Windsor has officially declared a climate change emergency.
Council heard from several delegates Monday night calling for the declaration and ultimately voted unanimously in support.
With the pledge, Windsor joins over 400 other cities including Edmonton, Vancouver and Halifax.
Claire Sanders is the climate change specialist for the Essex Region Conservation Authority.
She says Windsor is already doing a lot to battle climate change.
"They have a strong administration who have put a number of plans in place, but now we need to implement them and that's really what this speaks to as well. So those plans are there and now it's time to really continue the good work that they've been doing."
Essex Region Conservation Authority climate specialist Claire Sanders seen on November 18, 2019 (Photo by AM800's Zander Broeckel)
Sanders says, while the declaration doesn't unlock any new funding, it helps put a spotlight on an important issue.
"The City of Windsor has been very proactive about accessing a lot of the federal funding through FCM for climate change adaptation work. So it doesn't directly access funding, but I think it brings a broader recognition and community recognition as well."
She says ERCA will now be looking to the County of Essex to make the same declaration.
"We're looking forward to seeing what the county does with it because it's a little bit of a different animal. Our other seven municipalities don't have the same resources that the City of Windsor does, but are facing the same challenges. So how can we all come together in this region to really address some of these ongoing urgent issues."
In addition to the declaration, councillor Fred Francis has asked city administration to reach out to the City of Detroit for support as well.
Essex County council will discuss declaring its own climate change emergency at its regular meeting Wednesday night.