Tay Valley Township Approves First Climate Action Plan
In late August the Council of Tay Valley Township approved Taking Steps to Make a Difference – A Climate Action Plan 2020.
“We all know our climate is changing. Tay Valley Township wants to be part of solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower our energy costs and build a local sustainable economy,” Reeve Brian Campbell stated. “This Climate Action Plan is a first step in that direction.”
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) contains ambitious but practical steps to address climate change. Based on input from three community consultation sessions, the Plan sets two targets - a 55% reduction in municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 2028 and a 45% reduction in community emissions. The municipal target reflects the call by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 7.6 per cent a year, each year, in order to hold the average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“Council recognizes that we are in an ongoing climate crisis. The Township is committed to preparing itself and its residents as best it can,” said Deputy Reeve Barrie Crampton. “Taking into account the financial costs and benefits, we will reduce and sequester greenhouse gas emissions from our buildings, vehicles, landfill and land use and we will help citizens to reduce emissions across our municipality”.
The Climate Action Plan identified the Township waste sites as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations and found that transportation is the largest source of community emissions. Diesel is the largest source of energy used by the municipal corporation while electricity is the largest source of energy used by the community.
“The Climate Action Plan includes actions to be taken by the Township as a corporation, as well as actions for the community – those who live, work and play in Tay Valley; together we all have a role to play in tackling climate change,” said Councillor Rob Rainer.
The Climate Action Plan includes 45 key actions to be implemented within the next 10 years. Actions are grouped under seven headings:
- Buildings
- Municipal Operations
- Waste
- Transportation
- Renewable Energy
- Agriculture and Food Security
- Natural Systems.
While Tay Valley is a small municipality, every local action is critical to reaching national climate goals. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities states that up to half of Canada’s carbon emissions are under the direct or indirect influence of municipal governments. And we in Tay Valley Township are experiencing the changing climate. Our residents were affected by extreme drought in 2016, extraordinary precipitation and flooding in the spring of 2017, the Polar Vortex effects in 2018 and an abnormally warm winter in 2019.
The Township thanks the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP), delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and funded by the Government of Canada, for a grant to hire a consultant to research and write the Climate Action Plan.
“I especially want to thank the members of the Township’s Green Energy and Climate Change Working Group for the expertise and commitment they have provided in helping to draft the Climate Action Plan”, stated Barrie Crampton, Deputy Reeve and Chair of the Working Group. “Bob Argue, Doug Barr, Jennifer Dickson, Peter Nelson, David Poch and Councillor Rob Rainer have brought invaluable experience and insight to Tay Valley’s efforts to come to grips with climate change at our local scale.”
One example of the contribution of the Working Group is a locally developed Climate Lens to help the Township weigh financial costs and benefits and the greenhouse gas emissions or reductions of projects or actions it plans to take. The Climate Lens will enable the Township to make the appropriate decisions to reduce its contribution to climate breakdown.
Implementation and funding of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) strategies will be done through further grants from FCM now available to the Township as a result of having a CAP, as well as other federal and provincial grants for homeowners. Ultimately, the Township will add climate change practices into its daily operations, for example, saving money by using less energy and switching energy sources.
To view a copy of the report, see http://www.tayvalleytwp.ca/en/municipal-government/reports-and-publications.asp
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