County Council has committed to a 20 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated as a result of the municipality’s operations and services by 2033, using 2019 as the baseline year.
Council also endorsed the vision of the municipality becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Municipal staff will develop a comprehensive action plan to achieve this target. Residents and stakeholders will be engaged throughout the process to ensure that there is active participation in the emission reduction efforts.
In 2019 County Council declared a climate emergency. To address the emergency, act on climate change, and implement effective measures to mitigate its impact, the municipality became an active member of the Partners for Climate Protection program in 2021. The program outlines a five-step milestone framework that helps municipalities develop and implement action plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at both the corporate and community level.
The County is forming a new Climate Action Plan Working Group under the Environmental Advisory Committee, which will focus on the community-based action plan. Details on the working group and recruitment will be available on the County’s website in the coming days.
More information about the PCP program and its milestones is available in a staff report that was presented at the October 24, 2023, Council meeting. The staff report is available online.