Community Climate Transitions welcomes 30 communities to the network

Posted on February 22, 2023
By Tamarack Institute

This resource is also available in French. Click here to access the French version.

 

New members are committed to resident-led, multi-sector climate action 

 

Meet the communities! 

In 2022, 19 trailblazing communities from six provinces took part in Tamarack’s first-ever Climate Transitions Cohort. During a 10-month learning journey, communities worked to develop and implement local climate transition plans through whole-community approaches that involved residents, nonprofits, municipalities, businesses, and other sectors. All communities were committed to centering equity and justice in their climate action. The impact of their work was significant.  

Tamarack continues to work alongside many of these communities while also expanding the network. In 2023, we are welcoming 30 new communities through our second English-speaking Cohort and our first-ever French-speaking one.  

2023-CCT-Cohort-communities-map-EN-1

 

15 members of the new English-speaking Climate Transitions Cohort: 

Halifax Regional Municipality, NS: Community Climate Hubs Initiative (Climate Reality Project Canada), the OATHE Project, HCi3, Ecology Action Centre, Halifax Regional Municipality Council, Youth Council – the African Nova Scotia Road to Economic Prosperity, Prep Academy, Inspiring Communities

North Shore, PEI: Council of Canadians, Canadian Federation of University Women – PEI Chapter, Gulf Shore Community Health Corporation, Member of the Provincial Legislative Assembly, CLIMAtlantic

Quebec City, QC: City of Québec

Collingwood, ON: Town of Collingwood, Collingwood Climate Action Team

London, ON: Climate Action London, Middlesex London Ontario Health Team, London Health Sciences Centre

Markham, ON: Markham Public Library

Middlesex, ON: Municipality of Middlesex Centre

Northumberland County, ON: Community Power Northumberland, Municipality of Port Hope (Council), Municipality of Brighton (Council), Municipality of Hamilton Township’s Environmental Sustainability Committee, Environmental Advisory Committee to the Municipality of Port Hope, Municipality of Cramahe, Town of Cobourg, Brighton’s Sustainability Advisory Committee

Peel Region, ON: Region of Peel

Tobermory, ON: Northern Bruce Peninsula Climate Action Committee 2022, The Meeting Place Tobermory

Finger Lakes Region, NY, US: The Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region

Regina, SK: Regina City Council, City of Regina

West Kootenays, BC: Regional District of Central Kootenays, West Kootenay Climate Hub, Neighbours United

Vancouver, BC: CityHive

Tahsis, BC: Village of Tahsis Council

 

15 members of the new French-speaking “Cohorte ClimatIC”:

Péninsule Acadienne, NB:

Caraquet, NB:

Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC:

Québec City, QC:

Longueuil, QC:

Montréal Region, QC:

Beaconsfield, QC:

Gatineau, QC:

Francophone Ontario:

Why communities are taking part

When asked about what local goals they are looking to advance over the year, communities shared ambitious hopes and dreams, such as: 

  • Bringing more organizations and citizens together into an unprecedented, all-in collaboration.
  • Balancing mitigation and adaptation efforts, while ensuring that all climate work is done justly and leaves no one behind.
  • Forming a diverse core team to draft a new climate plan and an evaluation framework.
  • Supporting the environmental literacy of the community.
  • Convening a county-wide team for collaboration and coordination of climate action efforts.
  • Broadening existing networks and build relationships with a diverse spectrum of community champions, who may or may not identify as such.
  • Bringing together a cross section of people and community leaders.
  • Developing a shared sense of ownership of an existing climate plan and commitment to actions and strategies laid out in the plan.
  • Integrating environmental sustainability into all aspects of city operations and decision-making, and prioritizing equity in their climate plan implementation.

 

What their journey will look like

The 30 new members of the Climate Transitions cohort will go through a 10-month program and have access to experts, coaches, resources and more, around the themes of collective impact, climate justice and community engagement.

Here is an overview of the 2023-2024 program curriculum:

Overview of program curriculum: Month 1 - The role of communities in advancing climate action and the importance of multisolving; Month 2 - Centering climate justice and equity; Month 3 - Foundations of collective impact; Month 4 - Community engagement; Month 5 - Collective baseline data and target setting; Month 6 - Brainstorming actions and solutions; Month 7 - Climate communications & storytelling; Month 8 - Evaluating impact; Month 9 - Financing your work; Month 10 - Leading with care and hope.

 

Committing to a just and equitable climate transition

Every organization starting this journey is committed to serving their community and ensure a healthier, brighter, and equitable future through collaborative work that yields long-lasting transformational change.

Would you like to join next year’s cohort or nominate a community? Contact the CCT’s Director of Climate Transitions: laura@tamarackcommunity.ca
 

Topics:
Homepage Blog, CCT blog, Climate Transitions, Climate Transitions Cohort


Tamarack Institute

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