A new report finds the provincial government along with municipal governments, including Windsor, are failing when it comes to adapting to climate change.
The Urban Climate Alliance shows how ready or unready, Hamilton, Oakville, Ottawa, Toronto, and Windsor are for climate change. The group says it is clear the cities need help from the province to update city infrastructure to deal with severe weather, to make buildings more energy efficient and to reduce dependence on gasoline.
Executive Director of the Citizens Environment Alliance Derek Coronado says the good news is that Windsor has developed plans to deal with the change, but timelines aren't being met and things aren't looking good.
"This is not a report card that any average student would be happy to bring home to their parents because it shows they're not doing very well," he says. "It also shows that provincial support is very important for the city's to do better and to carry on with the commitments that they have to make under the climate crisis that we face now."
While Windsor isn't sitting on its hands when it comes to climate change — with two major flooding events in the past two years — he says more needs to be done.
"Windsor has had a climate adaptation plan since 2012, but the plan really doesn't have strict timelines and targets to hit. It's being updated this year in conjunction with the sewer master plan study that the city's undertaking," Coronado says.
He says some city plans also contradict commitments made in climate action plans and those loopholes need to be closed.