Orangeville among 25 Canadian municipalities selected for an intensive pilot with the leading global climate initiative
The Town of Orangeville was selected to join the first Showcase Cities cohort led by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy Canada. Over the next year, the Town will receive intensive support to help reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change.
Municipalities are on the front lines of climate change, and through this pilot project which includes technical support, training, exclusive networking opportunities and access to tools and resources, Orangeville will advance its ambitious climate action objectives.
Municipalities are leading the way on low-carbon solutions—from building retrofits to green transit fleets. And with municipalities influencing half of Canada’s GHG emissions, scaling up local solutions is key to meeting Canada’s climate targets.
The Town of Orangeville recognizes the urgency to move forward with both climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts to reduce the extent of future warming, as well as prepare for the unavoidable impacts. The Town prioritizes the requirement for municipal leadership in the reduction of corporate and community GHG emissions, as demonstrated by a commitment to the Partners for Climate Protection program. The resources and capacity that will be gained throughout the Showcase Cities pilot project will enable the Town of Orangeville to begin planning and implementing mitigation initiatives alongside adaptation efforts over the next year.
The Global Covenant of Mayors Canada is a collaboration between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Global Covenant of Mayors Secretariat and the International Urban Co-operation Project supported by funding from the European Union.
“Together we are creating ambitious plans to reduce GHG emissions and preparing our communities for the impacts of a changing climate,” said Megan Meaney, Executive Director of the Canada office of ICLEI.
The initiative combines two leading domestic climate programs, the Partners for Climate Protection program and Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities, with the leading global climate program. The Global Covenant of Mayors Canada is piloting this approach, which will build on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI’s more than 25 years of experience in delivering climate change programs in Canada.
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About the Global Covenant of Mayors Canada partners
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is the national voice of municipal governments, with nearly 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of the Canadian population.
ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments committed to sustainability.
The International Urban Cooperation (IUC) program is part of a long-term strategy by the European Union to foster sustainable urban development in cooperation with both the public and private sectors.
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the largest global alliance for climate leadership, uniting a global coalition of nearly 10,000 cities and local governments. By 2030, GCoM cities and local governments could collectively reduce 1.3 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year. That’s the equivalent of taking 276 million cars off the road.
Associated links
FCM and Global Covenant of Mayors announce climate action pilot project
Backgrounder: GCoM Canada