Letter from Min. J. Osborne, Re: Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP)

May 11, 2021

Ref: 266895

Dear Mayors and Chairs:

I am writing in follow up to a recent update from Okenge Yuma Morisho, Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs, to Chief Administrative Officers regarding the Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP). As you may be aware, 2021 will mark the wind down and final year of grant payments under this program. Budget 2021 also commits new funding to help local governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions through planning for compact, energy-efficient communities. The purpose of this letter is to thank British Columbia’s local governments for your continued leadership and to describe how our government continues to work with local governments to achieve our collective climate goals.

Since the 2008 inception of the Climate Action Charter (CAC), almost every local government in B.C. has signed the CAC, committing to take action and develop strategies to achieve the following three goals:

• Work toward becoming carbon neutral in their local government corporate operations
• Measure and report on their community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions profile
• Create complete, compact, energy-efficient rural and urban communities

As of 2018, the last year of full reporting prior to the pandemic, 187 local governments had signed on to the CAC and were publicly reporting on their progress toward meeting their climate action goals, 147 were measuring and reporting GHG emissions, and 50 local governments had achieved carbon neutrality in their operations. Communities across B.C. both large and small have consistently demonstrated leadership in taking action on climate change, in areas as broad as local food production, renewable energy generation and planning for public transit and active transportation. Thank you for your continued ambition and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in your corporate operations, and more broadly to inspire and work within your communities to tackle climate change.

Under CleanBC, the Province of British Columbia has put a priority on reducing pollution, boosting energy-efficient solutions and building a low-carbon economy. Local governments will continue to be a key partner in our collective efforts to address the challenges of a changing climate, playing a specific and important role in B.C.’s climate goals.

Just as local governments’ actions on climate solutions have evolved in the past decade, our government is responding to support you with tools and funding programs such as:

• Updating the BC Action Climate Toolkit and the Green Communities Committee Carbon Neutral Framework.
• Investing $110 million in combined provincial and federal funding to help local governments and Indigenous communities develop energy efficiency and clean energy projects through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program CleanBC Communities Fund.
• Working with the federal government to assess the climate impacts of all major infrastructure being funded under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to reduce GHG emissions and increase resilience to climate change, which benefits communities and creates jobs.
• Boosting active transportation infrastructure with $18 million through the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
• Making sure commuters can get out of their cars with historic investments in public transit, such as the Broadway Subway Line, and free transit for kids 12 and under starting this September.

Building on record investments in CleanBC, the province will continue to strengthen our work with local governments and support the CAC.

As noted, Budget 2021 commits $11 million in new funding to help local governments plan for compact, energy-efficient communities, directly supporting the CAC’s commitment to create complete, compact, energy-efficient rural and urban communities. I look forward to working with all local governments through Union of BC Municipalities and the Green Communities Committee on how to support greener and more livable communities.

Our government remains committed to working with local governments to reach our climate goals and make life better for people across British Columbia.

Sincerely,

Josie Osborne Minister

pc: Chief Administrative Officers