December 2023

Greetings from Heather Baitz, NCAH Board President

Hello friends!

Well, it's that time of year again. It's hard to believe another holiday season has rolled around and the year is drawing to a close! It's been a busy Fall for NCAH (so busy, in fact, that the November newsletter has become a December one!). As I reflect on both our accomplishments and challenges as climate activists, I acknowledge that it is hard for many to accept that we are in a climate crisis — let alone be willing to engage in climate action work or even have conversations about it. So, how does one handle the topic of climate change at family holiday dinners?

My advice this year: don't be afraid to tell your loved ones how you're feeling about this year's climate disasters. Tell them about the things you are doing to be part of the solution. Most people feel relieved to know others are worried too, and some may be inspired by your actions. At the same time, if climate denier Uncle Bob wants to talk climate hoax, take a deep breath and let him. Don't waste your time and energy trying to convince deniers. Agree to disagree, then move on and enjoy your dinner.

Oh, one other thing! It is also that time of year to renew your NCAH membership for 2024. And if you are not a member, consider becoming one today. Why become a member? Membership is FREE and as a member you: are invited to attend our bi-weekly NCAH Organizers meeting; get access to our members-only Facebook group; and you may attend and vote at our Annual General Meeting (see details on that below). Becoming a member also counts as meaningful climate action, because NCAH's political influence increases as our numbers go up.

We are thrilled that we are almost at 100 members! If you receive this newsletter consider taking the next step by becoming a member. For anyone considering more regular involvement, nominations are now open for the board of directors election — more information will follow in the new year.

This will be the last newsletter of the year so, along with the rest of the NCAH board, I wish you a happy Holiday season.

Warmly,

Heather

Mark Your Calendar: NCAH Annual General Meeting (AGM) Jan 27th

Calling all members! We will hold our AGM on Saturday January 27th, 2024 at 5:00 pm. Please plan to come. We will start the AGM with a short business meeting, during which we will discuss a few 2024 initiatives including the formation of several new working committees (new ways for you to get involved!), as well as vote in our new board members. We will then share in wonderful potluck dinner and enjoy some social time together. We are thrilled that Dan Parker will join us to perform some tunes. It will be a great evening — we hope you can join us. We will send out another reminder with a link to RSVP and sign up for a potluck item.

Debunking the Heat Pump Affordability Myth: Part 2 (or How Larry Got a New Heat Pump System For Around $1400 Out-of-Pocket)

As promised in last month's newsletter, Larry Whaley provided important information for anyone considering a heat pump for their home. In this new video, Larry provides an overview of his experience researching and investigating heat pump installation costs, and shares insights from his own recent experience with a heat pump retrofit at his Nanaimo home.

Navigating the ZCSC Misinformation Maelstrom

We've written a lot in recent months about the adoption of the Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC) here in Nanaimo. While we've been celebrating this as a big win for our city and the planet, our work is never done. You are probably well aware that there as been a lot of misinformation circulating since before the bylaw even passed.

One such example is a campaign launched by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association of Canada (HPBAC). They are urging consumers to write to Nanaimo City Council to reverse the "Nanaimo Gas Ban" and have made it easy to do so directly from their website with just a few clicks! In addition, HPBAC has taken out ads in the Nanaimo News Bulletin encouraging readers to "tell City Council not to restrict access to natural gas for fireplaces".

To be clear, ZCSC does not take away natural gas fireplaces, but rather, mandates that all new home construction utilize heat pumps as their primary heating source.

In response to the HPBAC, Laurie Friskie, NCAH board member, wrote this letter to the editor of Nanaimo News Bulletin. NCAH has also filed complaints with the Competition Bureau of Canada and Ad Standards expressing our concern over the inaccuracy — and misleading nature — of the ad.

NCAH was pleased to see that in an effort to address misinformation regarding ZCSC, on November 10th the City of Nanaimo posted a blog entitled Natural Gas in Nanaimo: here are the facts.

In the meantime, we're in great company when it comes to our city's adoption of ZCSC; fourteen municipalities across our province have committed to reducing carbon emissions from new home heating. Montreal has done the same. Onward and upward!

