Climate Regulation/Mitigation

As the climate changes, weather patterns become less predictable and summers become hotter. It is important that we keep temperatures regulated in the City to ensure that citizens and visitors feel the most comfortable. This is especially true in any public location, but is of primary concern in outdoors spaces such as parks where temperature regulation can be more difficult to manage. The addition of shade structures at the Pop-ups and other open spaces in parks, water re-fill stations (and handwashing stations), access to public washrooms (canteen in Centennial Park), and cooling stations (misting stations) would likely help reduce the amount of heat stroke and heat exhaustion cases we see during the summer. Additionally, during the winter, as we see more freezing rain events, this puts strain on infrastructure, primarily roads. Sanding roads regularly is important, however, using alternatives to salt is also important as we now know that it can negatively impact wildlife, pets, waterways, make cars more prone to rust, and damage roadways through corrosion. Budgeting with long-term planning in mind is important. Some projects or items may need to be implemented immediately, however, consideration should be given to factors such as "how long will this last? is this sustainable? is this doing more harm to the environment long-term than good?" This is especially true in regards to how often something may need to be replaced. If we are investing in something long term it may cost more upfront, but it is with the understanding that it will save money long term as it will not have to be replaced as frequently. When considering the above options it is important to take all of this into account.