Climate emergency vigils are being hosted Oct 4 - Nov 29, weather permitting. Details here.
Public Letter, November 2024: Canada's responsibilities at the UN Climate Conference (COP29). This letter was co-written by members of the FCJ letter-writing group to direct attention to the urgent need to focus both on global financing of loss & damage, aligned with principles of equity and climate justice, and on the rapid phase-out of burning fossil fuels in order to meet the Paris Climate Agreement targets and help move our world back towards climate safety for all. A short version of the letter was published in multiple news outlets including in The Record, while the full-length version that was shared with select Canadian federal ministers, including links to key references, can be found here.
Public Letter, November 2023: Canada's responsibility to climate justice and Loss & Damage at COP28. This letter was co-written by members of the FCJ letter-writing group to direct attention towards the urgent need for assertive leadership in good faith, aligned with climate science and global justice, by the Canadian delegation at the 28th UN Climate Conference in Dubai, COP28. The letter urges the Canadian delegation to bring its experience in international climate financing to the negotiating table, to work for robust funding and implementation of a global Loss & Damage Fund to assist developing nations most impacted by extreme climate events, aligned with principles of climate justice and a shared international effort towards real climate solutions, global peace and stability. The letter also highlights Canada's deep moral responsibility as a wealthy country and major GHG emitter, contributing significantly to global climate change, to work for climate justice - while also transitioning Canada's economy away from burning fossil fuels which is a leading contributor to the climate crisis. To access the full letter, including research links and our topline recommendations for Canada at COP28, click here.
Press Release, November 2023: Climate vigil organizers speak out on UN climate talks. Statement co-written by organizers of the climate emergency vigils, hosting over 16 weeks Fall 2023 leading up to the UN climate talks at COP28, Dubai. To access the full letter, click here.
Statement, November 2022: Letter of concern and calls to action responding to Bill 23 from Faith Climate Justice Waterloo Region. This statement was co-written by members of the FCJ letter-writing group to express concern over the province's recently-introduced Bill 23, the so-called "More Homes Built Faster" bill. It has numerous negative implications for climate, community wellbeing, local democracy and the environment - while not solving the province-wide housing crisis. A statement circulated to local elected representatives can be found here, while a simplified version of this was published as an op-ed in The Record here. Thanks to our letter-writing team for their leadership on speaking out! While the bill was eventually passed in a modified form, we encourage all residents to continue to speak out about this, and to advocate for the real solutions aligned with climate justice that we all deserve.
Joint Statement, March 12th: Statement in support of a Just Transition to a far more sustainable Waterloo region. "We as people of faith concerned for climate action and justice are raising our voices once again. We reaffirm our support for bold leadership by all... to accelerate the transition to the far more sustainable and equitable societies we know are possible - societies that care for all people, and for the sacred miracle of Creation that sustains all of us." Read the full statement here, endorsed by FCJ members and shared with local councillors for the March 12th Day of Action for a Just Transition, 2022.
Joint Statement, June 22nd: Statement in support of the TransformWR Climate Action Strategy and 50by30WR. "As people of faith, we believe the TransformWR Climate Action Strategy is a crucial strategy for guiding action to address the climate emergency in our region..." Read the full statement here, that many of our members contributed to and helped secure the approval of both the TransformWR Strategy and 50by30 motion by Region of Waterloo council - a full news post is here.
Joint Statement, April 22nd: Faith Communities Across Waterloo Region Call for Urgent Climate Justice on Earth Day 2021
"On the eve of this Earth Day like no other, faith communities across Waterloo Region are calling for urgent action to protect Earth - our shared home - in this crucial decade..." Read the full statement here shared by participating faith communities that have raised a banner in solidarity for climate justice this Earth Day - select photos and further details here.
