Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says it was a “lightning rod” when city council declared a climate emergency in November, just weeks after she was elected..She was speaking on Wednesday evening at a virtual Mayors’ Summit on Climate Change, organized by the Edmonton Climate Hub and the Calgary Climate Hub. Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi also attended. .The world took notice of the climate declaration, and Calgary is seeing the benefits of “potential investors” who are taking the city seriously because they understand the steps her government has taken towards energy transformation, Gondek said. .“In some ways, we did exactly what we needed to do to send a signal to the world that we took climate seriously,” she said, adding that the energy industry had made a commitment “to pathways to net-zero by 2050.” .“But for some reason, when the government does it, they get vilified.”.“And it was a lesson, but it was also a testament to the fact that this council understands how important it is to balance the three pillars — social, environmental, and economic resilience.” .The discussion was hosted by Laura Lynch, host of the CBC podcast What on Earth, which has a mission “to move and challenge you to think about climate change in new ways.”.Asked by Lynch what a “just transition” would look like for Edmonton, Sohi said cities must be seen as partners with the the federal government’s “ambitious” climate plan..“I don’t think we will become truly a resilient city if we do that at the back of workers and those who are the most impacted by these policies, because we need to recognize whenever we do take action on climate change, there will be an impact on certain sectors of the economy, and the workers and the businesses that are making a living out of that sector,” he said..On public transit, Sohi said the city has limited resources and he’d prefer to spend on expanding access, rather than making transit free..Gondek said the municipality was “pummelled” during the pandemic because people weren’t paying for transit and Calgary relied on the federal government and the province for bailouts. .The only certainty the municipality has is property taxes which is the most “regressive form” of taxation, she said..“All we can do is raise your property taxes to provide you with the services you need.”.The mayors were asked which city was winning on climate goals, but they declined to compete. .Gondek said “she’s always down for a bet with Edmonton,” but now is the time for collaboration..“I don’t think competition is the right approach,” Sohi said..He also said they need to change Alberta’s image because a lot of “good stuff is going on.”.“Somehow our province is not perceived to be as strong a leader on climate change,” he said..Rachel Emmanuel is the Edmonton Bureau Chief for the Western Standard
