15-Minute City Motion
Make one with your City! (Scroll down for the goods)

Back in February, a few members of the Monkey Rebel club were selected to go to LSF's Climate Action Youth Forum in Vancouver.

We spent an amazing day learning about Climate Action and thinking of ways we could make a difference in our world. 

When we got back to school, we kept thinking about how we could make a BIG difference -- something with impact, that helped push our city towards a more sustainable future. 
We invited two environmentalists to speak with us, Jennifer Nathan and Karen Crosby, and they came to share their knowledge -- it was amazing to learn from educated, passionate people in just how much trouble we all are. During that presentation, they mentioned many ideas on recycling, fundraising… as well as the concept of 15-minute cities. That really stuck with us. There are a lot of people making conspiracies about it, but if done right, 15-minute cities can bring more freedom and more choices without stopping anyone from using a car whenever they want. Why not make the cities safer for walking and biking? A lot of us bike, but we are constantly afraid of traffic, and often lost not knowing where to go next.
So we drafted a motion and, with the help of Nadine Nakagawa and Tasha Henderson (two members of City Council) we presented this to the city on the 12th of June. Watch the video on Youtube to the right! ​With strong support from our Mayor Patrick Johnstone, our motion passed, to be implemented by 2030!

This is a BIG WIN
for all climate activists!
When creating a motion, it's a good idea to think of all possible issues that it will have, so you're ready to answer any questions people may have. Articles such as this one were really helpful to us!

Our research helped us see how important it is to develop areas that have not been prioritized by the City. 

We think we did a good job dissuading any concerns to make sure we don't have any problems, and thinking of different groups of people such as people in wheelchairs, children and elders, so no one loses with this -- we believe in a win-win-win for everyone. And so, the motion passed!

We would love for YOU to expand this project everywhere!

Let's make Canada a 15-minute country!

​Read ahead for guidelines on how to prepare YOUR OWN MOTION!

A Blueprint for Change -- 
Create your 15-Minute City Motion

Follow these guidelines ​to get your own motion going:


​1. Get expert support!

- Find environmentalists in your area; they can help energize your motion and support you, as well as provide you with information about your area!

- Contact your school district and ask to present your motion to your Board of Education, so that you can have their support (and add this to your presentation).

- Are there any other green organizations in your area? Bicycling clubs, walking clubs, anyone who would be able to offer support? Reach out!

2. Work on the motion and the presentations so that they work for your specific city.

​This might require research on your specific province, area and city, so everything is relevant and makes sense. Use our motion template below to help you craft your own motion!

Note that one of the Powerpoint templates below has fewer words per slide, while the other has many words. We suggest printing the longer ones out and laminating them, to give them some structure. On the day of the presentation, every speaker has only those slides on hand.

The short Powerpoint was the one projected during the council meeting. This way the slides look clean and you look professional! Usually they will let you send the Powerpoint the week before your Council meeting. 

3. Contact one or more members of City Council that are known for being progressive and awesome. Explain your motion to them, show your powerpoint and ask for their input and support in putting your motion on the agenda for a specific city council meeting. 

After that is all agreed on, find out how to register to speak at that city council meeting and do so, following all requirements carefully (like sending in your powerpoint by the needed date). 

Ensure you follow the guidelines for speaking at a city council meeting, usually things like being respectful and speaking honestly about your proposal. Check your city's website for all of this information because it may be a little different!

4. Contact the news.

​We contacted our local paper for help educating the public before our motion. This was so great in many ways; it turns out that some people came to the council meeting in support of our motion, without our knowledge.

Check out this page to see all the mentions of our motion on the news, prior to it actually going to City council for vote! 

5. Rehearse and prepare your speech.

​How many of you will speak? We had ten people, and what really helped was to rehearse how we moved towards the microphone. These little things are important!

6. Present your motion! Keep calm -- breathe! Make sure to bring a book to read while you wait, as well as snacks and water bottles. These meetings take time!

7. CELEBRATE!!! Eat a treat together!

8. Send us your project info and the result! We would love to feature you on our new page - Let's make a 15 minute COUNTRY!

9. Follow up with your city council or councillors after 6 - 12 months to find out how the 15-minute city plan is progressing. Keep encouraging them to get the plan moving forward!

Please feel free to mention our motion as an example of precedent to your motion! ​

Download the files below to get your own motion ready!

Presentation:

Use this template to create the speech you will use during your presentation!
city_council_-_speech_template.pptx
File Size: 28542 kb
File Type: pptx
Download File
Use this template as your main presentation which you will send your City Council!
city_council_-_presentation_template.pptx
File Size: 28639 kb
File Type: pptx
Download File

Motion:

Use the template below to make YOUR OWN motion for YOUR city! Let's help Canada fight Climate Change together!
template_for_motion.docx
File Size: 18 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

15-minute Canada

GOOD LUCK
​FELLOW ACTIVISTS!!!