Canadian mayors urge federal leaders to prioritize climate action over pipeline

Richard Ireland, the Mayor of Jasper, Alberta, surveys the remnants of his 67-year-old home during a tour of the destruction left by last summer's wildfire, which obliterated more than 300 buildings.

A coalition of municipal leaders from across Canada has penned a letter to the five primary federal party leaders, advocating for climate initiatives they believe would bolster the nation's resilience to environmental disasters. This group includes Montreal's Mayor Valérie Plante, Jasper's Mayor Richard Ireland, former Toronto Mayor David Miller, Princeton, B.C. Mayor Spencer Coyne, and Yellowknife's Deputy Mayor Ben Hendriksen. A total of 128 mayors, deputy mayors, city councillors, and area directors have added their signatures. In the letter released on Friday, the municipal officials propose actions that they assert could create jobs and utilize Canadian resources such as steel, aluminum, and lumber—industries currently pressured by American tariffs—while also challenging the focus of the Liberal and Conservative parties on resource extraction to enhance economic independence from the U.S. The mayors are advocating for the construction of a national electric grid that extends to the North, the advancement of a high-speed rail network, the development of two million non-market "green homes," enhanced energy efficiency for buildings, and the establishment of a "national resilience, response, and recovery strategy." Canada's electricity grid operates in a decentralized manner, primarily managed by provinces, resulting in limited access for many northern communities. In regard to high-speed rail, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $3.9 billion funding initiative over six years for the planning of a 1,000-kilometre line between Toronto and Quebec City. The letter proposes funding these initiatives by reallocating billions currently spent on fossil fuel subsidies and increasing taxes on major polluters.

Pipelines Are Not the Answer, Letter States: The letter asserts, "Let's be honest: new pipelines require significant public funding, infringe upon Indigenous sovereignty, and will likely lead to more climate-related disasters impacting our cities and towns in the future." In a statement accompanying the letter, Plante emphasized that the federal government requires "greater vision and action" rather than merely considering more pipeline projects. So far, the federal election discourse has been largely dominated by the repercussions of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and the ensuing uncertainty, overshadowing pressing issues such as climate change, Indigenous reconciliation, poverty, and housing. Both Jasper and Montreal faced significant environmental emergencies last year. In July, wildfires in Jasper prompted a large-scale evacuation that lasted nearly a month, devastating parts of the town. Shortly thereafter, relentless rainfall caused substantial flooding in Montreal and other regions of southern Quebec, leading to what the Insurance Bureau of Canada has deemed the most costly severe weather event in Quebec's history, with nearly $2.5 billion in insured damages. "We need initiatives that not only drastically cut pollution but also aid in reconstructing our communities as climate-related disasters intensify," Plante stated in the release. In an interview with CBC News ahead of the letter's release, Ireland highlighted that the most crucial of the five proposed actions is the resilience, response, and recovery strategy, which he believes could have mitigated delays in providing interim housing for residents and accelerated the recovery of the local economy.

Election Focus on Other Matters: "Issues significant to our national sovereignty and well-being are being prioritized in this election, but they are interconnected with the proposals from municipal leaders," Ireland noted. He suggested that the proposed strategy could include revising building codes to ensure that new constructions are more resilient to fire and flooding or the establishment of fire breaks. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has committed to creating a "Canada First" national energy corridor, which would involve fast-tracking pipeline approvals. Researchers from the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy have been exploring this concept for the past decade. "Unfortunately, while we may be the most recent community to face this crisis, we certainly won't be the last," Ireland remarked.

Ireland's home was among over 800 residences destroyed in the Jasper fires.

He has previously discussed the difficulties in securing temporary housing for residents wishing to return to the community. "We have the opportunity to leverage our experiences to help other Canadian communities prepare for the realities of severe weather and climate change; at least our disaster can serve as a lesson for others," Ireland shared. "In this complex world, the environment ultimately governs everything. So, let us focus on what truly matters.