Local Government Webinars
Municipal Campaigning 101
Municipal Campaigning 101
This Webinar was held Wednesday April 20th, 7:00 PM
The 4th of our four Roundtables will focus on election strategies for climate champions, and how to run a successful campaign. Our panelists will be:
Trudi Goels, Co-Founder, Ablaze Services & The Feminist Campaign School
Dave Mills, an environmental activist with years of experience; responsible for engagement and growth strategies for CarbonSense Canada’s first residential carbon offset generating corporation.
And our moderator will be Basil Langevin who is highly involved in street safety advocacy and environmental restoration within Saanich. As Executive Director of an LGBT nonprofit for the last 7 years, Basil has developed a unique ability to bring people together despite their differences.
Perspectives from the Inside
Perspectives from the Inside
This Webinar was held Wednesday March 24th, 7:00 PM
Perspectives from the Inside. Three elected officials will share their unique perspectives on the challenges and urgency of prioritizing the climate agenda for local government.
Laura Dupont is a two-term Port Coquitlam City Councillor and President of the Lower Mainland Local Government Association. A member of Metro Vancouver’s Climate Action Committee since 2015 and a member of Canada’s Climate Caucus, Laura is also engaged in consensus-based watershed governance as a member of the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable.
Alison Gu is currently the youngest Burnaby City Councillor and only the second woman of colour to ever serve on Burnaby’s Council. Elected on the mandate of climate justice, affordable housing, and racial justice, Alison believes we must especially centre the voices of Indigenous, Black, and racialized individuals when building the solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change while creating a more just and equitable society. Alison will focus on the ways that local government can enact change and how citizens can help.
Rik Logtenberg is a councillor in Nelson, BC and is the founder of Climate Caucus, a national network of local elected leaders, as well as Earthnet, a social network for climate action. Rik will be speaking about strategies for inspiring fellow Councillors, staff and the community to embrace change.
Our moderator will be Nadine Nakagawa. Nadine, a New Westminster City Councillor, organizes the Feminist Campaign School. The school program is intentionally designed to provide knowledge and skills to people who have been historically excluded from civic leadership because of their race, gender, sexuality, disability, socioeconomic status, class, or a combination of these and more. The training program includes sessions to support campaign staff to run campaigns that intentionally respect the lived experiences, individual and collective wisdom, and produce top results.
Recruiting Climate Champions
Recruiting Climate Champions
Recorded Wednesday February 16th, 7:00 PM
We need good candidates with a solid commitment to climate action to run in our local council and school board elections this fall!
WE-CAN’s Local Engagement Team’s second Round Table “Recruiting Climate Champions” is a “how to” session with tips and suggestions on how to find and recruit activists to run for elected office.
With presenters:
- Megan Curren (District of North Vancouver Councillor) will explore ways to engage potential candidates in conversation around deep, structural system change versus carbon myopic conversations rooted in the status quo dominant worldview. Megan will present a systems-based tool which could spark deeper inquiry and conversation.
- Nicole Charlwood (City of Nelson Councillor) will relate her personal experiences in recruiting and supporting climate champions, through relationship building.
- Ned Taylor (District of Saanich Councillor) first ran for councillor when he was 18, and was elected at the age of 19. Ned believes firmly that young people deserve a say in their future.
The session was moderated by Andrea Reimer who currently teaches at UBC and SFU. A former three-term Vancouver City Councillor, Andrea works with municipal governments, non-profits and mission driven local businesses on climate and social policy.
How Climate Groups Can Influence Local Government
How Climate Groups Can Influence Local Government
The first of our four Round Tables focused on empowering the community to become engaged at the local level. Topics included lobbying, relationship building with like-minded groups and individuals, and understanding how to work with council members and staff.
With presenters:
- Alex Lidstone (Climate Caucus)
- Ben Geselbracht (Councillor, Nanaimo City Council)
- Sebastian Sajda (Force of Nature)
The session was be moderated by Deb Morrison who is a climate and anti-oppression activist, scientist, learning scientist, educator, mother, locally elected official, and many other things besides.
Local Government Resources
Municipal Climate Motion Database from Climate Caucus
Check out this Municipal Climate Motion Database put together by our friends at Climate Caucus. The database is an index of motions, some passed and others proposed, from across Canada. They include ready to move motions that could be proposed in your municipal or local government with links to supporting news articles and research.
Local Government Climate Solutions
In the run up to the 2022 BC Local Government Elections, WE-CAN’s Climate Solutions team put together a series of policy papers outlining key climate issues at the municipal level.
You can directly access those papers in the Google folder link below.
Infiltration Manual
In Canada, municipalities account for over 50% of the national greenhouse gas emissions (Source: Federation of Canadian Municipalities). This underlines the undeniable need for local climate action. But let’s face it, municipal government structures can be daunting. Breaking them down, however, makes it easier to find openings for action.
The Infiltration Manual aims to demystify municipal governance structures and provide youth with practical knowledge and tools on how to take climate action at the local level. It covers a range of topics, including:
- An overview of the structure of municipal government
- A roadmap on how to gather community support
- Tips on how to present an initiative to Council
- A variety of email, meeting, and petition templates
This manual is divided into four sections, each composed of several modules that serve as your go-to guide for all municipal government and climate action questions. Interspersed throughout the manual are examples and insider tips. Use the table of contents to skip to the modules most relevant to you.
Local Government in British Columbia
Local Government in British Columbia presents a description of the organization and operation of local governments in the province, ranging from improvement districts serving small groups of residents, through municipalities and school districts of various sizes, to complex regional administrations such as the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) now referred to as Metro Vancouver. The purpose of this book is to enable the citizens of British Columbia to understand the councils, boards, and trusteeships that govern the provision of local services, and to assist elected and appointed officials in their efforts to serve the public more effectively. It is also used as a text in university and college courses.
As with previous editions, the focus is on how local governments are organized and have evolved to finance and deliver services. To complement the historical perspective, scholarly research is also used to set a theme for evaluating any complex multifaceted governmental system. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is up to date but, as with any large and complex subject, changes may occur at any time.
New Councillor Manual
A lot! A growing number of local elected leaders across Canada have made climate justice a priority in their communities. Hundreds of local governments have declared climate emergencies and are pushing for action which aligns with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) science. Local governments contribute over 50% of national greenhouse gas emissions. Local government is where climate action is happening.
Be a part of the action in this critical decade – learn how to bring forward effective policy initiatives that will be supported and implemented. In fact, every decision can multisolve for intersecting challenges when viewed through the lenses of ecological limits, rapid decarbonization, and equity.