Sunshine Walk

Click Here To Go To The Sunshine Walk Page For More Info

KYOTOplus

The Toronto Climate Campaign endorses and promotes KYOTOplus, an urgent coalition petition effort calling on elected officials to ensure that Canada honours its Kyoto commitment and sets a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% (from the 1990 level) by 2020. Act now for the future. Click here to sign the KYOTOplus Petition.

Toronto Kick-off/Departure Rally, Oct. 4, 2008

Kingston (Midpoint) Rally, Oct. 12, 2008

Ottawa Finale, Oct. 20, 2008

Climate Justice Now!

The Sunshine Walk ~ 400km from Toronto to Ottawa Finale
Mon., Oct. 20, 2008, 12:00 (noon) to 1:00pm
Prime Minister's Office, Ottawa

If you're angry about the endless carbon debate and waiting for effective government action on climate change…
If you want rapid response on global warming and better solutions than nuclear or "clean" coal…
If you believe our environment and our economy need green jobs, now:
join us to tell our government to stop tilting at windmills and build them instead!
Come out, join the walkers at the end of their journey, make your voice heard.
Want to do more? Bring your vision of global warming solutions in a letter or picture,
sign on to the KYOTOplus petition, or call and ask your MP if s/he has signed the KYOTOplus pledge.

Contact: Stuart Trew, (647) 222-9782; Kim Kerridge, (647) 221-9169
E-mail: info.sunshinewalk@gmail.com
Blog: sunshinewalk08.blogspot.com
Materials For Download (Main Poster, Departure Poster, Postcard, Generic Info Poster, Pamphlet, Kingston Rally Poster)
Sponsorship & Endorsements (Click here for logos or see list below)
Press Releases
Itinerary (Updated Oct. 5)

To Donate to This or Other TCC Activities, Please Click Here

The Sunshine Walk

Organized by the Sunshine Walk Committee and Supported by:

Key Sponsors:
Greenpeace - David Suzuki Foundation - Council of Canadians - Climate Action Network - Canadian Federation of Students - NOW Magazine - Toronto Climate Campaign (TCC)

Endorsements:
Drishtipat Canada (DP Canada) - Environmental Education Ontario (EEON) - Grassroots - Greenspiration - HEAT: Humberside Environmental Action Team - KAIROS: Toronto Central, Great Lakes/St. Lawrence - Polaris Institute - Le Secretariat des organismes environmentaux du Quebec (SOEQ) - Sierra Club Canada - Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) - Young Bangladeshi Canadian Professionals (YBCP) - and other faith and multi-cultural groups, ENGO’s, First Nations, Human Rights Organizations and Teachers and Student unions and groups.

Endorsement Letters:
David Suzuki Foundation - Letter of Endorsement Sierra Club Canada - Letter of Endorsement

Articles:
Ottawa: Globe and Mail, Sunshine Walkers Demand Climate Justice From Government, CNW, Oct. 20, 2008
Trenton: The Trentonian, Sunshine Walk Looking to Solve Climate Change, Jerome Lessard, Oct. 17, 2008
Sharbot Lake: The Frontenac News, Walking on Sunshine: Promoting Kyoto, Jeff Green, Oct. 16, 2008
Belleville: The Intelligencer, 400 Km Walk Against Climate Change, Oct. 13, 2008
Northumberland: Northumberland News, Climate Justice Walk to Ottawa, Peg McCarthy, Oct. 10, 2008
Northumberland: Northumberland Today, Climate Change Fuels Sunshine Walkers, Shelby Parker, Oct. 8, 2008

The Sunshine Walk

From Revised Oct. 20th 2008 Press Release

The walkers -- Dewan Afzal, Rita Bijons and Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu -- spoke a few doors down (and a few hours before) Stephane Dion's Ottawa press conference announcing he would be stepping down as Liberal party leader...

"No matter who is leading government or the various parties, the climate and economic crisis must be front and centre over any other issues now," says the group of walkers who, under the banner "The Sunshine Walk", wanted to communicate the deep desires Canadians have for real renewable solutions to climate change. "But focusing on partisan politics, electioneering or party rebuilding is equivalent to tilting at windmills instead of building them or fiddling while Rome burns."

"Canadian leaders of government must put aside their petty differences and work together to implement solutions now," says Mugnatto-Hamu. "We need rapid response on global warming and better solutions than nuclear and 'clean' coal. Truly sustainable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal and marine power exist now and we don't need to rely on oil, gas and nuclear, all of which actually deepen the global climate and economic crises".

"Canada is repeatedly called upon to meet its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," says Afzal. "Our emissions are having a devastating impact, especially on developing parts of the world. Canadians demand that the first task of our new government is to create green jobs and green energy."

On its way to Ottawa, the Sunshine Walk passed through over 50 cities and towns where walkers met with local candidates during the election to ask them to sign the KYOTOplus pledge, which includes a promise to support "strong measures in support of energy conservation and renewable energy" and "urgent measures to minimize climate change impacts on people and ecosystems here and abroad."

The Sunshine Walkers also asked other concerned citizens to join them along the way, for some or all of the walk, and to give them their climate solutions in a letter, drawing or photograph for our next government. These letters will be delivered to the PMO today.

"Canadians deserve a government that thinks outside of the tar sands, toward a more secure energy future for Canada," says Andrea Harden, Energy Campaigner with the Council of Canadians, one of several organizations sponsoring the walk, including Greenpeace, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Sierra Club of Canada, the Climate Action Network, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Polaris Institute and others. "We demand a government that prioritizes the interests of people and the environment not corporate profits, and plans for a just transition to publicly funded and delivered sustainable, renewable energy."

"The world is deserving of true leadership in Canada on climate change," says Bijons. "Our government has been using our tax dollars to subsidize dirty energy like tar sands and nuclear power for too long. We want that money to be spent implementing clean, sustainable energy solutions instead. It's also time Canada worked toward facilitating a global shift to alternatives and played a leadership role in influencing other G8 nations to embrace clean energy."

The Sunshine Walk

From Initial Oct. 4th 2008 Promotional Material

Every hour, the sun beams as much energy at the earth as humanity collectively uses in a year. All we have to do is harness it. Truly sustainable energy sources - solar, wind, geothermal and marine power - exist all around us. We don’t need to rely on oil, gas and nuclear. A better world is necessary and possible – we must inspire our government to ensure that it’s just and sustainable.

Canada is repeatedly called upon to meet its commitments to emission reduction but our government has been quite busy tilting at windmills instead of building them. Our emissions are already having an impact on developing parts of the world. Climate Change is not a distant storm coming – it’s already here and whatever form our government takes coming out of this election, they must know that for Canadians, the first task at hand is to implement green jobs and green energy. They must demonstrate leadership and act progressively now! Our taxes and policies have subsidized dirty energy – preventing sustainable energy - long enough. It’s time Canada worked toward facilitating a global shift to alternatives. And it’s time Canada played a leadership role in influencing other G8 nations to embrace clean energy.