Public Letter, November 2023: Canada's responsibility to climate justice and Loss & Damage at COP28. This letter was co-written by members of the FCJ letter-writing group to direct attention towards the urgent need for assertive leadership in good faith, aligned with climate science and global justice, by the Canadian delegation at the 28th UN Climate Conference in Dubai, COP28. The letter urges the Canadian delegation to bring its experience in international climate financing to the negotiating table, to work for robust funding and implementation of a global Loss & Damage Fund to assist developing nations most impacted by extreme climate events, aligned with principles of climate justice and a shared international effort towards real climate solutions, global peace and stability. The letter also highlights Canada's deep moral responsibility as a wealthy country and major GHG emitter, contributing significantly to global climate change, to work for climate justice - while also transitioning Canada's economy away from burning fossil fuels which is a leading contributor to the climate crisis. To access the full letter, including research links and our topline recommendations for Canada at COP28, click here.
Press Release, November 2023: Climate vigil organizers speak out on UN climate talks. Statement co-written by organizers of the climate emergency vigils, hosting over 16 weeks Fall 2023 leading up to the UN climate talks at COP28, Dubai. To access the full letter, click here.
Statement, November 2022: Letter of concern and calls to action responding to Bill 23 from Faith Climate Justice Waterloo Region. This statement was co-written by members of the FCJ letter-writing group to express concern over the province's recently-introduced Bill 23, the so-called "More Homes Built Faster" bill. It has numerous negative implications for climate, community wellbeing, local democracy and the environment - while not solving the province-wide housing crisis. A statement circulated to local elected representatives can be found here, while a simplified version of this was published as an op-ed in The Record here. Thanks to our letter-writing team for their leadership on speaking out! While the bill was eventually passed in a modified form, we encourage all residents to continue to speak out about this, and to advocate for the real solutions aligned with climate justice that we all deserve.
Joint Statement, March 12th: Statement in support of a Just Transition to a far more sustainable Waterloo region. "We as people of faith concerned for climate action and justice are raising our voices once again. We reaffirm our support for bold leadership by all... to accelerate the transition to the far more sustainable and equitable societies we know are possible - societies that care for all people, and for the sacred miracle of Creation that sustains all of us." Read the full statement here, endorsed by FCJ members and shared with local councillors for the March 12th Day of Action for a Just Transition, 2022.
Joint Statement, June 22nd: Statement in support of the TransformWR Climate Action Strategy and 50by30WR. "As people of faith, we believe the TransformWR Climate Action Strategy is a crucial strategy for guiding action to address the climate emergency in our region..." Read the full statement here, that many of our members contributed to and helped secure the approval of both the TransformWR Strategy and 50by30 motion by Region of Waterloo council - a full news post is here.
Joint Statement, April 22nd: Faith Communities Across Waterloo Region Call for Urgent Climate Justice on Earth Day 2021
"On the eve of this Earth Day like no other, faith communities across Waterloo Region are calling for urgent action to protect Earth - our shared home - in this crucial decade..." Read the full statement here shared by participating faith communities that have raised a banner in solidarity for climate justice this Earth Day - select photos and further details here.
We are a growing collective of faith communities in Waterloo Region who are deeply concerned about both the climate crisis and recovering justly from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As people of faith and citizens of Waterloo Region, we are deeply concerned about the double crisis we face in our community. We know many local faith communities are similarly concerned, and have begun to take action individually, yet we also need to address the collective and political aspects of this crisis. We are bringing faith communities together to advocate for a sustainable, low-carbon local economy that generates prosperity for all – built through collective efforts to meet our greatest challenges. Learn more about who we are and our vision here.
We are working to send delegations to local governments, urging them to take judicious and concrete actions on these issues, and sharing our ideas for a way forward.
Over the coming months, we will be approaching our local governments to present our vision and ask them to act. We see our role as bringing a faith perspective to the conversation, as we work with other local organizations for climate action. Together, we can achieve more than we can as individual congregations. Learn more about our mission here.
We are looking for faith communities across the Region to join us in speaking up about these issues, and working to transition our Region to a sustainable future that is more equitable for everyone.
You can get involved by joining us as a member congregation, hanging our banner on or near your place of worship to raise awareness, helping to organize and support our delegations to local government, connecting with other congregations, and any other way you can think of. Learn more about how you can take action on our Actions page.