Newmarket environmentalists are calling on the municipality to help end the proliferation of fossil fuels by signing a treaty.
Representatives from Climate Action Newmarket-Aurora pitched the idea to council June 24, asking the town to take another step in its environmental efforts. Dozens of Canadian municipalities, including Toronto and Ottawa, have endorsed the treaty, which calls for no further expansion to the use of fossil fuels and a fair phase-out.
Group member Emily Dowdell said existing measures to address climate change have been inadequate toward achieving emissions reductions. She said this treaty is meant to complement the Paris climate change agreement.
“We really think it’s a logical next step following the climate emergency declaration,” Dowdell said. “Many of the plans fail to address fossil fuels directly and that’s why we really think this treaty is a necessary next step.”
The municipality declared a climate change emergency in 2020 and has committed to reducing its emissions by 50 per cent from a 2017 baseline by 2041. York Region has also committed to a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
But Climate Change Newmarket-Aurora said net-zero plans do not directly address fossil fuels, despite being the source for most greenhouse gas emissions. Group member Melanie Duckett-Wilson said the municipalities signing onto this is a way for Ontario to move away from gas as a primary energy source.
“Municipalities, therefore, have a role to play in this issue and the non-proliferation treaty signing would help to further that cause,” Duckett-Wilson said “Municipalities cannot even reach their net-zero energy plans without eliminating the use of of methane gas for building heating.”
The presentation suggested Newmarket could support carbon-free developments, reinstate the Newmarket environmental advisory committee and find opportunities for more low or zero-carbon solutions.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said it could be left to staff to address and report back on the ideas of the presentation.
“We appreciate you being here, and constantly, your group is raising awareness not only with the public but ourselves,” Taylor said. “Encouraging us to do more and I think that’s incredibly important. We have to constantly strive to do more.”
At least one request from the group is making progress. Council finalized the next steps for the Newmarket Energy Retrofit Program during the meeting. Years in the making, it is to have the municipality assist residents toward making energy retrofits at their homes. The municipality will apply to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to help fund this, and if successful, will negotiate with a partner to make the plan happen.
Taylor said the town also wants to update its community energy plan within this term of council.
