City joins Richmond, The Pas and Vancouver in standing up for citizens’ right to have a say in decisions that impact the people and places they love.
Yesterday, Montreal became the fourth Canadian city to recognize its citizens’ right to live in a healthy environment, passing a municipal declaration that protects clean water, fresh air, healthy food and a say in the decisions that impact people’s health.
“We welcome the commitment of Montreal citizens to recognize their right to a healthy environment,” said Cam Cheema, regional organizer of the Blue Dot campaign in Quebec. “Thanks to them, Montreal has stepped up as a leader in a national movement that has the potential to transform Canada.”
Montreal joins Richmond, B.C., The Pas, Manitoba, and Vancouver, B.C. with many more municipalities getting ready to follow suit. “Cities from coast to coast to coast are joining this movement,” said Sophika Kostyniuk, David Suzuki Foundation national organizing manager. “These cities represent almost two-and-a-half million Canadians who now benefit from local governments willing to include their citizens in decisions that impact the health of the people and places they love.” Kostyniuk said that thousands of Canadians are already working to grow this movement in cities and towns all across Canada. “This grassroots effort shows what can happen when ordinary people take extraordinary action, and in the coming weeks and months we’ll be seeing even more communities sign on.”
Michiah Prull, David Suzuki Foundation communications and public engagement director, noted that mega-projects like Enbridge’s Northern Gateway, Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain and TransCanada’s Energy East pipelines have caused Canadians to ask serious questions about the protections that are in place for their health and well-being. “Local communities are rightfully calling for a say when it comes to important decisions that will impact the health of their citizens and the communities they call home,” said Prull.
Prull said that the ultimate goal of the Blue Dot campaign was to see a charter amendment guaranteeing the right of every Canadian to live in a healthy environment. “More than 110 nations around the world already have this right, but not Canada. It’s time for that to change, and clearly cities are leading the way.”
Contact:
Alvin Singh, Communications Manager
David Suzuki Foundation
asingh@davidsuzuki.org
604-250-2651