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MEMORANDUM

Date: October 23, 2000

To: Mayor & Council
cc: City Manager; City Clerk
From: Domenic Losito, Chair, Special Office for the Environment
Re: Municipal Leaders' Resolution on Climate Change

Recently the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, through John Hachey, Chair of the Partners for Climate Protection Program, asked Council to endorse a Municipal Leaders' Resolution on Climate Change. As one of the charter members of the Partners for Climate Protection Program, Vancouver is being asked to join hundreds of other Canadian municipalities in urging the Federal government to ratify the Kyoto protocol, which would commit Canada to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012.

Staff is putting the finishing touches to a Climate Change Action Plan, which should be ready for Council's review in early 2001. Building on the early work of Clouds of Change, the Action Plan will propose reduction targets for "corporate" (City's own emissions) and community-wide emissions that are in line with the Kyoto protocol. More importantly, the Action Plan will establish a program to ensure the City meets or exceeds the targets it adopts.

The question is often raised by Council - "What exactly is the Federal government doing to promote climate protection at the local level?" We have seen some positive signs in the form of the Green Municipal Enabling Fund (GMEF) and the Green Municipal Investment Fund (GMIF) but more is needed. The FCM hopes to send that message to federal and provincial governments through this Municipal Leaders' Resolution.

The Chair of the Special Office of the Environment therefore recommends that Council endorses the Municipal Leaders Statement on Climate Change and that the City Clerk fax the signed resolution to the FCM by November 3, 2000.

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver