Squamish has been declared a place where its citizens have the right to live in a healthy environment.
The declaration was made by council Tuesday night after a presentation by Carolyn Neu, who spoke on behalf of the Blue Dot campaign, which is a project of the David Suzuki Foundation“A declaration by Squamish to show it supports a safe and healthy community environment and to show support for all inhabitants the right to continue to breathe clean air, drink fresh water, consume safe food and to access nature,” said Neu in her request that council make the declaration.
The declaration states that council will ensure in its practices and policies that the cost to human health and the environment has been considered. It also states that a lack of full scientific certainty will not prevent council from taking measures to protect these things.
According to Neu, the ultimate goal is to amend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to include the right to a healthy environment. So far 110 nations have made the declaration, Canada is not one of them.
Mayor Patricia Heintzman said council had been doing many of the things requested in the declaration, but said she was happy to put forward the motion, which was unanimously passed.
“A lot of things in here we already have imbedded in our policies, but I think what this does is makes it mindful, it brings it to the forefront and it hopefully helps influence the federal government to embody it within the constitution like so many other countries have done,” said Heintzman.
Squamish is the 17th Canadian municipality to make the declaration.
After the meeting, Neu said she was surprised that council passed the declaration right away.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said. “That was so wonderful.”
For more on the Blue Dot campaign, go bluedot.ca.
