The city will be adding its name to the roster of communities backing a call for citizens' rights to a healthy environment.
Following a presentation on Monday night from representatives of the Blue Dot Prince George campaign, city council was asked to sign a declaration signaling its commitment to Canadians being able to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and consume safe food.
By signing, the city would agree to take environmental impacts into considerations when making decisions, commit to using the best and latest available science to ensure the right to a healthy environment is protected and to prioritize actions within its jurisdiction, such as ensuring adequate infrastructure for safe and accessible drinking water, working with the regional district to reduce solid waste and promote recycling and composting, establish and maintain green spaces in all residential neighbourhoods and ensuring responsible growth and development.
But before it signs on the dotted line, city staff will look at the declaration to help add specificity to the plan.
"I don't want to pass just an aspirational goal without having thought through what the implications are," said Coun. Garth Frizzell.
Staff will come back to council with a report on the declaration no later than Aug. 1.
The Blue Dot movement is spearheaded by David Suzuki - who brought his Blue Dot Tour to the city on Nov. 1, 2014 - with the goal of building a grassroots movement to have environmental rights enshrined in the country's constitution.
A three-step plan to have the right to a healthy environment added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms begins at the local level with these municipal declarations,with the hope that provinces follow suit and pass their own environmental bill of rights.
As of May, 50 municipalities across Canada, (the majority of which are in B.C.) have signed such declarations.
There are many things the city is already doing with respect to the declaration's clauses, said David Gerein, but the intent is to bring everything together into one concise declaration.
"We can do more and should do more," said Coun. Albert Koehler.
"If we say Prince George is a green city, we have to walk the talk."
