Published April 18, 2024

City, major employers launch new climate initiative

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The Ville de Québec is enlisting several of the region’s largest employers in a new initiative aimed at helping the city reach its climate targets and develop climate-friendly projects.

Mayor Bruno Marchand announced the formation of the Québec Capitale Climat steering committee alongside Environment Minister Benoit Charette, minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region Jonatan Julien, Université Laval rector Sophie D’Amours and Jean-François Chalifoux, CEO of insurance company Beneva. D’Amours and Chalifoux will jointly lead the committee.

According to a joint statement, the committee aims “to contribute to the objectives of the city’s 2021-2025 climate action plan, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent relative to 2010 by 2030, mobilize major employ- ers, public institutions and real estate promoters to support its climate efforts, organize an annual climate action sum- mit and make the city more climate-resilient.”

The Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Québec (CCIQ), the CHU-Université Laval hospital, the Port de Québec, Destination Quebec Cité, Hydro-Québec, Groupe Dallaire, Desjardins, the regional public health directorate and the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec, one of the area’s largest public sector unions, will also have representatives on the 19-member board, along- side community and philanthropic organizations.

The initiative, inspired by similar projects in Boston and Montreal, has a budget of between $900,000 and $2 million for its first two years, provided by the Ville de Québec and the Fondation Familiale Trottier. QCC is expected to announce concrete projects in the coming weeks and months. D’Amours said she hoped the initiative would create an opportunity for “our sectors to benefit from shared knowledge and move forward together in a disciplined way year after year.”

In a soaring speech, March- and said it was “imperative” to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels because “there are a lot of people who need hope right now.

“There are a minority of people who are resisting, but there has been a tipping point in the last few years for the vast majority of citizens, who understand the obvious,” after the wildfires of this past sum- mer, he said. “We don’t have a lot of choices – we can roll up in a ball and give in to anxiety, we can be in denial… or in the face of almost certain failure, we can decide not to show up at the starting line. Or we can say, we don’t know how this will end or even if it will end, but we’ll do everything we can,” he said, citing restaurants and groups in the business community that that have begun to take sustainable development seriously, realizing that “if we don’t develop sustainably, we won’t survive at all.

“On our own, as a city, we can’t get there,” he added. “We need to get the largest employ- ers on board. We need to get everyone on board to make the city carbon-neutral.”

Chalifoux, for his part, said he was “absolutely convinced” businesses would be keen to get on board.

Charette, with whose government Marchand has locked horns over atmospheric contaminants and the fate of the tramway, praised Marchand’s “leadership” and the commit- ment of the private sector and community partners. “Frankly, I’m very, very proud,” he said. “This is inspiring for the future. Municipalities are key part- ners for us … to face climate change.”

“The transition can’t happen without structured public transit, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work on other things in the meantime,” Marchand told reporters, after Charette and Julien had left for question period at the National Assembly.

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