HALIFAX, NS – March 27, 2023 – Halifax Regional Municipality and Halifax Partnership are pleased to announce the launch of the CEO Climate Action Charter. Co-created in partnership with business leaders across Halifax, this Charter encourages signatories to take meaningful climate action using the unique operational levers of their respective organizations, while demonstrating leadership to our community.

“The fix for the worst impacts of climate change is not quick, but it is urgent. The only solution is deliberate, sustained, meaningful action,” says Mayor Mike Savage. “We have an opportunity to confront the challenge in ways that will drive our economy more sustainably and help us be better prepared for the future.”

“This Charter is the first of its kind and will position Halifax as an economic and climate change leader in North America,” says Wendy Luther, President & CEO, Halifax Partnership. “The launch of the Charter is an important milestone in our collective efforts to combat climate change.”

The CEO Climate Action Charter has been embedded in Halifax’s five-year Inclusive Economic Strategy – People. Planet. Prosperity., of which a key objective is to increase the city’s environmental sustainability and resiliency. Aligning with the municipal, provincial, and federal climate action plans, the Charter will support the growth of the green economy and materially reduce carbon emissions. Through fostering collaboration between business and municipal leaders, it will play a significant role in achieving the goals set out in HalifACT, one of the most ambitious climate action plans in Canada, with a goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The CEO Climate Action Charter will further enable Halifax, and the institutional and corporate leaders who operate here, to work together to meet the urgent municipal and provincial climate action goals.

“The role of the private sector in advancing climate action is imperative to reaching our collective goals,” says Cory Bell, President & CEO, Lindsay Construction. “As business and community leaders, we have a shared responsibility to make changes and take meaningful actions to increase Halifax’s environmental sustainability and resiliency.”

Founding signatories include:

To read the Charter: CEO Climate Action Charter