Council Report: LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR CRD ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE AWARENESS GRANT
A report proposing a letter of support for a regional Zero-Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative grant application.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL Council Report
TO: Council DATE: July 15, 2021 FROM: J. Chow, Senior Planner MEETING DATE: July 20, 2021
LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR CRD ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE AWARENESS GRANT
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT a letter be sent to Natural Resources Canada in support of the Capital Regional District’s grant proposal for a Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative.
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES’ COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation.
PURPOSE OF REPORT:
To consider a letter of support for the Capital Regional District’s grant proposal for a Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative.
DISCUSSION:
Natural Resources Canada has issued a call for project proposals for a Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative (ZEVAI) for new and innovative projects that will increase awareness of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and ZEV technologies.
The Capital Regional District (CRD) is partnering with several municipalities in the Capital region to put forward an application for funding as detailed in Attachment 1.
Audiences
- Members of the public a. potential EV owners b. potential e-bike owners
- Strata owners and corporations who want to learn about EVs and installation of EV charging infrastructure
- Trades practitioners a. Electricians who want to learn about EV charger infrastructure installation b. Automotive mechanics who want to learn about EV maintenance
To reach these different audiences, the project will deliver three phases of outreach and events targeted at these key sectors. The majority of the focus will be on in-person, hands on test and drive/ride events for public outreach, complimented by targeted presentations to stratas and tradespeople to increase awareness and build capacity.
Program
- Public test and drive events
- Presentations to strata corporations
- Trades events – liaison with and host events for trades practitioners
Of note is the presentations to strata corporations on installation of EV charging infrastructure. This includes electric bike charging infrastructure. The Town is in the unique situation of being centrally located within the region with good bicycle infrastructure and access to two regional trails providing access to the downtown core, Saanich Peninsula and the Western Communities. Encouraging residential strata corporations to support and facilitate electric bicycles can help to reduce automobile demand and traffic congestion in the region.
NEXT STEPS:
The initiative would provide a 75% grant, meaning the CRD is seeking partners to attain 25% of the funding. While the Town may not be able commit funding at this point in the budget cycle, a general letter of support (Attachment 2) would assist the CRD’s application.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT a letter be sent to Natural Resources Canada in support of the Capital Regional District’s grant proposal for a Zero Emission Vehicle Awareness Initiative.
SUBMITTED BY: Jeff Chow, RPP, MCIP Senior Planner
REVIEWED BY: Lindsay Chase, MCIP, RPP Director of Development Services
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