Trudeau kicks off sustainable business summit in Vancouver with big promises
Posted Mar 2, 2016 7:34 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Will it hurt or help Canada’s financial situation?
The prime minister has kicked off an international summit on sustainable business in Vancouver promising to build a cleaner, stronger economy.
Calling it the “great global project of our time,” Justin Trudeau says Canada needs to take its place among other countries leading the way in the low-carbon economy.
To that end, he has doubled funding for clean energy research over the next five years and says, “Infrastructure Canada will provide $75 million to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to help our cities and towns in responding to pressing climate challenges.”
Trudeau says $350 million will invested into renewable energy in the coming year around the globe.
Trudeau says most of the world’s economic players recognize the importance of a clean economy and Canada must join them.
About 2,000 stakeholders have gathered in Vancouver for GLOBE 2016, a the three-day sustainable business summit at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre. The goal is to turn environmental challenges into economic positives.
We’ve already heard from some business leaders concerned climate policy could impact their ability to compete globally.
But Christianne Wilhelmson with the Georgia Strait Alliance says that is an outdated thought.
“The attitude that tech climate change is bad for the economy… it isn’t. We can invest in new technologies. We can invest in new ways of doing business. We can be leaders and have jobs in our community.”
Wilhelmson and other environmental leaders are hoping for solid first steps out of the summit and this week’s First Ministers Meeting in Vancouver, but says “it’d be naive to believe that all ministers will agree on the plan.”
