As some have already discovered, several AVTTS members who also belong to Council of Canadians made a presentation at this week’s City Council meeting, asking that they declare Port Alberni a Blue Community — the third in Canada. We were well-received and pleasantly surprised by their promptness in adopting two out of three of the necessary resolutions on the spot. This was followed by great support and coverage in today’s AV Times (see links below). I’ve sent the paper a follow-up letter and a call for action by citizens, shown in full below. Please feel free to circulate the information freely. Thanks!
To read the editorial in the AV Times (“It is time to take our water woes seriously”):
http://www2.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/story.html?id=e1a23dc7-fd…
To read the report on the City Council presentation (“Council takes on challenge to be responsible for water”):
http://www2.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/news/story.html?id=74dd56…
(follow-up letter to AV Times dated August 24, 2011)
Dear Editor,
Many thanks to the AV Times for today’s fine editorial and coverage of the Blue Communities Project. It was a proud moment for our delegation when our Mayor and City Council readily adopted two of the three resolutions necessary to declare Port Alberni a Blue Community. For those readers who would like more information about the project, or who would like to download a short, free PDF copy of the Blue Communities Guide, please see the link below:
http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/Blue_Communities/resources.html
City Council members have received the Guide, and are studying the feasibility of adopting the third resolution. We encourage Port Alberni citizens to familiarize themselves with the project, and hope that people will feel inspired to send a brief email or note to our Council, expressing support for the third Blue Communities resolution. This is an excellent opportunity for Port Alberni to affirm its existing commitment to good water stewardship, and to set an example for communities across Canada.
Sincerely,
Marusha Taylor
Alberni Chapter, Council of Canadians