- Brampton Environmental Alliance ClimateVoting Records Brampton

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Have questions about the website or want to join us as a volunteer to help keep this website updated? Please see the following common questions, and reach out by filling out the form below!

Common Questions

Who created this website and who is updating it?

This website is run by volunteer members and community activists at ClimateFast and Brampton Environmental Alliance. ClimateFast is a volunteer-based, community organization dedicated to building strong, informed public pressure to take urgent, substantial, and just action on climate change.  The Brampton Environmental Alliance advocates for, develops and supports, collective actions including public engagement and education programs to make Brampton a more sustainable community.

Additionally, this website involved collaboration with members from other grassroots groups including Etobicoke Climate Action, For Our Kids Toronto, TTCriders, and others. A huge and special thanks to Progress Toronto and Civic Tech Toronto for their continuous support and guidance. This climate voting records website was built and is powered by webCOMAND.

Because this website is completely volunteer-run, there may be delays in updating the most recent climate-related motions passed by City Council. If you are interested in helping keep this volunteer-run website up to date, please contact us at info@bramptonea.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Can I get involved in the Voting Records project? If so, how?

Yes. Please contact info@bramptonea.org and let us know that you are interested in helping with the project.

I found a councillor listed on the website who is no longer a councillor. Why are they included?

For councillors who are no longer on City Council, we have included a label to indicate that they are “inactive”, while councillors who are still on City Council are labelled as “active”. If you notice that a councillor has been mislabeled, please contact us at info@bramptonea.org.

What is considered a “climate-related item” on this website?

The scope of the ‘climate-related’ items on this website is based on items deemed to support the CEERP and the Brampton Sustainable New Communities Program. For the initial website launch, the items focus mostly on the buildings, transportation, land use decisions, and energy related policies. In the future, we plan to update the website to include the full range of items that align more fully with the Climate Emergency Plan and include policies that lower consumption-based emissions. For more details on the scoping of items, please see About this Website.

Does this website provide a complete list of all climate-related items?

No, the website does not provide a complete list yet. Currently, it includes items dating back to 2022. Most of the items presented on the website are items voted on by City Council that help address the climate crisis and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As the website evolves, we plan to expand the definition of climate-related items to align more fully with the Climate Emergency Plan and include policies that lower consumption-based emissions.  Not all voting results of councillors are made public. Some votes are not recorded electronically (voted through physical hand raises only or have confidentiality reasons) and are therefore not reflected on this website. Finally, the website excludes climate-related items that were carried by default before City Council begins its session on held items.

I can't find the item that I'm looking for. How can I find it?

If you can’t find the item on our website, there could be several reasons: 1) it may have been overlooked or is yet to be added to the website or 2) it may not have been defined as a climate-related item within the scope of this project. For more details on the scoping of items, please see the About this Website. If you think an item should be included on our Voting Records website, please email us at info@bramptonea.org with the item details and why you think it should be added to our Voting Records website. We will review it and respond as soon as possible.

What are absent votes?

Absent votes indicate that the councillor was not in attendance to vote on the item or chose not to participate in a vote because they declared an interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.

An item sometimes has multiple votes. Why only look at the vote to adopt the item? Are there limitations to only looking at the final items to adopt?

We look at the final vote by City Council to adopt an item because that is the vote that determines whether an item is carried or not. We also go back to the meeting where the motion was first presented to capture the councillor who is “sponsoring” the motion. We then look at the actual vote where the motion was finally adopted which could be several months later in a different type of council meeting. However, it is important to note that votes at City Council may be performative and not truly reflective of the councillors’ understanding on the urgency of the Climate Crisis. Each councillor may also have different reasons for why they voted ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on an item or have a differing degree of understanding on what they are voting on. Therefore, it is not as simple as seeing the final vote to understand a councillor’s position on a topic. For a deeper insight, you may want to look at how your councillor voted on amendments within an item or how they voted on it within committee (if they are on the committee). Another solution is to talk to your councillor directly to gain a deeper understanding of their stance on an item.

For the letter generator, can I contact councillors outside of my ward?

Yes, you can. However, keep in mind that your own local councillor is more likely to prioritize a meeting with you (their constituent), than someone outside their ward.

What is the benefit of sending positive affirmations to the councillors on how they voted for items?

Sending positive affirmations to councillors helps them understand that their constituents want strong climate action. This can encourage them to vote more favorably on climate-related issues, especially those that impact emissions. Additionally, councillors want to receive as many votes as possible during an election, so they are motivated to reflect the needs and desires of their constituents. By expressing approval for their climate actions, you remind them that taking bold steps on climate is important to the community. Ultimately, it is crucial for constituents to meet with their local councillor and hold them accountable for how they are representing their constituents’ demands.

Use our letter template generator to quickly and effectively send an email to your councillor now by going to the “What Can I do?” tab. It will only take a few minutes!

I heard that you have a publicly available folder where resources are shared on the making of this website. Where can I find it?

Please check out the public resource folder linked here to see the details on how this project came about. This public folder also acts as a toolkit to help those working on a similar project and shares lessons learned.

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