Population 9,075

As a newly hired Climate Change Coordinator for the Town of New Glasgow, NS, Rachel Mitchell was looking for strategies to complete the work laid out for her. When the Chief Administrative Officer sent her information on the Showcase Cities pilot, Rachel viewed it as an opportunity to learn and complete the large task of creating a climate action plan from scratch. With the support of the GCoM helpdesk, Rachel assembled a presentation to Council and received unanimous approval and an enthusiastic commitment to join GCoM.

As the only Nova Scotian municipality in the pilot, the Town was able to be a part of the national conversation on local climate action and share their experience as a small municipality. Having access to the resources and the network helped New Glasgow measure their current climate commitments against similar-sized municipalities across the country and increase the ambition of their mitigation target.

Rachel and the Town of New Glasgow have been able to complete most of the objectives they set for themselves as part of the Showcase Cities pilot. Rachel also learned more about climate adaptation: a bonus, since her mandate at the Town was mitigation-focused. This helped her understand what the next steps are for the Town’s adaptation work, as well as who to reach out to if she has questions.

“The pilot provided us with opportunities to be included at the table and participate in a national and international conversation on climate change that our small municipality otherwise wouldn’t have been included in.”– Rachel Mitchell, Town of New Glasgow, NS