Climate Justice ART Campaigns
We are also advocating for:
Improved public transit, walking, bicycle and rolling access to parks so people without cars can better access recreation. (This is already included in the new CRD transportation prioritization policy)
Municipalities and the provincial government to reallocate existing road space to bus lanes and AAA bike and roll routes
Provincial approval for a 30 km/h speed limit on residential streets without center lines, as requested by several municipalities in the region
Frequent and affordable transit service to communities on Vancouver Island, including frequent service from Victoria to Nanaimo and other major destinations as well as multiple buses a day to smaller communities such as Port Renfrew / Pacheedaht First Nation
Lower transit fares, and targeted free / discounted fares for youth and lower income people
Rapidly transitioning the BC Transit fleet to electric buses
Switching from natural gas to electricity for space and water heating in new and existing buildings
Transportation and Built Environment Campaign Successes:GVAT led campaigning for the ground breaking new CRD policy on transportation prioritization which was approved unanimously in July 2021. GVAT’s Climate Justice Team co-leads wrote this op-ed about the significance of this new policy.
Victoria City Council voted unanimously in favor of investigating allowing wheelchairs and mobility scooters to use bike and roll routes in October 2021. GVAT featured prominently in the CBC and Times Colonist coverage of the campaign.
Forestry Campaign Successes
Organizations have displayed great creativity in hosting Tuesdays for Trees events during various stages of Covid. Events, often outdoors or online, include a mini-demonstration, educational/inspirational speakers, weekly prayers, a tree-themed song and poetry evening, tree planting, documentary viewing and invasive species removal. Host organizations so far include Broad View United Church, Camosun College Student Society, Holy Cross Catholic Parish, Sierra Club BC, Sisters of St. Ann, Congregation Emanu-El, St. John the Divine Anglican Church, Climate Justice Victoria, The Church of Truth, Threshold Housing Society, First Unitarian Church of Victoria, Society of Friends of St. Ann’s Academy and Fairfield United Church.
We met with Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests, in June 2021 and have had ongoing communication with the Ministry of Forests since then.
CRD Foodlands Access Program campaign
Background Info on the proposed Foodlands Access Program
The Foodlands Access Program would use land owned by the CRD or CRD municipalities and would lease parcels of that land to farmers (mainly new and younger) who currently cannot access land to farm (due to high land prices). The land would be used to grow food and the farmers on it would get support, mentor-ship and training. If done right, it can be a showcase for farming practices that are easy on the environment and sequester carbon rather than release it.