Mayor says Castlegar poised to be green leader in BC
By Castlegar Source
Mayor Lawrence Chernoff says Castlegar has much to offer the B.C. Mayors Climate Leadership Council, despite being the second-smallest participating municipality. This, after, the group of mayors from across the province met with Environment Minister Terry Lake during the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference. “It’s all about sharing best practices – you can do that on any scale,” Chernoff said. “What we do in Castlegar is effective – water meters, rain barrels, composters, smart lights and so on. We can all contribute, and Castlegar has. “The big cities do it on a larger scale, but we are leaders, too, in that we can mentor other communities with the projects we’ve piloted here at home.” Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Ida Chong and Parliamentary Secretary for Clean Technology John Yap also attended the annual breakfast meeting of the BC Mayors Climate Leadership Council at the UBCM. They heard of the many projects and initiatives underway in the province that are reshaping communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also driving growth in the green economy. “It is important for local government leaders to step up and provide the leadership that is necessary to drive change at the local level,” said Dawson Creek Mayor Mike Bernier, co-chair of the Council. “As we do the work in our communities we will also need to have support of the Provincial Government if we are to truly build sustainable communities.” Fellow co-chair Mayor Richard Walton, of the District of North Vancouver, conveyed the desire of many in the room that the province continue to drive change through strong policies that address the variety of issues related to climate change. “Now is not the time to change course and back away from the progress that has been made over the last half dozen years,” said Walton. “Some local governments are concerned that there appears to be less emphasis on initiatives and policies that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency so we were pleased to hear the province and the UBCM will continue to move forward on the principles established under the Climate Action Charter.” The BC Mayor’s Climate Leadership Council is made up of Mayors representing cities and towns from every corner of the province and representing 23 per cent of the province’s population. All of them are members of the Community Energy Association and have been recognized for their award winning initiatives. The mayors have committed to mentoring other mayors, councillors and regional directors on climate action.
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