The Town of View Royal has lent its support to a pending class-action lawsuit against global fossil fuel companies for a share of municipal climate change costs.

Following a presentation by the View Royal Climate Coalition and West Coast Environmental Law Tuesday (June 7), council voted to join the suit, and set aside $1 per resident to help cover legal fees once other local governments join. The town is the second municipality in B.C. to join the Sue Big Oil campaign.

B次元官网网址淎fter a significant discussion on the topic of the climate effects related to the cost of climate adaptation at the local level, council voted in favour of joining Gibsons in committing to recover the costs of climate change from global fossil fuel companies,B次元官网网址� said Mayor Sid Tobias in an email Wednesday. B次元官网网址淐ouncil voted in favour of support and at this time incurs no cost to the town or residents. As View Royal is a coastal community, it remains particularly vulnerable to the increasing effects of climate change including sea level rise.B次元官网网址�

According to a news release published Wednesday by West Coast Environmental Law, the campaign was launched in June 2022 and has been endorsed by more than 24 organizations.

B次元官网网址淎s residents of View Royal, we appreciate that our council is not simply assuming that we can afford the costs of climate change B次元官网网址� and that they are instead looking to recover a fair share from the global fossil fuel companies that have played such a huge role in causing the climate crisis,B次元官网网址� said Ian Brown of VRCC in the release. B次元官网网址淲e are proud of our council for the climate leadership that they have shown.B次元官网网址�

The campaignB次元官网网址檚 members said they hope View RoyalB次元官网网址檚 support will spur others in the Greater Victoria region to show their support for the lawsuit.

READ MORE: Split vote halts mayorB次元官网网址檚 proposed pause on View Royal rezoning applications