AUGUST 2025

This ClimateFast newsletter shares information about the Climate Crisis that may interest our readers, but does not necessarily reflect the views of ClimateFast as an organization, nor those of its members. If you have an event or resource you would like to share, please send it to newsletter@climatefast.ca.

PLEASE NOTE: this newsletter may be truncated when you receive it; click on 'view entire message' at bottom to see the full document.

CLIMATE VOTING RECORDS TORONTO WEBSITE

Update on the Air Conditioner Pilot Program for Low-Income Seniors (2025.IE21.10). “The pilot program will focus on those with self-identified medical problems associated with extreme heat to provide portable air conditioners."

Find the VR site at votingrecords.climatefast.ca  |     Follow us on Instagram @climatefastaction

WARDS PROJECT UPDATE

A Climate-Misinformation organization to watch out for!
There is a nationwide organization called “KICLEI” which stands for “Kicking International Council Out of Local Environment Initiatives” that is spreading dangerous climate denialism and delay-ism under the guise of calling for “local autonomy”. 

Using AI and other tools, “KICLEI” is influencing city and town councils across the country to water down and in some cases outright cancel their climate and sustainability goals. They are having some success. Thorold recently pulled out of its climate protection program and other places are questioning theirs. This is a disturbing trend.  

The name “KICLEI” is a play on the name of a progressive International NGO called ICLEI (originally the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives and now referred to as Local Governments for Sustainability). According to ICLEI’s website, its mandate is to help municipalities with sustainability policies and help drive “local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development."  The website is truly an inspiration in the realm of international cooperation and is worth visiting: https://icleicanada.org/about-iclei/

If you want more info on the people behind “KICLEI” and the climate misinformation they spread, you can find them easily online or you can read the following article to get an idea of what they are up to: https://www.desmog.com/2025/05/28/a-weaponized-ai-chatbot-is-flooding-
canadian-city-councils-with-climate-misinformation

Upcoming TABLING ACTIVITIES 

Recent ACTIVITIES 

       CF @ Enviro Day Regent Pk July 19 | CF @ Enviro Day Beaches-EY July 13  | CF making banners July 2

SAY NO TO ONTARIO'S BILL 5!

From the Green Party of Ontario:

Doug Ford’s government has passed Bill 5 — a dangerous law that guts protections for endangered species, creates lawless zones for insider developers, and violates the constitutional rights of Indigenous nations.

Bill 5 will fast-track destructive development without full environmental assessments or public input. It threatens our water, wildlife, and democratic rights... click here to tell Premier Ford to rescind the bill.

From Environmental Defence:

Bill 5 gives the Premier’s friends special permission to ignore all provincial and municipal laws, including those that protect our farms, forests, wetlands and endangered wildlife.

No guardrails. No accountability. Just the Premier and his friends bulldozing their way across our province. Sign to rescind Bill 5.

From the Wildlands League: 

 As Trump threatens us, Ford’s response is to grab Trump-like powers by gutting protections for vulnerable wildlife, fast tracking mining and development projects, trampling Indigenous rights, silencing local voices and creating law-free zones for trusted proponents or areas as designated by Cabinet.  

Even though Bill 5, received Royal Assent on June 5, the fight continues. We know Ford is vulnerable when the people are united and speak up for what’s right.  

The Premier is taking us down a dangerous deregulation path. We must stand up for vulnerable wildlife and for each other.
 
Wildlands League is calling for the repeal of Bill 5. Tell your MPP to say no to Bill 5.

From Water Watchers:

Doug Ford’s latest legislation, Bill 5, is the next step in his ongoing assault through massive omnibus bills to dismantle decades of environmental protections. Posed as a response to Trump tariffs and the need for economic growth, this bill is actually about cutting corners and silencing the voices of those who stand to protect the lands and waters we rely on.

This bill is about giving his government sweeping powers to push through projects without proper oversight.

Bill 5 allows Ford to bypass the Greenbelt Act, and make it easier for destructive developments to move ahead without full environmental assessments or meaningful public input. It weakens Indigenous consultation, threatens our water sources, and jeopardizes local farmland and wildlife.

Add your name to the call to stop Bill 5

See more on Bill 5 in "Resources" below ...

From the Draw the Line website:

We refuse to stand by while the government and Canada’s richest corporations hoard wealth, gut our public services, fuel climate collapse, attack migrants, exploit Indigenous lands, and prop up a genocide.

They think that if they can overwhelm and divide us, we won’t fight back. But climate justice, migrant justice, economic justice, Indigenous rights, and anti-war movements are uniting to prove them wrong.

On Saturday, September 20, we’re drawing the line— for people, for peace, for the planet.

From rallies to strikes, marches to gatherings, this September 20, communities will mobilize across the country and demand that Prime Minister Carney and the Canadian government pick a side: injustice, violence, and climate destruction— or a just and safe future for all of us. 

Rally to Repeal Bill 5

When: August 21; 5 - 6 pm

Where:  East Lynn Farmers' Market (near Woodbine Stn)

Who: Instigated by the Green Party with support of For Our Kids, SCAN!, TERRE, Citizens Climate Lobby, ClimateFast and others

What else: There will be signs, flyers, petitions and face painting. And of course, the farmers' market.

All are welcome - just show up! More info here...

As part of Toronto’s waste management strategy, councillors across the city are hosting Community Environment Days for constituents. Drop off household items for donation, electronics for reuse or recycling, and household hazardous waste for proper disposal. You can find a listing of all the planned Environment Days on the  City of Toronto's website.

Excerpted from Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe, July 30, 2025

"The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark opinion this past Wednesday, stating that countries have a legal duty to protect people and ecosystems from the "urgent and existential threat" posed by climate change.

It’s true that the ruling is an advisory opinion with no legal mechanism for enforcement. However, it represents important precedent that will carry weight in other courts as litigation continues.

For example, it means that the countries most impacted by rising temperatures – typically poorer countries who’ve contributed least to the problem in the first place - may be entitled to reparations from the world's top emitters. “This ruling is a powerful tool we can use to demand that those most responsible for this climate crisis be held accountable,” said Flora Vano, Vanuatu country manager for the non-profit ActionAid. “As the planet’s weather becomes more chaotic, this ruling paves the way for the protections and reparations we desperately need to rebuild our lives and secure a just future.”

The litigation was dreamed up by law students from the Pacific island nation of Tonga in 2019. One of those students, Siosiua Veikune, was at the ICJ in the Hague this week to hear the opinion, telling the BBC, "I'm lost for words. This is so exciting. This is a win we take proudly back home to our communities."

I completely agree: this ruling is yet more proof of how ordinary people, when we use our voices, can change the world."

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