ADVANCE CLIMATE ACTION 2.0 COMMITMENTS, CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
Global priorities are municipal priorities because our climate is inevitably changing and making communities everywhere more vulnerable. Moreover, responsible governance requires responsible planning. Council’s endorsement of Climate Change Action Plan 2.0 and its recommendations has been indispensable in realigning future climate mitigation targets as well as establishing more urgent and front-facing climate adaptation and emergency preparedness measures.
https://www.peterborough.ca/media/izwoyrec/climate-change-action-plan-pathway-to-net-zero-2050.pdf
The Climate Change Action Plan 2.0, is now aligned with the Climate Emergency Declaration passed by Council in 2019 that targeted net zero community GHG emissions by 2050. We now need to implement 7 big moves going forward: land-use densification, green building systems, renewable energy supply, sustainable (public, active, alternate-fuel) transportation, industry energy reduction, waste reduction, forestry and carbon capture.
In 2024, we opened Fire Station No. 2, the city’s first Zero Carbon Building, certified for both performance and design by the Canada Green Building Council. With geothermal heat pumps, rooftop solar panels, heat-recovery systems and interior mass timber – a carbon-sequestering material, we arrived at the optimum in energy efficiency. Combined with the sealing door systems, these choices contribute to an estimated $24,270 in annual operational savings as well as help the facility achieve net-zero carbon and energy status.
Our city has been restoring its urban canopy since the 2022 Derecho and the 2025 Ice Storm by enhancing tree coverage, furnished through the federal FCM Billion Trees Program. This initiative, to plant up to 4,000 trees throughout the city, maximizes benefits for residents and addresses the dangers of increasing heat waves. Experts urge city planning to expand and protect urban tree canopies as a sure way to cool swaths of city streets, whole neighbourhoods, individual homes, and, ultimately, to save lives.
Every tree makes a difference in expanding our canopy, as does this young Tamarack at Rogers Cove. Extensive community engagement was undertaken to provide input into the Climate Change Action Plan 2.0. It was officially adopted on April 7, 2025. In April 2026, I moved an amending motion, that our CCAP 2.0 inform and be embedded throughout our upcoming Final Draft of the Community Planning Permit System, a brand new template for zoning and development in the City of Peterborough.
Active transportation, mode-share and smart city planning for an even more walkable, accessible city with complete streets, significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves our community health and wellbeing. Going forward, I’m excited to continue engaging in collaborative, constructive community dialogue around the long-awaited Charlotte Streetscape project and the Otonabee River Trail – Little Lake Loop corridor.
Level 2 and 3 chargers are found at charging stations in our communities and along our highways. A Level 2 charger is faster than a Level 1 but still requires 4 to 10 hours to “fill the tank”. They are a great option for businesses with heavier vehicle usage and are relatively affordable to set up. Here I am after the new installation of Level 2 chargers in the parking lot at the foot of Rink St.