The Town of Collingwood is gearing up to work on its new community climate action plan, and it’s looking for a few volunteers who are passionate about the environment to help guide that work.
At council’s regular meeting on Feb. 24, council heard a presentation on the plan so far from consultants Tamarack Institute and the town’s climate specialist Nicole Yardy on progress to date on the project.
As part of that presentation, the consultant and town are gearing up to start community engagement on the plan.
“Ethical community engagement and consultation is foundational to how we work. It is more than a procedural step; it is a commitment to engaging with the community in a manner that is respectful, transparent, and inclusive,” said Lisa Attygalle, consulting director of engagement at the Tamarack Institute, in a press release.
Through the engagement process, Tamarack intends to increase awareness and understanding of local climate issues, develop strategies for the town to address climate change and assess the level of current community support for the plan.
Collingwood residents 16 and older are invited to get involved through two key means.
First, the town is looking to get focus working groups together and seeking individuals with expertise in the following areas for those groups: buildings, community health/resilience, investment, transportation and community services/infrastructure.
Focus area working groups will be held the week of April 7, and will provide a collaborative platform for experts to assess and develop actionable climate strategies tailored to the unique context of Collingwood.
Second, the town will be putting together a People’s Panel to provide a platform for diverse voices to share their perspectives on climate action strategies. No experience in climate science or policy is necessary.
This session will be held the week of May 5, and will be accompanied by online and print options for those unable to attend the scheduled session.
Other opportunities for community engagement in the plan will start popping up in the coming months, leading into the summer.
For more information and to download the form to apply to any of the positions, click here.