City supports the Supreme Court decision to uphold constitutionality of carbon tax
The City of Vancouver not only supports a carbon tax but relies on it to meet our climate targets because it shifts investments away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart
The City of Vancouver is encouraged by today’s ruling from the Supreme Court that Canada’s carbon pricing law is constitutional. This decision recognizes the “irreversible harm” if we do not act on climate change by dramatically reducing our carbon emissions, and the need for a coordinated national approach with every province and territory putting a price on carbon to fight the climate crisis.
“The City of Vancouver not only supports a carbon tax but relies on it to meet our climate targets because it shifts investments away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency,” says Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “Vancouver has participated with a number of other cities in informing this legal challenge, specifically by explaining how important a carbon tax is to our climate work.”
Carbon pricing is considered the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions. The federal carbon tax benchmark will set Canada on a path to reduce carbon pollution to meet our international obligations, while giving each province flexibility to determine the best local solutions to pursue. The court decision acknowledged that climate change is “a threat of the highest order to the country, and indeed the world.” Adding that its “undisputed existence of a threat to the future of humanity cannot be ignored.” This call for urgent and collective action aligns with the call from scientists around the world for accelerate action to cut global emissions in half by 2030.
“Vancouver has long been considered a global leader in sustainability,” says Doug Smith, Director of Sustainability. “We have a history of forward looking climate action; a strong foundation of zero emissions building policies and transportation planning, along with a thriving economy aided by a progressive carbon tax. Our recently approved Climate Emergency Action Plan is more ambitious, aligned with climate science and aiming to reduce carbon pollution by five-times the amount per year for the next nine years than previously achieved.”
Climate Emergency Action Plan
In November 2020, Vancouver City Council signaled their collective concern for the climate crisis by approving the Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP); a bold, ambitious and evidence-based plan to align with the science, scale-up local action and get Vancouver on track to cut our carbon pollution in half by 2030.
The CEAP is our roadmap do our fair share in preventing climate breakdown. The plan’s actions will support residents and businesses to transition off fossil fuels and strengthening our economy by advancing green jobs. It focuses on equity as a core priority in the actions, acknowledging that climate change has the greatest impact on those least responsible for causing it. Actions within the plan are designed to avoid burdening people who are struggling and to make these changes easier by providing incentives, removing barriers and improving infrastructure.