Kevin White
Regional Council · Region of Waterloo
Back to candidatesClimate & Sustainability
How should municipalities and the Region incorporate climate and sustainability into policy, including development and infrastructure decisions?select up to 3 per part
A. Perspective on climate change
- Climate change is an urgent and defining crisis of our time; reducing greenhouse gas emissions should be a primary consideration across municipal decision-making
- Climate change needs action and local governments can contribute in a few areas, but this is an issue better addressed at provincial and federal levels
B. Building and development standards
- Where possible, require or incentivize energy efficiency standards in new development, beyond current provincial minimums
- Use development agreements to require climate sustainability measures as a condition of approval
C. Infrastructure and capital planning
- Prioritize active transportation and transit investment
- When we consider the core value of "care for people and the land we share", I think we can engage in this planning on a more case-by-case basis. Equitably meeting needs may require subversion of broad policies.
Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on sustainability?candidate's own words
Again, the core value of "care for people and the land we share" defines how decisions are made. If we cannot align the decisions regarding development or infrastructure planning with this value, then I think we aren't really taking sustainability seriously. That value needs to be clearly present in governing decisions.