By Cecilia Nasmith
Cobourg council finally approved a definition of “sustainability” at Monday's committee-of-the-whole meeting.
It was a second try at crafting a definition for the Sustainability and Climate Change Advisory Committee, whose first effort was returned for further wordsmithing by Councillors Nicole Beatty and Emily Chorley.
Beatty still had one small suggestion this week, but it was handled in a simple motion as opposed to a back-to-the-drawing-board request.
Councillor Adam Bureau read the definition as submitted: “environmental, economic and social/cultural action that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Beatty's point was that social and cultural actions are two different things, and that she wanted to see the word “and” separate the two instead of a slash that would tend to make them one consideration.
Council agreed, and the new definition of sustainability will be “environmental, economic, social and cultural action that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