RegenerateBC Hosts Climate Solutions Workshop

Earlier in the month RegenerateBC, formerly DrawdownBC, hosted Regeneration: Connecting Climate Solutions to Action at Nanaimo North Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library. The workshop, led by Kari Nelson and Joan Gillies, was well attended by enthusiastic community members who got a chance to explore a variety of climate solutions (some rather surprising!), based on Paul Hawken's Drawdown and Regeneration.

"It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all that is happening around us. Our sessions are aimed at giving people hope. They do so by showing them that there are well-researched and currently functioning solutions to the climate crisis already at hand — we just need to implement them, and quickly", said Kari Nelson. "People are often surprised by the solutions that have the most impact, and that many of them are ones we can do individually. We hope to inspire to personally engage by taking action themselves, and to join others in accelerating climate solutions in our communities, province, and country."

If you are interested in having a workshop in your community, email RegenerateBC@gmail.com or check out the RegenerateBC website for more information.

Do We Need a Youth Climate Corps? (Spoiler alert: YES we do!)

In his September 20th Times Colonist article Stefan Labbé cites a new poll that found that most Canadians indeed support a new youth climate corps to fight disasters and drive down carbon emissions. Young people, in particular, are in support of such a program; nearly two-thirds of Canadians between 18 and 35 would consider joining, according to the poll.

Here in British Columbia, Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC) aims to empower youth to take actions to address the climate crisis, and in so doing gives us a model that advocates feel could scale nationally to give us the kind of youth movement we need at this time.

Labbé writes that the idea of a national climate corps is not new — the term comes from a depression-era program in the U.S. that was about mobilizing to put approximately three million folks to work expanding national parks, planting billions of tress, and building scores of dams and roads.

Read the full Times-Colonist article here.

Squamish Votes 5-2 to Support Sue Big Oil Lawsuit

The District of Squamish will be the third BC local government to support a class action lawsuit against fossil fuel companies after Council, sitting as Committee of the Whole, voted 5-2 to set aside funds in the 2025 budget for this purpose. West Coast Environmental Law, My Sea to Sky and other members of the Sue Big Oil campaign applauded Squamish’s climate leadership and its efforts to recover some of the tens of millions of dollars of harm that the fossil fuel industry is causing the community.

"Squamish is spending $13 million on dike upgrades, millions more on wildfire preparedness, and still more on other climate impacts," noted Tracey Saxby, Executive Director of My Sea to Sky. "We cannot afford to let companies like Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil which have played a huge role in causing the climate crisis off the hook."

Read the full press release here.

The Nanaimo Sue Big Oil Team will continue to gather support at local events. Add your name to the declaration.

NCAH recommends... Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast by John Vaillant

Review by Laurie Friskie

Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast covers a lot of ground, from the history of Fort McMurray and the petroleum industry, the physical conditions of the boreal forest that resulted in an explosive, unstoppable wildfire, to the harrowing evacuation of 90,000 people.

The final section, “Reckoning,” describes how we got here and where we are headed. The Fort McMurray fire was the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history, destroying approx. 2,500 structures and damaging 500 more. Despite the confusion and chaos, not a single person was left behind and no one died in the fire. (Sadly, 2 young people died in a highway accident while evacuating.)

The book is so compelling because of the gripping personal stories of fear, the difficult decisions in extreme conditions, and tense situations. Interspersed are the facts about the record-breaking weather conditions, and the desperate and futile attempts to contain the fire.

At one point, firefighters used a backhoe and a D8 “Cat” to flatten evacuated homes as a firebreak. Toys, baby pictures, cribs and furniture tumbled out of broken walls. Houses were incinerated in 5 minutes. Fort McMurray firefighters had never seen anything like it.

Vaillant says we have 3 levers to impact rapid decarbonization:
1. Stop using fossil fuel products.
2. Litigation against petroleum companies.
3. Insurance companies stop insuring fossil fuel and bitumen projects and pipelines.

In addition to being short listed for several awards, on November 16, 2023, Fire Weather won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, a British prize for the best nonfiction, written in English, from around the world.

Please Support Us!

We have an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 Victoria Road in Nanaimo. You can donate the money from returnable items by asking the clerk to credit the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub account. Thanks in advance for your support. It makes a huge difference!

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

We respectfully acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Stz'uminus and Snaw-Naw-As First Nations.