{"id":1552,"date":"2007-02-21T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2007-02-21T16:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=1552"},"modified":"2013-01-21T13:48:44","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T18:48:44","slug":"is-city-halls-climate-change-buzz-for-real","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2007\/02\/21\/is-city-halls-climate-change-buzz-for-real\/","title":{"rendered":"Is City Hall’s climate change buzz for real?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Spacing is happy to have Keith Stewart <\/em>join the Spacing Wire team. Keith<\/em> <\/em>spent many years keeping tabs on City Hall as a key member of the Toronto Environmental Alliance<\/em>. He’ll write periodically on climate change issues in Toronto.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
\nThe buzz on climate change may yet turn out to be more than just hype. Not only do we have it percolating through both the city’s arts community (see Coach House’s GreenTopia project) and the city’s establishment (see next week’s Toronto City Summit Alliance<\/a> confab), but if enough citizens stay angry long enough, we might just see a decent community climate plan make its way through 100 Queen West.<\/p>\n

Talking green on climate change may be all the rage, yet breaking through the active inertia of the carbon status quo is never easy. But the City of Toronto’s Parks and Environment Committee may have just pulled off an interesting bit of policy judo as they kicked off their climate plan.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, politicians respond to political pressure for action by asking staff to write a report on what can be done. This report is watered down internally until there is nothing left that anyone could conceivably object to — and hence nothing interesting, creative, or terribly effective — before it goes to a Committee of Council. Then eco-activists jump up and down and say it’s not good enough and try to draw out a few extra crumbs.<\/p>\n

This time, the new Parks and Environment Committee (with Mr. Get-it-Done Deputy Mayor Pantalone in attendance) asked the green policy wonks and dreamers in for a public conversation on what could be done if we really tried. This sets the bar a little higher, creating room for the staff and pols who really want good things to happen.<\/p>\n

Most of the ideas centred around re-shaping the city’s built form — its streets, sidewalks, buildings, energy and transit systems — and greening the basic services the city already delivers — transit, energy, waste and water management, parks, health…. Cyclist will be happy to hear that decent long distance bike lanes (separated from traffic, even if it takes lanes away from cars) was #1 on Medical Officer of Health Dave McKeown’s Top 10 recommendations. Hopefully they’ll post the presentations somewhere on the City web-site.<\/p>\n

I walked away from a Council committee meeting feeling optimistic for the first time since… well, ever.<\/p>\n

Now it’s all about keeping the political heat on Council and moving it out into the culture if we are to be successful in getting Toronto to do its bit to turn down the heat on the planet. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n


\n<\/em><\/p>\n

photo by Bouke Salverda<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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