Dear Mr. Egli and Mr Lambiri:
Thank you both for your willingness to be our next Ward 9 city councillor. We know that the job is demanding and that there are many, often conflicting, interests seeking your time and attention. We represent numerous Ward 9 citizens who are deeply concerned about climate change.
This last May, our present City Council passed the “Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan”. This is an excellent step, but the new council now faces the task of implementing it in their 2014-2018 budget.
We are working alongside Ecology Ottawa to ask for the continued support and implementation of this plan. We feel it should be made a top priority in the budget for many reasons.
Climate change is a municipal issue. According to Ecology Ottawa research, 49% of Ottawa’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings and 40% from transportation, both of which are managed by the city.
Climate change is a health issue, involving increased risk of asthma and respiratory conditions. The city can begin to address this through better public transit and improved conditions for cycling and walking. Indirectly, this will relieve pressure on our health care system.
Climate change is a business issue, a moral issue, and a personal issue. It impacts our economy, our health and our day-to-day lives. A Canada 2020 poll found that 76% of Canadians are either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ concerned about global warming. This figure would suggest that 600,000 people in Ottawa would have such concerns.
Our group will be encouraging such people to share these concerns with you. We appreciate your responses to questions and comments that readers might make below.
Thank you for supporting climate change action in the City of Ottawa.
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