Group brings climate to election forefront
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/09/2022 (1244 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A recently formed local environmental group that wants to make climate change a municipal election issue encourages voters to contact candidates to make the issue a priority for city council.
Members of the Sustainable Brandon Initiative urge voters to call or email candidates. Group member Madelyn Robinson said the election is a chance to let candidates know there are many citizens who believe climate change is a serious issue.
“Any chance we can get to let people know that we need to do something is good,” Robinson said, adding she hopes candidates respond by indicating they also take the issue seriously and make it part of their campaign.
The call to action for voters was formally made yesterday during one of the regular Fridays for Future climate strikes organized by the Knox United Church’s Green Team. Protesters carrying signs were at the corner of 18th Street and Victoria Avenue to draw attention to the need to act on climate change now, Robinson said.
The Sustainable Brandon Initiative is a relatively new group, formed about a year ago, and has about 30 members, Robinson said. The group said it wants the City of Brandon to do more to address climate change.
Robinson said they’re encouraged by the fact the city is currently drafting a 30-year climate change action plan intended to guide its policies as it tries to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“But it’s only as good as the policies that are driven by it, right?” she said. “And since the councillors are our government, our local city government are the ones that drive the policy, then we need them to be aware that this is an issue that we’re concerned about.”
Robinson said municipalities have the power to address climate change through such things as establishing a good public transit system, or by creating space for people to cycle or walk to their destinations.
“All of that, of course, will reduce carbon,” she said. “These are things that can be done, and we want these things done.”
Water protection, improved drainage and reducing waste are other ways the city can fight climate change, said the group, which also noted it wants candidates to know that voters support actions they take to address climate change.
» ihitchen@brandonsun.com