Dear ClimateFast friends,
Many of you attended our last session on input to the Ontario climate action plan. We wonder: did they use any of our ideas? We will find out soon! The provincial climate action plan has just been released.
Be part of upcoming events calling for URGENT climate action! Scroll down for details on Dec 7 #Fridaysforfuture student #ClimateStrike on December 7th, 12 noon at Queen’s Park and forum at 1 pm on December 8th at 60 Lowther Ave. - calling for a bold climate action plan for Ontario and Canada.
Now that the plan has been released there will be a 60 day comment period - conveniently planned to run right through the holidays! We believe this will be a very important time to hold meetings with MPPs, send letters to the editor, and participate in other actions that underline the importance of an ambitious and meaningful climate action plan for Ontario. Join us December 8th to respond!
If you missed our What's needed in a climate action plan for Ontario event - don't miss
this recording
(credit Betty Muir) of Nancy Palardy's presentation.
It’s an informative and brilliant talk. As manager of the Climate Change program she outlines urgency, carbon pricing, targets, the UK model and adaptation. She addresses Ontario’s fossil fuel subsidies at the 14 minute. And then sign
this petition
to support the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario.
We are pleased to have entered
more than 500 of your petition signatures in the House,
via opposition MPPs, calling
for a meaningful climate action plan for Ontario
- that will do our part of keeping worldwide temperature rise under1.5 degrees C. We know how extremely important it is that temperature rise is kept under 1.5 degrees because of the most recent
IPCC report
.This report gives us just 12 years to turn around from the fossil fuel economy to a renewable one. That’s a very short time frame - and the
UN Secretary General gives us just 2 years
to make a significant start on that path. Just today medical professionals launched the
Lancet Countdown
on impacts on health was launched. We are going to need to keep the pressure on in order to see urgent climate action happen!
REALLY IMPORTANT DATES IN DECEMBER!
Friday December 7th, 12 noon at Queen’s Park - School climate Strike! (#fridaysforfuture). This is the Canadian launch of a recurring student climate strike started by Greta Thunberg in Sweden. Speakers will be youth. Hear this video of Zoe Keary-Metzner speaking at our April rally about the importance of youth engagement. We will have some music. Family friendly event. We invite folks to come at 9:30 am to 60 Lowther Ave to make signs and learn songs. From there we’ll leave to walk together to Q. Park, processing along Bloor St, leafletting at the ROM and talking to folks as we head to Q. Park - or meet us there at 12 noon. Afterward we’ll go to the Donnelly building nearby for lunch and hot chocolate (bring lunch or buy there) and a debrief. The next school climatestrike will be held on Friday January 11th - we need to plan ahead.
Facebook Event Page: https://bit.ly/2FGPBaB
Twitter: @TOClimatefuture
Please sign up if you can come December 7th! Eventbrite link: https://bit.ly/2Q2iJxF
For more info and to get involved: contact Anne Keary,
fridaysforfuture@climatefast.ca
We can send posters and organizing materials! Please help us to build this event!
Saturday December 8th 1 - 3 PM Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave. Organizing meeting!
CLIMATE EMERGENCY - what’s with our provincial climate action plan? If you are outraged about following the Australia model, and paying polluters to reduce, rather than charging them to pollute, be sure to attend! We’ll have delicious treats! And hot chocolate and we’ll plan our response, how we can push for a stronger provincial climate action plan. We need to be VOCAL in our call for climate accountability and leadership in Ontario!
You will learn:
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What was the input to the consultation?
-
What is in the provincial plan?
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What can we do during the 60 day review period?
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Meetings - with MPPs -during consultation - how can we reach out to ridings around Ontario?
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Report from COP 24 in Poland - it is running from Dec 2 - 14th - we’ll have an update for you!
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And we’ll discuss other ways to push for climate action in Ontario and Canada
-
Family-friendly - we will have a kids activity table
https://www.facebook.com/events/1911274648969837/
Register at Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/2SlV0W8
For more info or to get involved: lyn@climatefast.ca
Support Environmental Commissioner of Ontario:
This government has announced its plan to close the office of the Environmental Commissioner and fold its duties into the Auditor General’s office, supposedly to ‘save money’. ClimateFast co-signed a letter from more than 20 organizations that was read in the Legislature. The campaign to save the independence of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario continues. Please sign and share this petition: https://bit.ly/2raEVqN
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dianne Saxe, and her staff, including Manager of the Climate Change program, Nancy Palardy , have been incredibly helpful in speaking at many community events and producing excellent written reports which provide information we as Ontarians need to know in order to take the urgent steps needed for a sustainable future. Losing this independent office is not acceptable.
Call your MPP- to call for a bold climate action plan - and to support the office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Calling is a very effective way to get the attention of our representatives. Even if you just leave a message, it is noted. With many new MPPs, we believe this will raise attention about the importance of restoring the ECO’s independence. For government MPPs, the message can focus on maintaining the ECO’s full authority and budget. For opposition MPPs, it can be about using every opportunity to question the purpose and consequences of the government’s actions in the Legislature and to make sure their party commits to restoring the ECO’s independence if elected in future. It’s easy find your MPPs contact info here: https://represent.opennorth.ca/demo/ (click on MPP name to see phone numbers). Read this for more information on the importance of this independent environmental watchdog.
