More than 2,000 municipalities have declared a climate emergency in the last decade, but on Wednesday night, Calgary moved in the opposite direction.
More than four years after declaring a climate emergency, city council voted 10-5 to rescind the statement. Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston introduced the motion, saying he wants council to favour action over symbolism.
“It’s tied to a lot of backwards thinking. We have a climate action plan that existed before the declaration, which has done a lot of good work and flood mitigation and a lot of real actionable items. Whereas the symbolic gesture has done absolutely nothing for us,” said Johnston.
“It’s good policy to remove bad policy, and you’ll see me doing that a lot.”
Calgary city council revisits declaration of climate emergency
The 2021 declaration signalled Calgary’s support for emergency action to respond to climate change. The original motion committed the city to accelerating timelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while adopting best practices and leveraging investment for climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Mayor Jeromy Farkas supported scrapping the declaration, calling it performative. He said it’s not prudent for a city to exist in a permanent state of emergency, and he wants council to focus on more practical actions.
“This is pragmatic. I’m fully supportive to continue our investment and action on climate, but I don’t think it’s more performance that’s required at this point. I think it’s action,” said Farkas.
Council also voted on Wednesday for the city to create a single online resource listing its expenses and revenue tied to climate action.
But council voted down part of Johnston’s motion that called for city administration to cease all references to the “climate emergency” or “climate emergency declaration” in official documents, reports and communications.
Council did vote 8-5 to rescind a 2019 order discontinuing providing bottled water at council meetings, which was intended to reduce waste from single-use items. The motion, which Johnston introduced, directed administration to immediately stock ward offices, council chambers and committee meeting spaces with bottled water.
The climate emergency vote disappointed Coun. Raj Dhaliwal. He supported the declaration in 2021, and voted to maintain it on Wednesday, arguing council didn’t hear enough evidence it wasn’t working.
Dhaliwal said he wished the statement had at least been replaced with an alternative climate plan, and he noted rescindment without replacement is becoming a trend for Calgary council.
“Put your money where your mouth is. If you’re serious, let’s show it to Calgarians that maybe the climate emergency was not needed,” said Dhaliwal on CBC Radio’s The Calgary Eyeopener on Thursday.
“If the climate emergency is not the pathway forward, let’s work together and put something in place.”
The declaration was an effective tool for unlocking funding and signalling Calgary would partner on climate action, Dhaliwal said. He pointed to budget talks this fall as an opportunity to introduce more actionable environmental policy.
“Let’s bring new ideas if you’re serious. Just disliking old ideas is not good governance,” said Dhaliwal.
City administration told council rescinding the declaration is unlikely to jeopardize funding or hinder its ability to carry out Calgary’s climate strategy.
But city officials warned the move still carries a reputational risk, as it puts Calgary out of line with a larger global movement. More than 600 Canadian municipalities have made similar declarations, including Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
The vote also comes months after council cut $9 million from the city’s budget for climate and the environment.
Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt opposed council’s decision, arguing it sends the wrong message about how seriously the city takes climate change.
“It is not causing us to really lose anything by declaring a climate emergency. In fact, it had resulted in a lot of benefit that we followed through on,” said Schmidt.
“I fail to see the reason why we need to go back in time to basically eliminate the signal of our intention.”
The climate emergency bookended the previous city council’s time in office.
The declaration was one of the first motions brought forward by former mayor Jyoti Gondek, passing in 2021 with a 13-2 vote.
But one of the previous council’s final debates in office arose from Coun. Andre Chabot’s effort to ditch the declaration last October. Chabot’s motion was supported by his council colleagues in the Communities First party, but other councillors criticized it as posturing and politicking just before the municipal election. It was defeated 10-4.
Gondek argued at the time the emergency declaration had led to funding to plant more trees and introduce electric buses, and that it signalled to outside investors Calgary’s commitment to sustainability.
Seconding Wednesday’s motion, Chabot said he’s remained committed to scrapping the declaration because of the concern it creates about the lengths council will go to address it.
“Typically, the word ’emergency’ means you will do everything possible to eliminate the emergency, including an unlimited budget. And that stirs fear in people’s minds,” said Chabot.
