Village of Gagetown Adopts Declaration of Environmental Rights
written by Voices for Sustainable Environments and Communities

On Monday Jan 15th, about 20 citizens turned out on a snowy wintery evening for the Village of Gagetown Council meeting, held at the Village Rec Council. They were there to see the Village Council issue its Environmental Rights Declaration in support of the Blue Dot movement. Blue Dot is an initiative of the David Suzuki Foundation that works toward the right to a healthy environment for all Canadians.

The Village’s Declaration was an outcome of the recent video presentation “Green Rights”: the Human Right to a Healthy World”, hosted by the local group Voices for Sustainable Environments and Communities. It was presented by renowned author and filmmaker, Silver Donald Cameron. "I'm absolutely thrilled that our screening of Green Rights in Gagetown last fall has prompted the community to make this splendid Declaration," says Cameron. "My colleagues and I spent several years creating the film, and the whole idea was to promote this kind of change. The people of Gagetown should feel very proud of what they've done."

Following the meeting, Mayor Mike Blaney said, “It was truly our pleasure to support such an important movement.” He went on to observe, “ No longer can we be indifferent to the immense negative impact we have had on the Earth. As an individual we often feel there is nothing that we can do to effect change in the bigger picture. I hope that as an individual community the Village of Gagetown can increasingly become an example to other communities by striving to provide the appropriate attention, consideration and respect to that which has been provided and given to us since the dawn of time. It is not a question of whether we should or should not do this, the question is, “Do we have the right to diminish nature’s ability to sustain our future generations?"

voices

By reading this Declaration into the minutes of the January 15, 2018 Council meeting, Council’s beliefs and intentions are a matter of public record.

1. It demonstrates Council’s recognition that all people should have the right to live in a healthy environment, including the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, consume safe food, to access nature, to know about pollutants and contaminants released into the local environment, and the right to participate in decision-making that will affect the environment.

2. It demonstrates Council’s leadership in building a healthy, sustainable community.

3. It signals Council’s willingness to consider environmental implications when making decisions.

4. It helps to inspire action at other levels of government.

The interest in these declarations has spread throughout the country where citizens favour healthy and clean environments for our children and grandchildren. One hundred sixty-two municipalities have approved Green Rights Declarations across Canada. Five towns and cities in New Brunswick have shown some interest, while only two - the Town of Sackville and the Village of Gagetown - have approved their own declarations.

If you are interested in the work of Voices, and have skills that you would like to offer, check out our Facebook page (Voices for Sustainable Environments and Communities) or contact us by email. We currently have more items on our Priority List than we have resources.

https://www.facebook.com/VoicesGagetown/
 © 2018 NBEN / RENB