Toronto Climate Action Network (TCAN)
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pres...@toronto350.org
May 11, 2013, 4:26:32 PM5/11/13
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This forum thread will be for anything related to the Toronto Climate Action Network (TCAN), of which Toronto350.org is a member.
For other Toronto-based groups working on climate, use this thread: https://groups.google.com/d/topic/toronto-350/CLjjHrYwMRA/discussion
I will post the minutes of the first TCAN general meeting later today.
pres...@toronto350.org
May 11, 2013, 5:43:23 PM5/11/13
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Toronto Climate Action Network General Meeting
11 May 2013
Present: Paul Antze, Judy Vellend (Green Neighbours 21), Liz Rice (Citizens Climate Lobby), Anthony Ketchum (For Our Grandchildren), Patricia Warwick (JustEarth), Amelia Rose Khan (Zero Carbon Ontario), Rita Bijons (Green 13), Rob Shirkey (Our Horizon), Kai Reimer-Watts (Our Horizon), Bruce Stewart (Transition Toronto), Adriana Muggato-Hamu (Post Carbon Toronto), Ben Donato-Doodger (Climate Citizens), Shiela Murray (Citizens Climate Lobby), Milan Ilnyckyj (Toronto350.org)
Agenda:
* Welcome and introductions
* Report on applications
* Election of officers
* Reports from operational teams (communications and outreach)
* Proposals for TCAN campaigns
* Other business
1) Welcome and introductions
2) Report on applications
11 applications in, one pending
* Council of Canadians Toronto is pending
* Otherwise, the groups represented here
Not all groups have identified official delegates
* Those who have the right to vote on behalf of their group
3) Election of officers
Explanation of procedure
* All offices are for a period of one year
* People may self-nominate
* Up to two people from a particular organization may serve on the steering committee
* As a common practice, the chair is only to vote in order to break a tie
* 50% of the vote was discussed as the threshold for election, but not formally adopted
Nominations for chair and treasurer
* Nominations for chair: Paul Antze
* Nominations for treasurer: Katherine Tait
Nominations for other members of the steering committee
* Minimum of five members, including the chair and treasurer
* Maximum of eight
* Nominations for steering committee members: Kai Reimer-Watts, Liz Rice, Ben Donato-Doodger, Judy Vellend, Patricia Warwick
Nominations closed
There will be a secretary, at least one communication person, and a vice-chair
Paul will not be in town for most of July and August, which may limit the activities of the group
* As of September, people on the steering committee will be seriously expected to attend meetings
To change constitution, 2/3 approval is necessary
* Prior notice also necessary
Vote held on whether candidates must earn 50% of the votes of those present to be elected
* One vote in opposition, all other votes in favour
One possibility for the future is to have a free discussion of all those nominated, with those people out of the room
* But this would leave us with rather few people today
Should nominees give one-minute statements?
Questions to candidates
* What is Climate Citizens? - Active in Otobicoke, trying to lobby their MP (Conservative), have met with him once - also do education and outreach in high schools
* Ben has been involved with Just Earth for a number of years, does research at the U of T School for the Environment (on why the Kyoto process failed, how federal government couldn't get provinces to act)
* Can everyone commit to one meeting per month, except during the summer?
* Meetings at large more likely to be quarterly than monthly (at least two per year are required)
* There will be ad hoc / emergency meetings as necessary, with 15 days notice, quicker for just the steering committee
* Kai Reimer-Watts moving to Waterloo for a master's degree
Completion and return of ballots
* Representing Toronto350.org, Milan voted for all those nominated
Counting of ballots and announcement of results
* Everyone elected
* Successful vote in favour of destroying the ballots (Milan abstained)
4) Reports from operational teams (communications and outreach)
Communications (Patricia Warwick)
* Patricia has been responsible for the website, newsletter, and managing members' registration
* We need a firm policy re: what goes into the calendar
* Events should be related to climate change mitigation or adaptation
* Very few events listed so far
* Only Patricia can edit the calendar at this point
* Website has been inaccessible quite a lot, at least for those on the U of T campus
Should there be a discussion forum, mailing list, etc?
* Some groups have had good experiences with Google Groups
* Some people are overly quick with 'reply all' or omit informative subjects
* There could also be separate Google Groups for each campaign
* Patricia can manage this going forward
Outreach (Judy Vellend)
* Necessary to continue with brainstorming - identify what sort of outreach will further the objectives of TCAN
* Both internal outreach, and outreach to those beyond the group
5) Proposals for TCAN campaigns
Not every member group is expected to participate in all TCAN campaigns
A campaign: ex. join with other groups to lobby MPs in their constituency offices within a set timespan
* Or encourage Toronto City Council to put Our Horizon warning labels on gas pumps
* Not meant to be the ongoing purpose of your whole organization, but something specific and time-bound
One official objective of TCAN is lobbying of elected representatives at all levels
Our Horizon has been meeting with counsellors in Toronto and other municipalities
* Meeting of the licensing and standards committee on June 27th
* A motion to this effect will be moved by a counsellor
* Next step: have them produce a staff report on the issue
* They want to have many citizens present to speak at the meeting - those wishing to do so must email the clerk
[Group photo taken]
Study: "Toronto's Future Weather and Climate"
* How can more attention be drawn to the report and sustained?
Lobbying federal civil servants in addition to MPs?
* CCL targets elected representatives
* Unlike politicians, civil servants don't usually have people to handle responses to correspondence via form letters
* Having an ongoing political lobbying team could be a good idea
Panda media event?
* Toronto Zoo exhibit opens May 18th
* Canada and China have both been obstructionist on international climate action
* This is an obvious opportunity to talk about climate and endangered species / biodiversity
* There is also recent research showing the food supply of pandas specifically may be threatened
* "Climate-change impacts on understorey bamboo species and giant pandas in China’s Qinling Mountains"
* Nature Climate Change 3, 249–253 (2013)
* One organization would have to take leadership on it (350?)
* Other groups could help with the turnout on the day
* Concern re: sensitivity in the Chinese community
TCAN can help to make sure there is a good turnout for meetings with MPs and other elected officials
Can we do anything about Liberal-NDP vote-splitting in the next election?
* leadnow.ca is working on electoral reform
* TCAN could issue 'report cards' on the climate policies of parties
* We can establish environmentally-focused all-candidates meetings before elections
* CCL can't support anything "anti-Conservative" because their focus is to build educational relationships
* The Green Party is hoping to convince left-wing parties to put up joint candidates, or avoid running candidates in ridings where another left-wing party is competitive against the Conservatives
* Green-Liberal cooperation didn't work for Elizabeth May in Central Nova - many Liberal voters went for the Conservative
* Is bottom-up action through municipalities more promising than trying to drive federal action?
6) Other business
Membership start and end dates
* The first year's membership really is only for two months
* Membership Start Date: July 1st, 2012
* Membership End Date: June 30th, 2013
Could conceivably be changed at a future point
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