Climate Solutions Begin At Home

Rolly Montpellier | Feb 01, 2023

The December 21, 2022 edition of the Frontenac News reported on a plan by Councillors John Inglis and Roy Huetl for the creation of a Climate Change Task Force. Unfortunately, the plan “didn’t get much traction” said the Frontenac News at the time. They were “instructed to meet with interested individuals and bring back information.”

Inglis followed up with his January 25 editorial where he repeated the need for the municipality to explore options to tackle climate change at the local level. Hundreds of municipalities across Canada have declared a climate emergency and some, including Ottawa (where I now live)  and Gatineau, have also adopted the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As a former resident of Plevna (until August 2022) I recall the heavy opposition mounted by some against the installation of clean energy wind turbines back in 2015. But times are different now. We can no longer look the other way.

During 2023 the Canadian government will be adopting climate policies for the capping of emissions, increasing the number of Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) manufacturers must sell, Clean Electricity and improvements to Carbon Pricing.  

As Inglis points out in his op-ed, doing nothing is not an option. The impacts of a worsening climate are upon us. All of us remember the violent windstorm (a derecho) that hit North Frontenac at the end of May and of course the extreme weather British Columbians have had to endure in the last few years – heat dome, flooding, atmospheric rivers, wildfires.

I commend the North Frontenac council for taking a progressive approach on climate. All municipalities, both large and small, have a role to play. As Inglis writes, “A multitude of tiny actions creates a large action.”

And also, a special thanks to Frontenac News for reporting the beginnings of climate action in North Frontenac.

Nobody can sit this one out. All of us alive today will be dealing with climate change for the rest of our lives. And we have the solutions but we just don’t have time to wait. 

Rolly Montpellier