The City of Kamloops will benefit from the province’s new $76-million local government climate action program, according B.C.’s Minister of Municipal Affairs.
Speaking on the NL Morning News, Nathan Cullen, says it it because Kamloops approved its Community Climate Action Plan last year, which incidentally happened on June 29, the hottest day ever in Kamloops history, when the mercury hit 47.3 C.
Cullen says after the fires and floods in B.C. over the past year, the existence of climate change is no longer up for debate.
“You can’t debate in the Fraser Valley that our weather has changed. You can’t debate in places like Kamloops or where I live in the far north where it’s five degrees and foggy this morning and it’s March 1st,” he said. “Things have changed and communities that step and step out in front are the ones that will be rewarded and part of my job is to encourage the ones that aren’t.”
“I don’t have to do any of that encouragement in Kamloops, folks are leaders there and know what this is about and are going to take advantage of it.”
Cullen says already having that plan puts Kamloops in a good place for when the money shows up, through critics – including Kamloops North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar – say those details remain vague.
“It is an incredibly smart thing for communities to do, not just because the issue matters,” Cullen added.
“I was through Kamloops with my family this summer and it was hot, it’s a challenge right? How do we protect our seniors? How do we make sure people stay safe? So, getting out in front of it, essentially as Kamloops has done, is incredible.”
Speaking at a press conference Monday morning, Councillor Arjun Singh says he’s excited by this new funding for B.C. communities.
“None of this climate work is particularly easy but there is a massive opportunity for us to all work together across government, across political parties, a whole society approach,” he said.
“Plans are one thing but you have to start investing in those plans and putting them into budgets and we are actually in the City of Kamloops looking at putting a budget line in for climate which we’ve never done before. So, it is a pretty exciting time to be working with our provincial colleagues, our federal colleagues to make sure that we are all meeting this moment.”
By adopting the Community Climate Action Plan, Singh says the City is hoping to do its part to meet the goals set out by the Paris Climate Accord in 2016 by reducing emissions by 80 per cent by the year 2050.
“And I would note that I think there is an increasing ambition on the part of local government to really lean into this work as there is obviously at the province and at the federal level,” he added.
In all, Cullen says the government is investing $1.2-billion in new funding towards Clean BC as part of this year’s budget, adding to the $2.3-billion already budgeted for in the past.
“We are all inspired by the leadership local governments have shown in protecting people in communities from climate change and the steps they continue to take,” Cullen said. “I know that many local governments have big ambitions to fight climate change and the province is here to support those goals and to in fact, amplify their work.
“We know that the only way we’ll reach our climate goals is if we work together. This new program was developed with input from the climate solutions council, including representatives from rural and urban regions, and the UBCM.”
– With files from Jeff Andreas and Bill Cowen
