Taxes rising to create climate change fund

Four councillors vote against plan for increase by 0.25% to 2.59%

City council is planning to start a new fund of $426,400 — which would be added to annually — to cover projects that help curb climate change.

To do that, council plans to add 0.25 per cent to the all-inclusive tax increase.

It means the proposed tax increase for ratepayers in 2020 will be 2.59 per cent, rather than the proposed 2.34 per cent that councillors originally wanted.

“We all know we’re paying a heck of a lot of taxes,” said Coun. Henry Clarke, who made the motion.

“But I do believe there’s a genuine commitment to address climate change now — because there may not be a tomorrow.”

The city’s draft 2020 budget — which councillors are reviewing line by line, this week — includes roughly 30 projects designed to improve the environment (new sewers and transit buses, for example).

But there was no line item in the budget specifically for special projects to curb climate change — even though councillors voted unanimously in September to declare a climate emergency.

On Wednesday, four councillors did not vote in favour of increasing taxes to create the special fund: those were Coun. Dean Pappas, Coun. Andrew Beamer, Coun. Stephen Wright and Coun. Lesley Parnell.

Mayor Diane Therrien was not at the meeting on Wednesday due to illness. The rest of council voted in favour of setting up the fund.

Coun. Kemi Akapo reminded councillors on Wednesday that when the climate emergency declaration was made in September, she wanted council to “put their money where their mouth is” and fund special climate change projects in 2020.

Coun. Keith Riel said he heard young activists such as Nico Ossa-Williams and Dana Jordan ask council at a meeting earlier this week to put funding behind the climate emergency declaration.

The young people said they were disappointed in council, that they didn’t think council could back its climate emergency declaration with funding.

“This (reserve fund) is a shot to the naysayers who say this council isn’t progressive. It is progressive,” Riel said. “We’ll have a reserve ... And we’re showing this council is putting its money where its mouth is.”

Coun. Lesley Parnell was the only one of the three councillors who did not vote in favour of the plan to speak.

She said she wants “real transparency” on how the money is spent from that fund — and she didn’t get that on Wednesday.

She also said the municipality accounts for five per cent of emissions pumped into the air in Peterborough — residents contribute the rest.

“We really do need to engage our citizens to help — we really can’t do this alone.”

“We all know we’re paying a heck of a lot of taxes. But I do believe there’s a genuine commitment to address climate change now — because there may not be a tomorrow.”

COUN. HENRY CLARKE,

WHO MADE THE MOTION TO HAVE THE CITY SET UP A $426,400 FUND FOR CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECTS