Top 10 Canadian cities leading the fight against climate change
On Saturday, March 26 at 8:30 P.M. (local time), households across the world will power down for an hour, turning off their lights to recognize Earth Hour.
On Earth Hour in 2010, 1.3 billion people in 128 countries and territories – including 10 million Canadians in over 300 communities – took part.
This year, the World Wildlife Fund, in partnership with Corporate Knights, has released the Earth Hour list, which highlights the top 10 Canadian cities leading the battle against climate change.
Each city was ranked out of 10 points, based on specific, climate-change related indicators, including: greenhouse gas emission reduction, municipal greenhouse gas reduction targets, renewable energy, green building and green transportation.
Vancouver is a clear leader, with a score of 8.1 out of 10, with Toronto and Montreal close behind.
“Our goal is to make Vancouver the Greenest City in the world by 2020, and a big part of that is taking an active role in climate leadership,” said Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson. “Our targets to reduce Vancouver’s greenhouse gas emissions and ecological footprint, as well as improve our energy efficiency and create clean transportation options, are good for both the environment and our economy. Vancouver has become a powerhouse for the clean tech and renewable energy industries and we are seizing the opportunity to create a bright green future for everyone in our City.”
The Top 10 Canadian cities: (Click the city name to find out more about the green activities in that community) (PDF):
| City | Score | Rank |
| Vancouver | 8.1 | 1st |
| Toronto | 7.2 | 2nd |
| Montreal | 6.2 | 3rd |
| Victoria | 5.7 | 4th
(tie) |
| Saskatoon | 5.7 | |
| Edmonton | 5.5 | 6th
(tie) |
| Hamilton | 5.5 | |
| Halifax | 5.3 | 8th
(tie) |
| Mississauga | 5.3 | |
| Yellowknife | 5 | 10th |
