Discussion Municipal priorities first

Why climate action plans should not compromise essential services or increase property taxes.

There is a growing concern that municipalities are allocating funds toward voluntary climate action plans and net-zero initiatives- often at the expense of core services or by increasing property taxes.

Climate action policies, such as net-zero targets and emissions reduction commitments are not mandated responsibilities under provincial municipal legislation. The Paris Agreement does not impose legally binding obligations on municipalities. Participation in these programs is entirely voluntary, driven by international organizations such as the United Nation (UN), ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability), and the FCM Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Municipalities across Canada are increasingly allocating funds to climate action plans often without full public consultation or a thorough cost-benefit analysis. These expenditures can divert resources from essential services, leading to underfunding of critical programs and potential increases in property taxes to compensate.

Local governments are responsible for - infrastructure, emergency services, land use planning, community services, economic development, and taxation and fiscal management. Municipal governments should remain focused on these core responsibilities that directly serve their residents. Any diversion of funds toward global climate initiatives that do not have a direct and measurable benefit for the local community should be carefully scrutinized.

But in reality how much are local municipal governments imposing on the people, like what taxes are actually falling into line with the UN and other global organizations because personally I do not think that the government is spending that much consideration into what they UN is saying when making their local laws.

All of the cities and the Region of Waterloo are part of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), ICLEI (local governments for Sustainability) and the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) programs. These are not Canadian institutions. They are not elected. They are not accountable to local voters. Yet they have a great deal of influence on our local municipal governments. ICLEI Canada is the regional office of a foreign NGO, created by the United Nations, funded by international donors and multinational corporations and interests, and guided by global directives not local constituents. It serves as an implementation body for UN programs, including Agenda 21, The Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development. Its role is to translate global mandates into local operations. That's not representation. That's infiltration under the banner of sustainability.

SharonM said:

All of the cities and the Region of Waterloo are part of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), ICLEI (local governments for Sustainability) and the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) programs. These are not Canadian institutions. They are not elected. They are not accountable to local voters. Yet they have a great deal of influence on our local municipal governments. ICLEI Canada is the regional office of a foreign NGO, created by the United Nations, funded by international donors and multinational corporations and interests, and guided by global directives not local constituents. It serves as an implementation body for UN programs, including Agenda 21, The Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development. Its role is to translate global mandates into local operations. That's not representation. That's infiltration under the banner of sustainability.

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Yes, but are they implementing things that are necessarily harming our populations as a whole. At the end of the day we do need to meet climate targets and everyone who lives on earth has to live within a municipality and as such then the municipalities are affected. And almost no one is going to want to go with these climate objectives so in order to reach them we need to implement them without voting.

If one takes the time to look at local governance with a focus of local needs as defined by the electorate and the scarcity of resources, both human and financial the issue becomes one of priorities. Both human and financial resources at the local level are limited. Every year at budget time and particularly at election time community needs, preferences and expectations are presented by tax paying citizens to councilors and/or candidates.

The role of local governments is primarily to look after the health and well being of it's citizens and the local economy. The more human and financial resources that are assigned to fulfilling senior government's and international non elected non-government organizations (NGOs) needs reduces the amount of resources available for local needs and programs.

There are a number of local issues and needs that are not being adequately met due to local resource constraints. They range from housing for the needy and disenfranchised, food for families and those that cannot support themselves, hospitals that are underfunded and job creation just to name a few.

The bottom line is that informed people recognize that local governments focus needs to be strategically aligned with looking after our local citizens.

Senior levels of government have their mandates and taxation base to deploy them. Unfortunately, when we look at their deficits we see they have not been financially prudent but they certainly have been political. Our position in Waterloo Region needs to be local decision making for local results, not foreign interference decision making for political New World Order directives.

Exactly right. I have been trying to make that same point to the Cambridge City Council. Although there are three.city councillors who are questioning the climate narrative, the mayor seems determined to put up roadblocks to this discussion.

PeterH said:

Exactly right. I have been trying to make that same point to the Cambridge City Council. Although there are three.city councillors who are questioning the climate narrative, the mayor seems determined to put up roadblocks to this discussion.

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That's the problem with electing someone to represent everyone within a community. Every person has bias', and it shows when they treat certain aspects more seriously than others based on whether they personally care about the problem and NOT the community.