain above 1.5 for 20 years before the signing nations have breached the Paris Agreement, and temperatures have since dropped. Nevertheless, the ominous milestone reminds us that there is a long and treacherous road ahead in our battle against climate change.

Read the Toronto Star Article
Torontonians Successfully Delay Plans to Burn City Waste
 

Toronto environmental activists successfully delayed the city’s plans to burn waste. Toronto produces 450,000 tonnes of garbage each year and it is all sent to a landfill roughly 200 kms outside of the city. It is expected that the landfill will reach maximum capacity by 2035 and city council was recently considering burning contents of the landfill to free up more space. Environmentalists were concerned that the city’s plans would contribute to worsening air quality and further climate change. At a vote on June 14th, Toronto City Council voted to delay their plans and consider safer alternatives. However, they have yet to abandon the idea altogether.

Read the National Observer article
Doug Ford Continues to Deny the Link Between Canada’s Wildfires and Climate Change
 

Doug Ford refused to accept that Canada’s destructive wildfires are connected to climate change during a question period in early June. When asked by NDP Leader Marit Stiles whether Ford believes the climate crisis is making Ontario’s fire season worse, the Premier outright objected. He instead claimed that the fires were caused primarily by lightning strikes and poorly regulated campfires. Furthermore, the Premier’s minister of natural resources recently announced plans to increase the burning of biomass energy (wood), toting it as a greener alternative to fossil fuels. This new plan will, in fact, exacerbate Ontario’s struggle with forest fires.

Read the CBC article
Read the Toronto Star article
 
RESOURCES

Read analyses of the federal government’s proposed Sustainable Jobs Act by Seth Klein and Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood

Watch the Canadian Climate Institute’s panel discussion on Indigenous leadership in climate research and policy

Read the explainer from The Narwhal detailing and correcting misinformation surrounding the recent wildfires across Canada.

The role of nuclear energy in addressing the climate crisis is a contentious issue - learn more about the pro-nuclear power side’s argument in Oliver Stone’s recent documentary Nuclear Now.
 

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and mail c/o Lyn Adamson
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