Staff Report: Final Draft Community Climate Action Plan

Final Draft Community Climate Action Plan

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT this report be received for information;

AND THAT Council adopt the attached Community Climate Action Plan, 2012 which establishes a reduction target of 12% for the Town of View Royal.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER'S COMMENTS:

I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE OF REPORT:

To introduce the final draft of the Community Climate Action Plan (previously named the Community Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emission Plan) and to seek adoption of the plan.

TIME CRITICAL:

Yes. The grant for this work expires in August and all documentation must be received by FCM well before this time.

BACKGROUND:

The Town received grants through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund and the Provincial Ministry of Community Development to complete both the Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan and a Community Climate Action Plan. Establishing community-wide GHG emissions target is now a requirement for every municipality in the Province. The Official Community Plan included targets to meet the Town’s statutory obligations. The reduction target in the OCP was established at 12%. The draft Community Climate Action Plan provides a range of actions for the Town to take in order to meet this reduction target.

Consultation with respect to the preparation of the draft plan took place in 2011. An open house was held, and a community wide survey was distributed with the Spring 2011 newsletter. The survey and the survey results are included in Appendix IV of the draft plan. A final open house was held on April 24th, 2012.

PROJECT INFORMATION:

This project was initiated at the same time the Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan was started. After the Town became a signatory to the Provincial Climate Action Charter, we were bound to become carbon neutral in our operations by 2012. The Town leveraged its initial contribution of $13,000 to apply for grants from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Ministry of Community Development to be able to complete both a Corporate Plan and a Community Climate Action Plan. The Corporate Plan focuses on Town operations, while the Community Plan focuses on actions and initiatives the Town can support our residents and businesses in undertaking.

The Community Climate Action Plan process started with a survey being distributed to all residents as part of the Spring 2011 Newsletter. 93 surveys were returned and the information gathered from them formed the backbone of the plan that you see before you today.

Additional data was gathered with respect to energy use within the Town and a draft plan was prepared. An early version of the draft plan was released to Council for information prior to proceeding to a second open house in April 2012. The open house was advertised in the local newspaper, on the Town bulletin board and the Town’s website. Attendance at this final event was disappointing.

BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:

If the Plan is adopted, Council will need to give consideration to funding selected initiatives each year. The majority of initiatives were selected for their relatively small financial cost and many initiatives focus on working with other levels of government to enact policy changes.

Council may elect to consider amending the 2012 Budget once the plan is complete, or they can defer consideration of budget for this project to 2013. In addition, Council may wish to consider dedicating CARIP funds to these initiatives in future years.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS:

The draft plan is consistent with the direction of the Official Community Plan. It represents a bottom up approach to GHG reductions by identifying areas where targeted interventions by government may have an opportunity to reduce emissions. The Climate Action Plan provides a range of activities that will enable us to meet the 12% reduction target established in the Official Community Plan.

SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Through the implementation of this plan, the Town has an opportunity to improve its sustainability and the overall livability of the Town for residents and businesses. Some of the attitude and behavior changes that are necessary to implement this plan, and reduce our emissions contribute to the social, environmental and economic sustainability of View Royal, and help to make us a more resilient community by reducing reliance on carbon fuel sources.

ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

If Council would like changes to the draft plan, an appropriate resolution would be to direct staff to make changes to the plan and bring it back for consideration at a future Council meeting.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT this report be received for information;

AND THAT Council adopt the attached Community Climate Action Plan, 2012 which establishes a reduction target of 12% for the Town of View Royal.

SUBMITTED BY: Lindsay Chase, Director of Development Services

REVIEWED BY: Kim Anema, Chief Administrative Officer

Attachments: Draft Community Climate Action Plan