Organizers of a Green New Deal town hall in Davis Bay last Sunday say the event drew an overflow crowd to the Davis Bay Community Hall.
The town hall was one of more than 150 being held this month by the nation-wide group, The Pact for a Green New Deal.
The group includes organizations like My Sea to Sky, Sierra Club BC, Georgia Strait Alliance, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Greenpeace, Leadnow, the Climate Action Network and the Council of Canadians.
They describe themselves as “a non-partisan initiative” to call for “a vision of rapid, inclusive and far-reaching transition, to slash emissions, protect critical biodiversity, meet the demands of the multiple crises we face, and create over a million jobs in the process.”
Lynn Chapman with Alliance 4 Democracy helped organize the Davis Bay town hall and told Coast Reporter afterwards that attendees talked about what would have to be done to get governments to commit to a Green New Deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent, as well as some measures they’d like to see in a Green New Deal.
The ideas raised included creating infrastructure to encourage more use of public transportation and electric vehicles and ending dependence on fossil fuels as well as supporting retraining programs for workers who might be displaced by a transition away from fossil fuel extraction.
Chapman said protecting water also generated a lot of discussion.
A Green New Deal town hall was also scheduled for May 29 in Gibsons at the Elphinstone Secondary School library, starting at 6 p.m. The organizers said they’re hoping to attract students as well as community members.
