Following the adoption of the Community Climate Action Plan in 2021, City Council is now looking closer to home when it comes to reducing emissions by passing the Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan.
“We all need to do our part to ensure we protect our environment and are doing the necessary work to translate plans into action,” said Acting Mayor Judy Sentes. “Our Community Climate Action Plan set broad goals and community-based actions; this plan tasks the city with reducing energy and emissions as a key component of our daily operations.”
The new targets for corporate emissions are a short-term target of 25 per cent below 2009 levels by 2025 and a long-term target of net zero by 2050. The plan also calls for an energy reduction target of 15 per cent below 2009 levels by 2030.
David Kassian, the City’s Community Sustainability Coordinator, says the plan is broken down into five categories:
- New buildings and infrastructure
- Existing buildings and infrastructure
- Renewable energy
- Transportation
- Enabling action and corporate leadership
“There are some projects which the community will see immediately, like the cargo e-bikes, electric and zero-emission vehicles and another all-electric Zamboni,” says Kassian. “Others, like a retrofit for the Community Centre, are scheduled for the short-term and will reduce emissions in a significant way. The plan also provides recommendations for increased corporate capacity to move both plans forward, and to incorporate climate impacts into day-to-day decision making.”
Approval of the plan by Council will be instrumental in future provincial and federal grant applications to help cover costs associated with retrofitting community assets.
A copy of the plan is available here