By way of a 4-3 vote among the Town’s Councillors, Smithers has declared a climate emergency.
Councillor Gladys Atrill put forward the motion in response to a delegation at their June 25th meeting.
Mayor Taylor Bachrach says the declaration is necessary as the town is not yet at the level of emissions reductions required to meet their promised targets.
He also says that he is excited about the sheer number of climate related proposals staff is working on already.
Even the three councillors opposed to the declaration acknowledged the issues climate change presents, though they did not agree that an emergency declaration was the right solution.
Earlier last month, the federal government declared a Canada-wide climate emergency.