Tell Senators to Pass Bill C-69 – Canada’s Environmental Laws Need Your Help
Don't let Senators be misled by the oil and gas industry. Bill C-69 is balanced and makes some critical fixes to Canada’s broken environmental laws. Send your letter here.
OTHER EVENTS IN DECEMBER!
Saturday Dec 1st - planning meeting for Community Futures project - 1:30 - 4 pm, Friends House, 60 Lowther. We’ll discuss our upcoming projects in Scarborough and Etobicoke and the larger vision of outreach to communities around Ontario next summer. Please rsvp lyn@climatefast.ca if you plan to attend.
Please note job postings for the 1 day per week Community Animator positions closes Friday November 30th , 11:59 pm.
Community Animator: Scarborough
https://www.goodwork.ca/jobs/scarborough-jobs-in-community-non-profit-organizations-49222
Community Animator: Etobicoke
https://www.goodwork.ca/jobs/environmental-jobs-in-toronto-community-non-profit-organizations-49221
Monday Dec 3rd - 7 PM- Militarism and Climate Change, presentation by Tamara Lorincz, sponsored by Science for Peace, Tamara Lorincz, PhD Student, Balsillie School for International Affairs (Wilfrid Laurier University) Monday, December 3, 2018 7-8:30 pm University College, Room 140Please register at https://war-is-not-green.eventbrite.ca/ (free admission).Organized by Science for Peace ; Tamara is an amazing speaker! And board member of Canadian Voice of women for Peace. Go if you can! It’s a contributor to climate emissions that is rarely considered.
Monday Dec 3rd Climate Reality - 24 hours of coverage, https://www.24hoursofreality.org/10 pm (Canada)
Tuesday December 4th - Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) fundraiser: Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St. W. 6 pm doors open, 7:30 show; TEA does excellent advocacy for environmental action at the city level. Come out and support! https://www.torontoenvironment.org/celebration .
Thursday Dec 6th Council of Canadians presents:
BRENT PATTERSON, well-known Canadian activist and writer for RABBLE will be speaking on
"WHAT IS TO BE DONE? THOUGHTS ON HOW ACTIVISTS CAN NAVIGATE THE CURRENT POLITICAL MOMENT" 7 - 9 p.m. Friends House, 60 Lowther Avenue (north of St. George subway station)
Free event. PYWC donations welcome.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1892797064138106/
Friday December 7th - TTCRiders Transit Trivia night - we need 2 more people for our team! $35, includes dinner, contact
lyn@climatefast.ca
if you want to join our team. Or come as an individual, $40, or sponsor others.
Transit Trivia Fundraiser
Friday December 7th, 2018
6:30-8:30pm, doors at 6pm
College Street United Church, 452 College Street
Tickets: http://www.ttcriders.ca/trivia-night-fundraiser/
Individual: $40 (discount available for TTCriders members) | Team: $180
At our trivia night, you'll have a chance to win great prizes including a $750 VIA Rail voucher , learn about our work, and meet our members. Discounts if you are a member! So join (or renew) as a TTCRidersmember. Expandedandaffordable transit is an essential component of an effective climate action plan and transit is under threat of privatization. Let’s show our solidarity with TTCRiders.
Monday December 11th, 7:30 am
Ontario Environment Minister will be speaking about our provinces new (anti) climate plan at a breakfast event sponsored by the Ontario Energy Association on December 11. It's in downtown Toronto (right across from City Hall). Arcadian Court, 8th Floor 401 Bay Street, Anyone else interested in an early morning protest? You can register here:
https://energyontario.ca/a-made-in-ontario-environment-policy/
Volunteer with ClimateFast!
We need help with media, outreach, data entry, events, film screenings, and local organizing. Email us if you can help! volunteer@climatefast.ca Our next organizing meeting is open to all who wish to volunteer to help organize our campaigns - especially the upcoming events in December. Please rsvp if you can attend on Sunday December 2nd, 6 pm so we know our numbers. If you can come early, we need help with data entry at 3 pm. If you have a laptop, bring it, or a cell phone that can be used to look up riding information. We need 3- 5 people to finish entering names into our database. Location: Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave.
EVENTS UPCOMING: We are currently working on our strategic plan. We’ll be sending a survey in mid-December to ask us your priorities - and how you’d like to be involved.
MUNICIPAL ELECTION UPDATE will follow in a future newsletter. Our hope is to set up meetings with all of the 25 newly elected (or re-elected) councillors early in 2019.
For up to date Canadian and international climate and energy news three times a week subscribe to the Energy Mix newsletter: http://theenergymix.com/ Each edition features one of Drawdown’s 100 best solutions to the climate crisis and the Energy Mix database contains 11, 000 articles - a great place to research your concerns. The latest edition starts with an article on the Quebec youth lawsuit against the Canadian government: https://theenergymix.com/2018/11/28/quebec-youth-launch-class-action-lawsuit-against-canadian-climate-response/
Interview with Bill McKibben on the Current: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/youth-would-be-better-leaders-in-fight-against-climate-change-says-veteran-environmentalist-1.4921274
Sign up for TCAN (Toronto Climate Action Network) e-newsletter, and access climate events calendar at www.tcan.ca.
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