Our TransformTO Journey
Our Journey to Bring Toronto’s Climate Strategy to Life
In July 2017, Toronto City Council unanimously passed TransformTO, the City’s climate action strategy. Many of TCAN’s member groups have engaged deeply with TransformTO – supported its inception, contributed to core elements, advocated for funding, and critiqued its gaps. Our journey to build an equitable, zero-carbon city continues.
Subcommittee on Climate Change: Pack the council chambers!
On a March evening in 2015, the Toronto City Council’s Subcommittee on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation convened its first public consultation. The Council Chamber was packed with concerned residents, members of grassroots groups, and representatives from different organizations.
Photo c/o TEA: Subcommittee on Climate Change public deputations
Many people waited for hours to deliver their deputations to the Subcommittee – the proceedings ran from 7pm until past midnight so that all the deputants could have their say. The overriding message was clear: Toronto residents were looking to the City to deliver bold and substantial climate action.
With such a huge turnout, the members of the Subcommittee were able to deliver a strong message to the rest of City Council, and catalyze the process for developing a Toronto climate strategy. While the attendance was certainly a reflection of public sentiment, it was also a result of TCAN members organizing. The Toronto climate community was still buzzing with the momentum of the global climate marches in the fall, including the one in Toronto, and people were keen to see robust local climate action. When word of the Subcommittee consultation was shared at a TCAN meeting, the membership spread the word quickly in their communities.
Public consultations begin: Can we do better?
Following the Subcommittee consultation, the City of Toronto launched a broader consultation process to inform the development of a climate action strategy. Initially, the public consultation element consisted of four City-led town halls across the city, with expert panels and limited time for discussion, and an online workbook that individuals could complete.
The TCAN membership had many ideas to offer and was looking for a more engaged public process to which they could contribute. Several representatives from TCAN’s City Strategy Committee reached out to the Subcommittee Chair, Councillor Gord Perks, who referred them to the City staff responsible for the consultation process. The City staff were very receptive to expanding the process to allow for deeper engagement by community members. As a result, a conversation kit and process were devised that enabled any community group wishing to host their own “community conversation” to do so and submit the results to the City.
Community conversations: Envisioning the city we want
The results of the sessions convened by grassroots groups were impressive. Participants envisioned vibrant, low-carbon communities with empowered people actively engaged in climate solutions. They reimagined the city with retrofitted, energy-efficient, buildings drawing from renewable energy grids; supportive infrastructure for transit, cycling and pedestrians; complete communities with multi-purpose hubs and repurposed space; increased number of residents participating in urban agriculture and enjoying green space; and communities supported by the City to lead educational and behaviour change initiatives, and develop thriving local and sharing economies.
Eight of the eleven community conversation reports were submitted by TCAN member groups. The City produced a report summarizing the results of the community engagement process, and many of the ideas in these reports were integrated into TransformTO’s short and long-term strategies.
Image: TransformTO Community Engagement Report. City of Toronto (2016)
The Modelling Advisory Group: Roadmap to a low-carbon city
To support the TransformTO strategy development process, the City’s Environment & Energy Division (EED) and The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) convened a Modelling Advisory Group (MAG) that they described as including 35 volunteer members representing multiple sectors within the community and multiple City of Toronto divisions and agencies. TCAN representatives were invited to participate in the MAG, which provided input into the City’s scenario modelling process to map a low-carbon pathway based on the City’s GHG targets (from the present to the year 2050). MAG members also advised on the dimensions of the low-carbon actions being modelled including the social equity, health and prosperity impacts, and the importance of achieving ‘climate co-benefits’ in areas such as mobility, jobs and housing.
Through their role on the MAG, TCAN representatives were able to facilitate a consultation session for TCAN members on an early draft of the strategy. The membership provided feedback in a submission that included the following recommendations (summarized):
Include life-cycle emissions and improve the GHG reduction target of 80% below 1990 levels
Highlight the critical importance of social and inter-generational equity in assessing social benefits and climate co-benefits
Be responsive to marginalized and underserved communities and develop the climate strategy in close connection with the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Include the concepts of complete communities, urban agriculture, and access to affordable and healthy food
Commit to extensive and ongoing consultation with communities in designing programs to implement actions
Make a strong business case for new revenue streams and financing strategies as essential ingredients of success.
In July 2017, the finalized TransformTO long-term strategy was presented to Toronto City Council and unanimously passed in a vote. The strategy included some, but not all, of the feedback from TCAN members. However, through further stages of development, many of these recommendations have become integrated into the plan.
Climate Emergency: The people will be heard!
Many of the climate groups who have contributed to TransformTO see it as a living plan – a dynamic framework through which civil society can continue to shape and influence the low-carbon actions taken by the City. TransformTO’s implementation plans are developed in increments; the current implementation period concludes this year and the next period runs from 2021-2023. The public consultation process to inform the next plan commenced last year (2019), and members of TCAN’s City Strategy working group saw this as an opportunity to call for accelerated and equitable climate action, and to address some critical gaps in the current strategy.
Photo c/o Silvia Wineland: Global Climate Strike in Toronto on September 27, 2019
In 2019, there was growing momentum for action generated by the youth-led climate strikes, and cities all over the world declared climate emergencies. In September, the Fridays for Future and climate justice movements organized Global Days of Action (September 20-27). During this week, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced that he would be moving a climate emergency motion at City Council. In response, the TCAN City Strategy working group launched its joint “call to action” with 20 specific recommendations for a meaningful climate emergency declaration.
By October 2nd, the day of the Council meeting, over 60 civil society organizations, representing a wide range of sectors and communities, had signed the call to action. The climate emergency motion was passed unanimously by Council. The motion included many of recommendations put forward in the call to action including commitments to:
A new net zero emissions target by 2050 or sooner
Apply the City's Equity Lens to TransformTO decision-making
Explore equitable financing for climate action in the 2021 Budget
Apply a climate lens to evaluate major City decisions
Meaningful collaboration & cooperation with Indigenous Peoples on the development of TransformTO in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
Create a low-carbon jobs strategy that supports a decent work agenda & career pathways for equity-seeking groups
Collaborate with youth to increase their participation in TransformTO
Following the climate emergency declaration, the City modified its public consultations on the 2021-2023 Implementation Plan to align with the new commitments. TCAN co-hosted a consultation for its member groups. The 60+ participants generated further recommendations, which were captured in a submission to the City.
It’s been over five years since we first packed the Council Chambers in March 2015. During this time, many TCAN member groups have collaborated with City teams to shape TransformTO, advocated for accelerating deeper and more equitable climate action, fought hard for sustainable climate funding, and worked to bring more voices into the public discourse on building an equitable, zero-carbon, future city. While there have been key milestones along the way to mark our progress, this journey is far from over. In fact, it’s just beginning.
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For the City’s latest climate updates visit Live Green Toronto