REGIONAL GROWTH STRATEGY REFERRAL
Staff report recommending that Council accept the revised Regional Growth Strategy Bylaw No. 4017 following mediation.
Policies
- Implement initiatives in accordance with the principles outlined in Objective 6.1, based on voluntary participation of local governments in any new services.
- Enable food production, processing and distribution that will foster a place-based food economy that increases local food security.
- Support food waste management that is environmentally sustainable, benefits the regional economy and improves residents’ connections to rural and agricultural landscapes.
- Monitor the status of agricultural land, including the amount of actively farmed land, with the objective of promoting agricultural viability and food production.
7. Climate Action
7.1 Significantly Reduce Community-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Regional Growth Strategy supports the reduction of community-based greenhouse gas emissions to address the effects of a changing climate. In the Capital Region, community greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation system, the heating, cooling and energizing of buildings, waste, energy production, the production of goods and agriculture.3
The Capital Regional District and local governments have long-standing commitments to make decisions, target investments and build capacity for reducing the use of fossil fuels and expanding the clean energy economy. Further, the Regional Growth Strategy’s aim to keep urban settlement compact, protect, conserve and manage ecosystem health, build safe and complete communities, increase transportation choice, strengthen the regional economy and foster a resilient regional food and agriculture system will support the low-carbon built form that is the foundation for reducing energy demand.
Reducing community greenhouse gas emissions requires action on many fronts and is the responsibility of many actors including the Capital Regional District, local and senior levels of government, industry, institutions, businesses and residents. It requires coordinated, consistently applied action focusing on people, land use, transportation, infrastructure and technology. Achieving community greenhouse gas reduction targets means following six related principles.
Principles
I. Create a low-carbon built form to reduce energy demand; II. Increase energy efficiency and recovery from retrofits and new development; III. Promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable, clean energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels; and IV. Protect and assess the carbon sequestration and ecosystem values of natural systems, including forested lands, agricultural lands and wetlands; V. Be resilient to climate change impacts, including climate-related natural hazards; and, VI. Promote adaptation principles of managed retreat, avoid, accommodate and protect.
3 Source: Community Energy and Emissions Inventory (CEEI). Province of BC.
Policies
- Prioritize investment that will provide for a low-carbon built form that supports efficient energy use, the provision of clean and renewable district energy, active transportation modes, transit service, and low/zero emissions vehicles.
- Design, manage, fund and operate programs, services and infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate and adapt to climate change in keeping with the principles outlined in Objective 7.1.
- Strategically acquire protected areas that contribute to climate change mitigation.