At least 60% of Ontario’s GHG emissions originate in cities, especially our most populous ones. To achieve the Province’s ambitious and important climate protection targets, urban action is needed. In jurisdictions such as BC and California, engagement of local governments and with citizens, institutions and businesses at the local level has been a key to advancing climate action and success; Ontario will be no different.
This presentation provided a case study of how the Government of British Columbia and BC municipalities are collaborating to reduce GHG emissions and address climate change.
Additional information includes:
The Climate Action Charter, a joint project of the Province and Union of BC Municipalities which commits municipalities to: (1) becoming carbon neutral in their operations by 2012; (2) measuring and reporting on their community-wide GHG emissions and (3) creating complete, compact and more efficient communities. Municipalities that signed (180 of 188) receive 100% of the carbon tax that they paid back each year and report on all of their climate actions through a process called CARIP.
To support the first commitment of the Charter, the Province:
- Developed a SmartTool to ensure consistent reporting for corporate operations.
- Created local offset project support tools and guidance
- Established the Community Energy and Emissions Inventories (CEEI) which provide standardised GHG and energy inventories with secondary indicators for each local and regional governments.
- Revised the local government Act Bill 27 to require the inclusion of GHG targets, policies and actions in official and regional plans, and to enable municipalities to implement, supported the private sector development of tools and models and a modelling working group.
- Policies, tools and other resources are described at the BC Climate Action Toolkit, a hub for municipalities.