As part of an overall environmental stweardship objective, the school district of Richmond BC is currently working towards energy sustainability with the following goals in mind:
Read more here.
A new study finds that only 30% of children in Canada walk to school. This is a significant drop from a study conducted in 1970 that showed 80% of children walked to school. Urban sprawl, tight schedules and parents’ fear for child safety are the main reasons for this decline is physical activity. Read more here.
Despite having a strong economy for the last decade, British Columbia has the highest poverty rates in the country. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) has laid out a Poverty Reduction Plan that would reduce poverty in the province by one third after four years and eliminate street homelessness within 5 years. The plan calls for action in 7 key areas, among them: increasing the minimum wage by 50%, providing universal child care, increasing the minimum wage with inflation and creating 2,000 suites of social housing per year. Read the report here.
A preliminary report released by the Pembina Institute and David Suzuki Foundation has shown that by following the science-based model of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 25% below 1990 levels, Canada can still expect economic growth of 20% over the next decade.The report is based on research by M.K. Jaccard and Associates using an economic model that has been widely used by the governments of Canada, Alberta and other provinces. To read the preliminary report, click here.