Maple Ridge to host Climate Action Summit

The provincial environment minister will be a keynote speaker as the City of Maple Ridge hosts an upcoming Climate Action Summit.

Mayor Dan Ruimy said the city is in the process of developing a new climate strategy, and the summit will help inform that process. It will be held on April 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Albion Community Centre.

George Heyman is the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, and the Vancouver-Fairview MLA is also the former executive director of the Sierra Club of B.C.

After his address, a panel of leaders and experts will discuss the best practices for municipalities, and there will be workshop sessions to round out the day.

This summit will be the first of three hosted by the city on key issues in its 2023 Leadership Summit Series. The Climate Action Summit will be followed by two future summits on the topics of affordable housing and economic development. These sessions are still in planning.

At the Climate Action Summit, the city will hear from local, regional and provincial elected officials, Indigenous partners, experts and academics, community leaders, stakeholders, and members of the public.

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Ruimy and council plan to engage with the community, as Maple Ridge looks for environmental solutions the city can use in alignment with community, stakeholder and government decision makers.

“A priority for council is to collaborate with our community partners and other levels of government to address challenges and opportunities for Maple Ridge,” said Ruimy. “We’re delivering on that commitment with the Climate Action Summit, the first of three leadership summits. We’re bringing together a group of leaders, key partners and community members to listen, learn and help shape a plan that will take action locally to do our part globally for future generations.”

Information and ideas discussed at these facilitated workshops will be gathered and collated to help inform the city’s Climate Action Strategy and Action Plan.

For more information or registration details for the one-day Climate Action Summit on April 13 visit the city website at www.mapleridge.ca/summit.

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