Item 8.10 Additional Information May 4, 2020 Council Meeting

From: Jane Mcarthur Sent: Friday, May 01, 2020 10:31 AM To: clerks < clerks@citywindsor.ca> Subject: Comment on Acceleration of Measures in Light of Climate Emergency Declaration

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RE: Acceleration of Measures in Light of Climate Emergency Declaration

Please accept the following as my comments regarding the Acceleration of Measures in Light of Climate Emergency Declarations.

It remains of critical importance that cities continue to act on climate. In fact, it is all the more important in light of COVID19 given what the virus and actions taken to address it has brought out in terms of the need for systemic measures. These measures must recognize the wholeness of health relationships.

The efforts for climate action and the interrelated environmental justice issues can and should be incorporated into the government’s COVID19 response efforts.

Cities that are at the forefront of climate action are going to be better placed to get infrastructure and funding from other levels of government during the post-COVID recovery. This will be of benefit to maximize the efforts that will contribute to overall community health in the short and long term.

I would invite you to consider this a key moment for the application of the preacutuonary principle. The precautionary principle states that “When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically”. The precautionary principle is good public health.

Environmental health advocates have long argued for the application of the precautionary principle in the face of threats to human health stemming from exogenous exposures. "The precautionary principle is meant to ensure that the public good is represented in all decisions made under scientific uncertainty. When there is substantial scientific uncertainty about the risks and benefits of a proposed activity, policy decisions should be made in a way that errs on the side of caution with respect to the environment and the health of the public".

The Acceleration plan can be seen as a crucial way of taking such precautionary measures at the level of the municipality. This includes some important provisions such as ensuring that all administrative reports to council moving forward have a climate risks/climate assessment provision. Also, it would create a $150,000 Climate Reserve Fund that staff could leverage for federal grants and more.