WHEREAS, Earth Day is celebrated globally with the goal of inspiring environmental awareness and promoting the conservation and restoration of our planet’s shared natural resources and ecosystems, upon which our health, prosperity, and future depend; and
WHEREAS, according to the World Meteorological Organization, 2025 ranked among the three warmest years ever recorded globally, continuing an unprecedented trend of rising temperatures and intensifying extreme weather events with significant impacts on food security, public health, infrastructure, insurance markets, and local and global economies; and
WHEREAS, climate change presents not only environmental challenges but also economic risks and opportunities, affecting municipal budgets, businesses, supply chains, tourism, housing stability, and community resilience; and
WHEREAS, a stable climate and healthy, biodiverse ecosystems provide clean air and water, fertile soil, carbon sequestration, flood and drought mitigation, and natural spaces that contribute to the well-being and economic vitality of our community; and
WHEREAS, having declared a Climate Crisis in October 2019, the Town of Collingwood reaffirmed its commitment to protecting our economy, community, and ecosystems, subsequently enacting the Greener Collingwood Corporate Climate Change Action Plan in 2023; and in 2026, the Town is implementing its Community Climate Action Plan while advancing the development of a Climate Adaptation Plan to strengthen resilience to flooding, heat, extreme weather, and other climate-related impacts; and the Town continues to work with local environmental partners to grow our tree canopy, enhance urban streams, protect water quality in Georgian Bay, implement the Collingwood Pollinator Protection Plan, and promote meaningful local climate action;
NOW THEREFORE, I, Yvonne Hamlin, Mayor of the Town of Collingwood,
DO HEREBY PROCLAIM April 22nd, 2026, as “Earth Day” in the Town of Collingwood.
Dated this 22nd day of April 2026.