Climate Change
Council unanimously passed the following resolution at their meeting on October 7, 2019.
WHEREAS human-generated climate change is an indisputable, scientifically proven reality, and
WHEREAS climate change affects everyone, with northerners particularly susceptible to its impacts, and
WHEREAS greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel combustion is a leading cause of climate change, and
WHEREAS it’s up to everyone to respond to the challenge of climate change and all citizens of the City of Dawson are encouraged to find ways to do, and continuing doing, their part in reducing their environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Dawson Council directs the following:
As part of the upcoming budget-planning process, the CAO determines the municipality’s annual fuel consumption, in litres, and advise how the City of Dawson will reduce that number by at least 3% in 2020 and track the financial savings.
As part of the upcoming budget-planning process, the CAO determines the municipality’s annual electricity consumption and advise how the City of Dawson will reduce that number by at least 3% in 2020 and track the financial savings.
As part of the upcoming budget-planning process, the CAO prioritizes at least one of Council’s climate-change ideas generated as part of the climate-strategy planning process and ensure it is in the 2020 budget presented to Council.
That any municipal carbon-tax rebates received from, at a minimum, 2020 to 2025 be directed to a reserve fund with the express purpose of paying for municipal initiatives aimed at limiting environmental impacts and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and that the CAO advise before September 30, 2020, on how that money will be accessed by departments.
That managers continue the practice of calculating carbon emissions in lifecycle costing of vehicle purchases.
That from now on, authors of briefing notes to Council consider, to the best of their ability, climate and environmental impacts and include that information in the “implications” or “analysis” section of those briefing notes.
That before March 31, 2020, the CAO advises on reasonable changes to the Procurement Policy that would give preference to contractors and service providers who limit greenhouse gas emissions and have a demonstrated commitment to green business practices.
That before March 31, 2020, the CAO and managers complete the FCM climate-adaption maturity scale tool and the greenhouse gas emissions reduction maturity scale and report the results back to Council.
That the City of Dawson continue to be a willing and engaged partner in implementing the Yukon’s Climate Change Strategy.
That water coolers be removed from all City of Dawson buildings and compost-collection containers be introduced.
That the Mayor write a letter to the Yukon Government Community Services Minister (and forward it to Council) on the first of every month until petroleum hydrocarbon containers are included in the Designated Material Regulations and petroleum products are considered as an item for Extended Producer Responsibility.