Editor's Note: This story previously appeared on StratfordToday.ca.
Given that environmental and climate change issues will be handed down to the next few generations, a group of Stratford District Secondary School students took their turn at the city council podium as delegates on Monday, Feb. 10, asking the city to include the community energy liaison (CEL) in the 2025 budget.
Their plea was successful, as Coucillor Bonnie Henderson motioned for the inclusion of the position in the budget, which was later accepted.
For Nora Auster, Leif Wahlquist, Zach Kritzer and Ewan Mann – all members of the SDSS Eco-Club – the move to include that position was a necessary first step for the city to show they’re taking their climate goals seriously.
“This position is a necessary one because we need people who are specialised to deal with climate issues,” Kritzer said. “In the same way that we have committees dedicated to transportation and energy, we need people dedicated to the environment. The average person isn’t very knowledgeable about climate issues but someone like Sadaf (Ghalib, Stratford’s climate change program manager) has a lot of experience and so she would know what solutions are best.”
During the budget process, the argument against including the CEL was that why should Stratford hire a position to work towards goals being borne almost entirely by the municipality while upper levels of government continue to push off their responsibilities. Passing the buck is no longer an option, according to Mann.
“We can’t wait for upper levels of government to fix these problems,” he said. “Small, local change is going to be a major way to combat climate change, and that needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
Kritzer added that this is not an issue confined to any one segment of society, so what’s good for one is good for all.
“If the federal government isn’t doing anything, then it’s up to us as an obligation,” he said. “Not only that, but it’s easier to make changes at a local level than a federal or provincial one.”
When asked to prioritize which goals should be higher on the list, club members believed that educating the public should be at the top.
“The city creates many plans but they mean nothing until something is done about them,” Mann said. “The public needs to be educated, but action has to be taken. We need an education of the public on the climate and we need the city to take actual steps in creating solutions to our climate emergency.”
While the club can count this as a victory, it’s only a small first step in a long process. But with a seat at the table to be part of this discussion now in their pocket, Mann says the next step is to keep up the pressure.
“We are going to keep doing what we’ve always done, which is try to do what we can at our school and keep applying pressure to the city so they can’t forget about the climate,” he said. “Small change makes a big difference.”