webinar series:
Mobilizing Communities for Local Climate Action
How Local Electeds and Communities Can Drive Local Climate Action Together
Kicking off on October 16, 2025, this four-part series will explore how engagement and collaboration at the community level can unlock new opportunities for climate leadership. Each session will highlight practical strategies, real-world examples, and lessons learned from elected officials and community leaders who have worked together to advance local climate solutions.
Full program and registration links below. Sign up free today!
program
Presented in four installments over four months, this series is co-hosted by Climate Reality Canada, Climate Caucus, Clean Air Partnership, David Suzuki Foundation, and the Tamarack Institute.
Thurs., October 16,
2pm ET / 11am PT
Pushing for climate action at the municipal level: Strategies for collaboration
Hosted by Climate Caucus
How can community groups effectively work with their local governments to push for local climate action?
When community groups organize at the local level, they can catalyze meaningful change. This session will explore how groups across Canada have advanced climate action within their municipalities and built strong relationships with elected officials. We’ll highlight practical strategies for building trust with local governments, identifying champions, and creating partnerships across sectors to move climate solutions forward.
We’ll also hear from Kye Kolody Watt and Sophia Young, who have built Better Bus Youth in Regina, to achieve more accessible transit. They’ll be joined by Councillor Shanon Zachidniak of Regina, who will share her perspective on working with community groups to advance this effort.And we'll hear from Sunil Singal, an organizer with STAND.EARTH. He will speak to how residents and stakeholders came together to stop the Vancouver council from backtracking on its commitment to ban gas from new builds.
Wed., November 19,
2pm ET / 11am PT
Advancing local climate action through participatory democracy
Hosted by Climate Reality Canada
How can innovative decision-making structures and democratic processes foster more meaningful community engagement?
Participatory democracy—such as citizens’ assemblies, residents’ panels or juries, participatory budgeting, and policy crowdsourcing—offers residents more direct and substantive ways to influence government decisions than traditional methods like voting or consultations. This session will examine a participatory democracy initiative led by a Canadian municipality, featuring insights from elected officials, municipal staff, practitioners, and community members.Speakers coming soon.
Wed., December 10,
2pm ET / 11am PT
Equity-centred community engagement
Hosted by Tamarack Institute
More details and registration link coming soon.
Wed., January 21,
2pm ET / 11am PT
Leveraging local assets for climate action: Municipal and resident collaborations
Hosted by Clean Air Partnership
More details and registration link coming soon.
working together to propel climate action at the municipal level.
In its third installement, this webinar series is a collaborative effort co-organized and co-hosted by Climate Reality Canada, Climate Caucus, Clean Air Partnership, David Suzuki Foundation, and the Tamarack Institute.
Speakers
Meet our increadiable line up of guests. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge with us over the course of our webinar series. Stay tuned for updates, this section will be updated on an ongoing basis.
Shanon Zachidniak
City Councillor, Regina
Shanon is a passionate community builder who has spent the past decade focused on improving the lives of Regina residents. Her work has included management roles with several community organizations, including: Wascana Solar Co-operative, REACH, and the Regina Farmers’ Market. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor’s in Journalism. Shanon is also a published writer and former ESL teacher.
She is the founder of Regina’s award-winning EnviroCollective and co-founder of Food Regina. As a dedicated volunteer, she has served on the board of many community organizations.
Shanon and her husband, John, have two sons—Wylie (6) and Ivan (4)—and a dog named Penny.
Shanon will be joining us on Thursday, October 16 at 2pm ET / 11am PT for
"Pushing for climate action at the municipal level: Strategies for collaboration"
