The Municipality of Chatham-Kent wants to hear from residents about its Climate Change Action Plan for the community.
The municipality has launched the first of two online surveys that will help with the development of the plan.
In the first survey, residents are encouraged to share their views on what the municipality should prioritize and focus on regarding energy use, flooding, heatwaves and other issues related to climate change.
“This input will help to determine the which issues related to climate change are most important to our residents and businesses and will lay the foundation for developing a good plan that addresses local priorities and creates local benefits for our residents and businesses” said Chatham-Kent's Manager of Growth and Sustainability Gabriel Clarke.
The Climate Change Action Plan is being developed in response to council’s climate emergency declaration issued in 2019. The process to develop the plan was started in late 2019 but was halted in early 2020 due to the pandemic.
As part of the information gathering phase of the project, a local climate analysis was recently completed. According to the municipality, the report found that Chatham-Kent’s climate has become hotter and wetter over the last several decades and that this trend is projected to continue. Another report found transportation as well as heating and cooling buildings make up most of the local energy use.
The second survey is planned for the spring of 2022 and will focus on which actions should be taken to address the top priorities identified in this first survey.
"The survey focuses on local issues that have a real impact on our residents and businesses. This survey allows people to share what they feel is most important now, so that we can consider what the municipality and our partners might do to respond to these priorities," said General Manager of Community Development for the Municipality Bruce McAllister.
The online survey can be accessed through the Let's Talk Chatham-Kent page by clicking here.
Residents wanting to complete the survey who are without access to a computer or the internet are invited to their local Chatham-Kent Public Library branch to use a public access computer or connect their device to the free public Wi-Fi network.
