Declaration of Citizens Right to a Healthy Environment. Presented to Prince George City Council Monday May 25, 2015

Transcription

1 Declaration of Citizens Right to a Healthy Environment Presented to Prince George City Council Monday May 25, 2015

2 Initiated by The David Suzuki Foundation Over the past 50 years, the right to a healthy environment has gained recognition faster than any other human right.

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4 What is the Blue Dot Movement? Enact Legislation to declare citizens right to healthy environment including; Breathing Fresh Air, Drinking Clean water, Consuming Safe food. Supporters all across Canada

5 The Plan Step 1 Canadians calling upon their local communities to enact a municipal declaration of their citizens right to a healthy environment Step 2 Provinces to follow suit and pass environmental bill of rights Step 3 Amending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to recognize citizens right to a healthy environment, once 7 out of 10 Provinces representing more than 50% of the population have passed an environmental bill of rights

6 50 Municipal Declarations as of May 2015 British Columbia Richmond Vancouver Port Coquitlam Burnaby Victoria New Westminister Port Moody Squamish Capital Regional District Whistler Lytton Comox Saanich Ladysmith North Cowichan Duncan Central Saanich Sidney North Saanich Cumberland Bowen Island Islands Trust Keremeos Tofino Highlands Sooke Queen Charlotte View Royal Ucluelet Courtenay

7 50 Municipal Declarations as of May 2015 Elsewhere in Canada Montreal, QC Yellowknife, NWT Hamilton, ON The Pas, MB Municipalité d Austin, QC Whitemouth, MB Dunnottar, MB Boucherville, QC Westmount, QC Saint-Basile-le-Grand, QC Kawartha Lakes, ON Richmond Hill, ON Hudson, QC Saint-Bruno-De-Montarville, QC Whitehorse, YT Erin, ON Ajax, ON St Joseph, ON King, ON Gatineau, QC

8 Declaration - Preamble Prince George is a green city with healthy habitat and forests, and a strong environmental consciousness, led by government and local organizations that demonstrate sustainable practices.

9 Declaration Intent The intent of the declaration is; To coincide with existing City of Prince George policies and intiatives such as the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (AKA mypg), the Official Community Plan, the Climate Action Plan, Air Improvement Roundtable Phase III, etc. Not to cost the City any additional money. Not to substantially increase workload of City staff.

10 September 2007, the City of Prince George signed on to the BC Climate Action Charter along with 175 other local governments, including the Regional District of Fraser Fort George. Prince George is only one of five municipalities across Canada to have achieved Milestones 4 and 5. This has been achieved with initiatives at both the corporate and community level under the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program.

11 Initiatives Prince George Workforce Intelligence Study (2014) Words Canadians most commonly use to describe Prince George One of the key findings was that Prince George is suffering from a Perception Gap, causing a stumbling block in attracting new workers.

12 City of Prince George Declaration: The Right To A Healthy Environment Whereas the City of Prince George understands that people are part of the environment, and that a healthy environment is inextricably linked to the well-being of our community; All people have the right to live in a healthy environment, including: the right to breathe clean air; the right to drink clean water; the right to consume safe food; the right to access nature; the right to know about pollutants and contaminants released into the local environment; the right to participate in decision-making that will affect the environment.

13 The City of Prince George has the responsibility, within its jurisdiction, to respect, protect, fulfill and promote these rights. The City of Prince George shall apply the precautionary principle: where threats of serious or irreversible damage to human health or the environment exist, the municipality shall take cost effective measures to ensure that the right to a healthy environment is always considered when decisions are made. The City of Prince George shall commit to the use of the best and latest available science to ensure that the right to a healthy environment is protected and always considered when decisions are made.

14 The City of Prince George shall continue to improve upon and include in the community s long term integrated sustainability plan and the Official Community Plan, clear objectives, targets with timelines and actions that will be taken, within its jurisdiction, to fulfill residents right to a healthy environment, including priority actions to: a) Ensure infrastructure and development projects protect the environment, including air quality; b) Ensure the City of Prince George continues to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing adaptation measures; c) Ensure responsible growth and development throughout the City and where possible consider compact energy efficient infill development to improve population density and to maximize the use of existing infrastructure; d) Prioritize walking, cycling and public transit as preferred modes of transportation;

15 e) Ensure adequate infrastructure for the provision of safe and accessible drinking water; f) Encourage a culture of and access to local, healthy foods; g) Develop resiliency and be best prepared to handle environmental processes (e.g. wildfire); h) Continue to work with the Regional District of Fraser Fort George to reduce solid waste production and promote recycling and composting; i) Establish and maintain accessible green spaces in all residential neighbourhoods; j) Include the municipality s progress on fulfilling residents rights to a healthy environment in the City s annual public report. The City of Prince George shall review the objectives, targets, timelines and actions every five (5) years, and evaluate progress towards fulfilling this declaration.

16 Environment, economy and society share in equal importance

17 Prince George A Healthy Environment