Reversing two earlier decisions, council has turned down a senior staff recommendation on how to deal with the impacts of extreme weather and other effects of climate change. Tom Jackson’s argument that money is better spent fixing broken water pipes than planning how to address city vulnerabilities to climate change won majority support despite the pleas from the city manager and public health staff.
The budget proposal to hire two staff “to prepare and implement a climate change adaptation plan” at an annual cost of $192,000 had been endorsed by the city’s senior management team. Its rejection leaves Hamilton with a half-time climate change coordinator who is also the air quality coordinator and the organizer of the biannual Upwind Downwind conference.
City manager Chris Murray said the staffing request responded to a 2013 Board of Health directive to do “a climate change vulnerability study and risk assessment of services and operations impacted by extreme weather events”. That unanimous resolution was re-confirmed by councillors last summer when citizens asked why nothing had been done, but it now is in limbo.
Jackson launched the most recent debate by declaring that “climate change is here, folks” but then going on to state “I don’t understand why we need to develop a plan to address climate change.” That drew a lengthy response from health protection director Rob Hall who strongly agreed that “the science of climate change is not up for debate” and argued therefore Hamilton has to “start developing plans that actually put into place the ability for residents to protect themselves” from flooded basements and other adverse effects of extreme weather.
However Jackson dismissed Hall as a “professor” with a “theoretical action plan” that Jackson believes would be rejected by residents in favour of “more front line service” so they can “live safe lives, be able to access safe roads and not worry and be nervous about pipes breaking etc.”
That argument was countered by Mayor Eisenberger who said council could also put all its money into fixing potholes but “we have to be proactive and look to the future and see what’s coming at us.” He suggested councillors endorse a pared-down request for just one new staff position. Hall said he’d take one position if council wasn’t willing to provide two, but he emphasized the high risk facing the city if it is unprepared.
“When you talk about the impacts of extreme weather events we just need to look back to 2013 where $3 billion worth of damage was done in Toronto through one weather event [and] $6 billion of damage was done in Calgary, Alberta through one weather event,” Hall said. “That’s extreme weather and that’s the things that we can start looking at – how do we build and adapt strategies so that those numbers aren’t huge in Hamilton.”
Eisenberger’s position was endorsed by Matt Green who referenced council’s earlier decision to support the Blue Dot constitutional amendment guaranteeing Canadians the right to a clean environment.
Aidan Johnson opposed the proposal as “pathetically too little” and “sort of like investing in a cork to plug a gigantic, gushing hole in our dam.” He contended that it “marginalizes the thinking that needs to happen”.
Sam Merulla agreed that it was insufficient but contended “to just simply cut it is irresponsible”. He recalled the flooding of 7000 homes in 2009 rainstorms and pointed to subsequent remedial measures as examples of what could have been done in advance if council had been proactive rather than reactive.
Brenda Johnson had multiple questions about the proposal including whether the resulting reports would sit on a shelf and why two positions were required. She joined the majority in voting to turn it down.
In the end only Mayor Eisenberger and councillors Merulla, Green and Vanderbeek voted (unsuccessfully) to keep the proposal in the budget discussions. Councillors agreed to continue consideration of 27 of the 30 staff recommended enhancements, as well as a handful of other funding requests. Those will be debated again on March 10.
Frozen water pipes affecting both city pipes and those in private homes cost the city $700,000 last year and have been more numerous this winter. According to city staff, pipes have been buried deeper in communities like Ottawa where colder winters have been expected in the past. Council is considering a compassionate grant program for affected residents similar to one established a decade ago that has paid out over $5 million to flooded homeowners.
Free climate change meetings
On Tuesday, March 10 a free public event at the McMaster Innovation Park on Longwood Road features two speakers on the topic “Water and Energy for Societies, Equality and Sustainable Development”. The 6 pm reception and 7 pm lecture will launch a new United Nations report.
On Monday, March 16 the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change is holding a public consultation on the province’s recently released climate change discussion paper. This is part of an Ontario wide consultation as the Wynne government considers how to put a price on carbon emissions. The Hamilton event is from 6 to 8 pm at the McMaster Innovation Park at 176 Longwood Road.
On Thursday, March 26 the McMaster Centre for Climate Change spring lecture features Dr Atif Kubursi on Water Food Energy Ecosystem Nexus at 7 pm at McMaster Innovation Park. It focuses on the vulnerability of water to both pollution and weather extremes that are likely to become more intense with further climate change.