Victoria

Dear Reader,

On behalf of the BCSEA Board, Chapters and membership, I would like to notify you regarding a change in the Executive Director position. Ali Grovue has decided to step down as Executive Director effective September 30th, 2016, and the BCSEA Board is very pleased to announce that Jessica McIlroy will be stepping into the role as of October 1st, 2016.

As the TMX Ministerial Panel made its way across British Columbia this summer, holding consultation meetings on Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, three of BCSEA’s Chapters spoke of our belief that Canada has no need for expanded pipeline capacity and should instead focus on a transition to clean, renewable energy. 

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, commenting on the challenges in the city staff’s new report on climate action, said: “If we are serious about this, we’d better get serious. But we need the community to jump on board.”

As if the 2015 federal candidates debates weren’t exciting enough, for 2016 the Victoria Chapter has taken on the municipalities of southern Vancouver Island.

Inspired by the Renewable City Strategy of the City of Vancouver, we are asking the municipalities in our area to adopt a 2050 goal of meeting 100% of their energy use with renewables. And we mean all energy use in the community, not just municipal operations.

The central core of downtown Victoria was a hive of pedestrian activity as Douglas Street was closed on Sunday, June 19th to make way for musicians, food vendors, artists and businesses and organizations of every description for the second annual Car Free Day.
 

The festive atmosphere resulted in a broad cross-section of the community visiting the BCSEA tent and keeping us all busy. 

Change is in the air, if you go by the mood at town hall meeting, hosted by M.P. Randall Garrison in Esquimalt High theatre on May 27th.

Two hundred and fifty people filled the theatre to hear and talk about how Canada can deliver its share of the greenhouse gas emission cuts needed to keep global warming below 2 degrees – preferably below 1.5 degrees – Celsius.