The citizens of Thunder Bay will have their chance to help guide the city in addressing climate change, sustainability, and greenhouse gas reduction.

An online survey has been opened by EarthCare Thunder Bay which will let administration know what residents want to see from the renewed Sustainability Plan. EarthCare is a partnership between the community and the city which strives for environmental stability in our region.

The implementation of the Sustainability Plan (2014-2020) saw successes in areas such as littering, keeping water clean, and reducing greenhouse gases. The initial phase developed in 2008 was called the Community Environmental Action Plan.

“This is going to be the third iteration of the plan, so we’re really taking a look at what has been in the plan, what has been done, celebrate those successes, and look to the future and what we can do to become a more sustainable Thunder Bay,” explains Amy Coomes, Sustainability Coordinator for the city.

Public consultation has been crucial in every installment of the recent environmental plans. Coomes goes on to explain why this has been so important.

“What makes our EarthCare successful is the citizen involvement,” says Coomes. “Since the inception of EarthCare, we have been working with citizens to implement the goals and come up with the goals in our Community Environmental Action Plan and the Sustainability Plan. In this next iteration, we’re looking to the citizens again and our working groups to see if these are still our goals, is there other things we need to be focusing on, and how can we better our communications.”

The survey closes Jan. 31, 2022, and can be found here for anyone interested in getting involved.

Thunder Bay also currently has a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.