FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KINGSTON ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP CELEBRATES COUNCIL DECISION

“Most Sustainable City” Status Closer

( Kingston , January 20th, 2010) On Tuesday, January 19th, 2010, Kingston City Council took an important step towards becoming Canada ’s most sustainable city. Council had asked the Kingston Environmental Advisory Forum to provide advice about the environmental impact of the Poker Run. The Council committee’s report said that the CO2 produced by the Poker Run in the six hour event (90 to 175 tonnes) is equivalent to a round-trip flight from Toronto to Vancouver for a Boeing 757, which seats between 186 to 279 passengers, or a year’s emissions from the venting of anaesthetic gases from Hotel Dieu Hospital .

Council voted that City staff “…be directed to negotiate with the Poker Run participants and other stakeholders the possibility of the purchase of high quality, credible, preferably local carbon offsets…” (see full original motion below). While this step in and of itself was a relatively small one, the symbolic step was a large one, and we are inviting other municipalities to follow this important lead by examining their special events from an environmental perspective and taking action.

Councillor Dorothy Hector went even further wondering if the carbon offset arrangement was put in place, then perhaps all local events would be subject to such scrutiny. SPLASH would celebrate this inspired and environmentally significant stance.

The unrecorded Council vote was almost unanimous, with only downtown restaurant owner Ed Smith requesting to be recorded as ‘opposed’ (Mayor Harvey Rosen was absent). While voting in favour of the motion, Councillors Leonore Foster and Mark Gerretsen did express, for different reasons, concern that the Poker Run might leave.

Councillor Foster’s concern was that if the cigarette boat event left Kingston , we would no longer have any control over their activities, and it would just go to a town down the river, losing Kingston ’s opportunity to encourage them to behave in a more environmental manner. SPLASH feels that no self-respecting City Council in Canada that has any commitment to reducing CO2 and eliminating unnecessary sources of pollution would welcome this event in their town.

Councillor Gerretsen’s issues seemed to be more of a fiscal nature. The Poker Run does bring money to Kingston businesses, but SPLASH’s position continues to be that this event is held on a peak summer weekend, and a sustainable event could attract just as many visitors. If our DBIA, Downtown Kingston, were willing to give the matter some thought, we are confident that they could come up with a better event, one that does not use excessive amounts of fossil fuel, defile the lake and spew vast amounts of emissions into the air.

The Poker Run’s economic benefits may not be sustainable. It has been diminishing in size over the last few years, with a reported 150 participants in 2008, and 60 in 2009. It only makes sense to establish a new event that maintains economic benefits, but is less sensitive to issues like the cost of gas and a fragile world economy.

Holding this event in any city seriously undermines the environmental credibility of the City Council, and the community as a whole. In the near future, when industries and businesses are looking for a place to settle, they are far more likely to choose a city with a solid sustainability plan and the will to uphold every aspect of it. For SPLASH's sustainability assessment of the Poker Run, please see attached Pillars document.

SPLASH would like to congratulate Kingston ’s City Council on their very positive step towards sustainability, and encourage other municipalities to follow their progressive lead.

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City Council Meeting No. 05-2010

Agenda

Tuesday, January 19, 2010


Moved by Councillor Hutchison
Seconded by Councillor Garrison

WHEREAS the City of Kingston aspires to be Canada’s most sustainable city and has implemented many measures that are improving the quality of the four pillars of sustainability in our community – economic, environmental, social and cultural; and,

WHEREAS the Kingston Environmental Advisory Forum (KEAF) has indicated in its report that for the purposes of balancing the four pillars of sustainability in any decision with regard to the Poker Run, it is KEAF’s view that the Poker Run has a negative environmental impact; and,

WHEREAS KEAF further indicates that the Poker Run without carbon offsets is damaging to a culture of Environmental Sustainability;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT staff, after consultation with FOCUS Kingston and SWITCH, be directed to negotiate with the Poker Run participants and other stakeholders the possibility of the purchase of high quality, credible, preferably local carbon offsets to ensure that emissions from the Poker Run of an amount of CO2 equal to or greater than the emissions produced from the event are reduced elsewhere with attention in negotiations being given to who should bear responsibility for covering the costs of such carbon offsets; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT attention also be given in negotiations to the possibility of the participants reducing the carbon footprint of the Poker Run event.