Environment Hamilton's board and staff have submitted this open letter to all five Hamilton MPs in support of private member's Bill C-245. The letter's text is below. EH encourages all Hamiltonians to contact their MP and ask them to support this bill!

April 21, 2022

Dear Members of Parliament Chad Collins (Hamilton East Stoney Creek), Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre), Lisa Hepfner (Hamilton Mountain), Dan Muys (Flamborough Glanbrook), Filomena Tassi (Hamilton West Ancaster Dundas),

The staff and board of Environment Hamilton is writing to you to communicate our support and enthusiastic endorsement of the private member’s bill, Bill C-245, brought forward by the Member of Parliament from Churchill - Keewatinook, Niki Ashton.

Bill C-245 seeks to change how the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which was set up as a means to invest $35 billion in infrastructure projects - but in its five years of existence it still has not funded a completed project. The Bill would remove the mandate from the Bank that requires it to seek private investment that will generate revenue - and replace that mandate with a focus on investments that benefit the public - specifically in making investments that will enable climate change adaptation and mitigation.  

As you know, Environment Hamilton has been active within our city for over twenty years and we are passionately committed to ensuring that all levels of government respond to the climate emergency. We all must keep up the work of mitigating our contribution to the climate emergency, and  adapt to the negative impacts we have already locked in for ourselves and future generations. We believe that the changes proposed in Bill C-245, with respect to how the Canada Infrastructure Bank functions and prioritizes investments, would be a boon to communities across the country. In particular, we appreciate the prioritization of Indigenous communities. It’s vital for the Government of Canada to follow through on principles of justice and reconciliation and ensure the communities that have proportionally contributed so little to this global crisis do not continue to disproportionately suffer the consequences of it.

It is clear that the Canada Infrastructure Bank has not fulfilled its promise since its conception, and the proposed changes to how it awards and prioritizes projects are reasonable reforms that will surely generate immediate positive outcomes for individual communities, but also for Canada nationwide. As our local Members of Parliament for Hamilton, we are calling on you to support Bill C-245. We also encourage Hamiltonians to join us in this call.

If you have any questions we are more than happy to discuss this Bill further with you.

Sincerely,

Environment Hamilton’s Board of Directors and Staff Members