Thank you for including John Boivin’s article about the RDCK’s climate action plan in your March 30 edition of the Castlegar News. This was the first that I had heard of the RDCK’s “imperative” to fundamentally change the lives of every Central Kootenay resident, with very little notice and not even one in-person meeting to engage with residents.
I found the draft plan and Climate Action Workbook at rdck.ca/ClimateAction and I encourage ALL citizens to do the same, but HURRY — as this plan is available for public viewing for just a few more days and is expected to pass at the April 20 meeting in Nelson.
This densely packed Climate Action Workbook contains a number of items which Kootenay residents might find interesting.
To name just a few: eliminate the use of ANY fossil-fuel powered vehicles, including heavy transport and farm vehicles within 12 years (2035); eliminate the use of ALL non-renewable energy sources for home heating; metering, limits and on-site storage of water for farms; and limits on farm crop types and inputs like fertilizers.
The list of new restrictions and limitations will also overhaul building codes, zoning, transportation and waste disposal but are all under the RDCK’s stated mandate to “incorporate a climate lens into all RDCK decision making” and ” to accelerate climate action and mitigation efforts within the RDCK.”
Please read the Climate Action Workbook and write to your local RDCK representative to ask them to delay passing this plan and, if possible, attend the April 20 meeting in person, so that at least a few members of the public can witness this unprecedented action by a board which has abandoned its mandate to serve the needs of its citizens, respecting our right to live our lives without undue interference.
Sandy McMahon,
Castlegar, B.C.
RELATED: RDCK climate plan puts rural focus on cutting greenhouse gases
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