Letter Minister Catherine McKenna MP

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200 - 1627 Fort St., Victoria, BC  V8R 1H8 
Telephone  (250) 405-5151    Fax  (250) 405-5155 
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver 604.660.2421.  Elsewhere in BC 1.800.663.7867 
Email  information@islandstrust.bc.ca 
Web  www.islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
 
 
 
Bowen  Denman  Hornby  Gabriola Galiano  Gambier  Lasqueti  Mayne  North Pender  Salt Spring  Saturna  South Pender  Thetis 
May 28, 2019 
 
via e-mail: catherine.mckenna@canada.ca 
 
File Number: 6000-30  
 
The Honourable Catherine McKenna 
Minister of Environment and Climate Change 
House of Commons 
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0A6 
 
 
Dear Minister McKenna: 
 
Re: Supporting Nationally Determined Contribution Target 
 
On behalf of the Islands Trust Council I am writing to express our support for the Nationally Determined 
Contribution target made in the Paris Agreement. We call upon the federal government to provide 
additional support to local governments to accomplish this important work.   
 
We are thankful that the federal government has taken a leadership position with regard to climate change. 
In our view this is not something that can wait. Proactive, ambitious actions are needed now with 
leadership from the House of Commons. With the target of 2030 just ten years away it is more important 
than ever that important mitigation policies and measures begin now to achieve the transformational 
changes we need.    
 
We are ready to intensify our own efforts to address the climate change challenge for the sake of the 
natural environment and future generations. On March 13, 2019, the Islands Trust Council declared a 
climate emergency. We are all deeply concerned with the future health of the lands and waters of this 
sensitive region that is already under stress and especially vulnerable to climate change. However, we need 
support from your department and from all levels of government to implement the range of changes that 
are necessary to dramatically reduce emissions. In particular, it would be useful to have funding that 
supports mitigation measures for rural communities which have different needs than cities. 
 
Our request is that our federal representatives treat this as a critical time and support and implement 
policies and processes that support local governments to meet these important targets in partnership with 
all of Canada.   
 
 
 
 
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The Honourable Catherine McKenna 
May 28, 2019 
Page 2 
 
 
Thank you for considering this matter. The Islands Trust Council is a federation of local government bodies 
representing 26,000 people living within the Islands Trust Area and about 10,000 non-resident property 
owners. The Islands Trust is responsible for preserving and protecting the unique environment and 
amenities of the Islands Trust Area through planning and regulating land use, development management, 
education, cooperation with other agencies, and land conservation. The area covers the islands and waters 
between the British Columbia mainland and southern Vancouver Is

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