CRD does little on climate emergency

You would have thought that the declaration of a climate emergency back in February would have spurred the Capital Regional District to do something. But since that government body has no teeth, perhaps the 24 councillors and mayors that comprise its board would have proposed even the slightest action in their own municipalities. Sadly, the directors have sat on their hands and done little.

There have been no changes proposed at the municipal level to lower greenhouse-gas levels. All staff and council members park for free. The Colwood crawl continues every day, twice a day. Not even discussions about abolishing parking minimums, the most basic of actions.

No orders to phase out oil for home heating. Places such as Langford and Saanich still allow development to occur outside of defined urban boundaries. No efforts to alter zoning codes to allow for more walkable, cycleable, transit-rich development to occur. Nada.

On the transit front, no talk of finishing the bus lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway. No action on getting the E&N railway going, no concrete action on replacing the diesel-belching buses with electric ones, as many Chinese and Indian cities have done. Again, just the chirping of crickets.

Let’s all remember that the decision in February was unanimous. That means that every director present voted for it. So far, the directors don’t appear to be in much of a hurry to take any action at all on this “emergency.” Eric Diller Sidney