An environmentally responsible Atikokan will be a more attractive place for people and government to invest.
That’s the basic position of Sustainable Atikokan, a group of citizens urging Council to make sustainability a key part of the municipal approach to development. The group got a positive reception from Council at its February 23 meeting. Cathe Hoszowski spoke for the group, which was also represented at the meeting by Brian Jackson, Robin Reilly, Carol Gosselin and Catherine Reilly.
Hoszowski focused her presentation on a community environmental action plan developed by EarthWise Thunder Bay and formally endorsed by the city. (www.EarthWise ThunderBay.com) The plan is a guide to sustainable policy in transportation, air quality, community ‘greening’, energy, food, green building, land use, pesticides and waste water.
The EarthWise approach is underpinned by the work of a couple of major initiatives, Principles for Sustainable Communities, developed by an international body in Australia in 2002, and the Ontario Roundtable of the Environment and the Economy.
“As Atikokan is now embarking on a strategic plan, it seems particularly timely to consider incorporating and supporting the global ideas contained in this plan,” said Hoszowski. “Atikokan’s association with Quetico Provincial Park and recent moves toward the production of energy through renewable biomass could be key elements in Atikokan’s claim to be an environmentally responsible, sustainable community.”
These unique initiatives, and any others of a similar vein, will help position Atikokan as an environmentally sustainable community, she said.
“Many local residents have already adopted these attitudes, and through their actions demonstrated a commitment to a sustainable future,” said Hoszowski.
She closed by offering the group’s input into the town’s strategic plan, which Council started working on in January.
“Some individuals from our informal group could serve in some capacity as an advisory group to Council on the sustainability issues outlined in the EarthWise document, and also to forge links with the EarthWise program in Thunder Bay.”
Hoszowski emphasized that the EarthWise approach can be tailored to fit Atikokan.
Mayor Dennis Brown said that Council will go public with a draft of the strategic plan soon, and that consultation will take place with the public generally and with specific groups. The priorities in the plan will focus on economic development – an area where sustainability policies will be important.
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