I am so proud to volunteer with Citizen’s Climate Lobby Canada. I became aware of their work when I first moved to Winnipeg and attended the “Climate Strike” march event in 2019. What attracted me to them was the positive and hopeful approach to activism. There is something to be said for shouting in the streets, but at a certain point it just feels either like I am yelling into the void, or I am just only interacting with those that agree with me and then annoying everyone else. The approach of CCL is different, they work within the existing system to enact change in a real way, not just endless demonstrating to “raise awareness” but rather focussing on solutions. To me, it is all about efficacy.

The advocacy I have done with CCL so far has been focussed on the carbon fee and dividend. This climate policy is incredibly simple and effective. Pollution has societal costs, so put a fee on a major source of pollution (carbon) and then repay that money back (thats the dividend part). Having this intense focus on one policy means we can dedicate our time on education legislatures on its benefits. I hear time and time again from politicians that they don’t feel like they have much power, that they feel like they are “cogs in the machine”. And yes, there is a cynical take here, imagine how we regular citizens feel if thats the feeling from literal law makers… Well I choose to see this as a call to action. The role we can fill is to empower lawmakers, so they feel they have a strong base of knowledge and confidence to support such policies, so they feel like they have the support of citizens behind them.

Another important aspect to me about CCL is that it is a non-partisan organization. I have long believed that supporting a healthy environment is something that spans political alignment. I am not a conservative, and I am not religious, so I will not pretend to speak on anyones behalf. However, I see how a a strong alliance should be available when we acknowledge that Earth is a precious gift, and we can fulfill our roles as stewards and protectors of it. I mean, the root word “conserve” is right in there! I believe with nearly all societal problems, there is nothing to be gained by shaming and shutting others out. We must work together, and see the goodness in each other.

CCL Canada’s core values are Focus, Optimism, Relationships, Integrity, Personal Power, Being Nonpartisan, Diversity.

In October 2022 I co-hosted “All Together Now”, a national educational conference bringing together representatives at federal and provincial levels with the creators of MIT’s and Climate Interative’s global climate policy simulator En-ROADS. We connected expert Andrew Jones (and other trained representatives) to the target audience of Canadian legislators and their aids. In April 2024 I helped with planning, technical work, and execution of the educational event “Citizens for Climate” that connected Manitoba MLAs across party lines with a group of non-profits in both environmental activism and in the health sector on the topic of climate effects on health. A number of guest speakers gave educational presentations to the target audience of Manitoba legislators and their aids.