The City of Calgary's 4 year budget deliberations are taking place this year, starting Monday November 23rd. This is a great opportunity for our community to advocate for climate focused expenditures. 

Join us for a session on Civic Engagement with special guest Cameron Esler From the Suzuki Foundation.

This session will provide a broad overview of how our municipal government works, and how you can engage with our elected officials and local policies for equity outcomes.

Training topics include: 

• A brief intro about city hall and the budget process (how does this whole 'budget' thing work?)
• How to tell a compelling story at city council, and why real stories from real people matter
• The nitty gritty details: how to sign up to speak, how to call in remotely, and how to know when your turn to speak is coming up
• A clear budget ask to council for Tree Equity outcomes

Join your fellow Calgarians and help take action for a more equitable, just, connected, and sustainable city! 

 Budget hearings begin on November 23rd! Be sure to register in time to speak by clicking this link : https://www.calgary.ca/council/meetings/public-hearing.html

What Is Tree Equity?

Communities in Northeast Calgary have some of the lowest tree canopy in the city. This isn’t just because the Northeast was built on grasslands, most of Calgary’s tree canopy was grown under similar conditions. Around the world communities with lower household income and greater numbers of BIPOC families tend to have a lot less trees. If your community needs more trees, it could due to a system that's tilted against low income households and minorities.

For more information check out: https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/calgary_tree_equity

What Can I Do About It?

Calgary Parks and Urban Forestry have a plan for prioritizing equity-deserving neighbourhoods for tree planting. Individuals who live in underserved communities (and all Calgarians) need to speak out in support of tree equity, to ensure this plan is supported by city council and given sufficient budget to make it happen.

We hope to see you there!