Join the world in a local march for climate change on Sunday

SooToday has received the following notice from Robert Rattle, local climate change action advocate. A news release on the same topic from Sault MPP David Orazietti follows Robert Rattle's notice.

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On November 29, 2015 at 1p.m. (lasting roughly 1-2 hours), residents of Sault Ste. Marie and area will meet at City Hall and march down our waterfront boardwalk to the Mill Market to send a message that the time for action on climate change is now. 

We will be one voice among thousands marching throughout the world. 

So bundle up Sault Ste. Marie and bring your enthusiasm, posters, voices, musical instruments, and a genuine desire for change! 

Join us!  Everyone welcome!

• 1 p.m. - Meet at City Hall
• 1 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Welcome, Speakers, Drumming/Dance, Group Picture on City Hall steps
• 1:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. - March from City Hall to the Mill Market
• (All participants are welcome to join us in the Mill Market after the march for a free concert from the bands Tiller and Crossroad Magdalenes)

1. It'll be fun. Event organizers are filling the march with music, dancing, costumes, speakers and good energy.
2. You’ll be part of a global event. The Sault's march on November 29 is one of 60 marches in major cities and capitals around the world. Well over 2,200 other smaller events, including more than 70 across Canada, are also taking place on November 29.
3. Our friends in Paris have passed the torch to us. After the recent tragic events in Paris, the massive Global Climate March planned for that city has been cancelled for security reasons. This was going to be the flagship event to show the world that we need strong commitments and an action plan from the UN meetings. Now that the Paris march has been cancelled, organizers are looking to people around the world to make strong showings at local events to highlight the global significance of these meetings.
4. It's not last year.  In so many ways!!  
5. This is about climate change.  Perhaps the biggest challenge we as a species have had to confront...ever. 

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Orazietti says Ontario leading the way with climate change strategy

Sault residents showing support with climate change march on Sunday

Sault Ste. Marie – This week’s government of Ontario’s release of Ontario’s Climate Change Strategy is another positive step in securing a prosperous, low-carbon society where greenhouse gas reduction is part of our growth, efficiency and productivity, announced David Orazietti, MPP.

“Climate change is not a distant threat, it is already costing the people of Ontario, particularly in the North,” said Orazietti. “We need to act now because climate change will increase the cost of food, insurance, put plants and animals at risk, and deprive our children and grandchildren of the safe environment and nature that we’ve enjoyed.”

Ontario's Climate Change Strategy outlines the steps the government will take, including:

• Introducing climate legislation that, if passed, would establish a long-term framework for action and make the cap and trade program law in Ontario
• Integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation considerations into government decision-making and infrastructure planning
• Introducing changes to government operations, procurement, employee training, building retrofits and in other areas to help government move towards carbon neutrality.
• Developing a coordinated approach to reduce emissions from new and existing buildings
• Reducing emissions from transportation by promoting the uptake of zero emission and plug-in hybrid vehicles
• The strategy also supports Ontario's proposed cap and trade program, which will help Ontario meet its emissions reduction targets, reward innovative companies and ensure that households and businesses thrive as the province transitions to a low-carbon economy.

Secondary and post-secondary students will be participating in the Sault Ste. Marie Climate March on Sunday, November 29 at 1 p.m., commencing at the Civic Centre.

This event will coincide with other marches being held around the world and marking the start of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) which will be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11. 

"From the outpouring of support we have received while organizing this march, it is evident that the citizens of Sault Ste. Marie are concerned about climate change,” said Kevin Magill, a White Pines teacher who co-organized the Sault Ste. Marie Climate March with his colleague Greg MacLauchlan. “Our goal is to send a message to our Prime Minister (and world leaders) gathering in Paris for the COP21 Conferences that the time for real, equitable action on climate change is now."

The government of Ontario will also release a detailed five-year action plan in 2016, which will include specific commitments to meet near-term 2020 emissions reduction targets, and establish the framework necessary to meet targets for 2030 and 2050.

The government will report on, and renew, its action plan every five years.

Quick facts

• Ontario has closed its last coal-fired plant which represents one of the largest greenhouse gas reductions initiatives in North America. It is equivalent to taking seven million vehicles off our roads.

• Besides having cleaner air to breathe, ending coal means we are saving the people of Ontario $4.4 billion a year in health, financial and environmental costs related to coal-based energy generation.

• COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, will aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2 degrees C.

Learn more

Learn about Climate Change by clicking on this link.