Wellington County’s planning committee has been tasked with considering climate change issues as they relate to the municipality.
County council approved a recommendation to hand the file to the committee at its Oct. 30 meeting.
Councillor Lou Maieron, who chaired the Oct. 9 planning committee meeting in the absence of Warden Chris White, reported the committee passed a motion making itself the climate change forum after hearing from Wellington Climate Change Committee (WCCC) representatives David Burns and Liz Armstrong.
The WCCC, a group of local citizens, was formed in an effort to make climate change an issue in the just-completed municipal election campaign.
Planning committee member and councillor Bruce Whale originally put forward a notice of motion at the June 25 county council meeting directing staff “to oversee the establishment of a broad-based committee to identify probable impacts of climate change and to propose a course of adaptation and remediation for Wellington County.”
The notice of motion was referred to the planning committee for review.
Maieron told county council he heard afterwards the delegates were unhappy with the decision to leave the issue in the planning committee’s hands. However, he explained, “it creates a situation where the planning committee can look at creating a subcommittee, the way we do with Green Legacy or emergency management, to handle the issue.”
Councillor Jean Innes said she felt more direct action should be taken.
“I think it’s time that we should in fact have an environmental committee – a committee of council,” said Innes, who suggested the new council look at striking a committee to consider an all-encompassing approach to environmental issues.
“I see it embracing solid waste services,” she stated.
Maieron suggested Innes put together a motion for consideration. Whale, who was unable to attend the Oct. 9 meeting, said he’s comfortable with the committee’s decision.
“We can look at things like making our buildings more resilient and able to adapt. I think it’s important,” Whale said.
Burns told the Advertiser he is pleased some action was taken. “I’m happy that the council is moving in this direction. I hope they will be inclusive in their response.”
Confusion on process
Whale noted there had been confusion over the way the original notice of motion was handled and he questioned whether it was his original notice of motion, or the motion itself that was referred to planning.
“It was the motion,” said White. “A notice of motion is just a way of warning everyone that this is coming down the pipe.”
Perhaps adding to the confusion was a statement by White at an Oct. 1 Guelph-Eramosa all-candidates meeting that, “The county, in June set up a climate change committee … which will be implemented in October and November and that will include all seven lower tier municipalities.”
The minutes of the June 26 county council meeting indicate a “notice of motion” to direct staff “to oversee the establishment of a broad-based committee to identify probable impacts of climate change and to propose a course of adaptation and remediation for Wellington County” was “referred to the planning committee for review.”
