Hamilton is the first municipality in Ontario to pass a declaration for environmental protection, joining 22 other cities across Canada as part of the David Suzuki Foundation Blue Dot campaign.

“This is about setting an expectation about the kind of community we want and joining a movement of other Canadians from all across our country who believe everyone deserves the right to live in a healthy environment,” said Grant Linney, local lead organizer in Hamilton for The David Suzuki Foundation.

Unlike almost 110 other countries, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not recognize this citizen right.

However, Sophika Kostyniuk, national organizing manager for the David Suzuki Foundation, said the cities that have joined the campaign now represent about two-and-a-half-million Canadians who care to make changes.

“We hope Queen’s park will respond to the City of Hamilton by initiating a process to review and improve their environmental bill of rights,” she said. “Legal protections for substantive environmental rights in Ontario would contribute to healthier communities and position the province as an environmental rights leader in Canada.”