The ninth annual Smog Summit took place on June 4th, national Clean Air Day. At the 2008 Smog Summit Provincial and Municipal government leaders announced new initiatives they will undertake in the coming year to reduce smog, air pollution and greenhouse gases.
The City of Toronto welcomed all participants and launched Live Green Toronto their newest environmental program designed to involve residents, neighbours’ groups, and business groups in helping meet clean air objectives.
Enbridge currently offers more than 40 Demand Side Management (DSM) Programs to help residential, commercial and industrial customers save energy. Since starting DSM back in 1995 their programs have reduced customer natural gas consumption by almost 3 billion cubic metres, which has saved customers approximately $600 million in their energy bills and reduced CO2 emissions by 5.5 million tones. This is equivalent to reducing the total energy consumption from almost a million homes or 1.2 million cars for a year.
In March of this year Enbridge entered into a contract with the Ontario Power Authority to deliver the new High Performance New Construction (HPNC) Program. This program provides design assistance and financial incentives that encourages building owners and architects to use sustainable and enhanced energy efficiency features in new construction and major renovation projects across Ontario. The HPNC Program is expected to save 50 Megawatts of peak electricity demand by 2012.
At their Toronto headquarters Enbridge are constructing a new 2.2 Megawatt electric generation facility that will produce virtually no smog-related emissions and less CO2 than a natural gas co-generation plant. This single project will produce enough electricity to generate power for approximately 1500 homes, and the long term potential for this technology in Ontario is about 100 Megawatts. This technology offers smog reductions of up to 99% compared to typical biomass and combined heat and power plants. The full hybrid fuel system will be operational by fall 2008.
Enbridge has two wind farm projects underway in Kincardine. 115 turbines are being erected which will have a combined capacity of 190 Megawatts of emissions free electricity.
Enbridge through its subsidiary Enbridge Solutions has partnered with Toronto Hydro Energy Services to pursue Distributed Generation Opportunities within Toronto. Generating electricity closer to the point of use is more efficient and also produces lower emissions.
On Monday of this week Enbridge was awarded the E3 Gold Fleet Award at the Annual Canadian Utility Fleet Forum in Vancouver.
Since 2005 our efforts have included handing out more than 1.2 million CFL light bulbs to our customers. Partnering with Home Depot we collected 19,000 inefficient air conditioning units. We have taken 80,000 inefficient strings of lights off the grid as well as 15,000 inefficient bar fridges.
Group of programs begun for the first time in Canada include 50,000 homes that have turned their air conditioning control over to Toronto Hydro so when consumption is high Toronto Hydro can turn their air conditioners down. Summer Challenger 10/10 program. You reduce your electricity consumption by 10%; you get a 10% rebate. 150,000 homes achieved that objective for 2 years in a row. But what is so important about this program is that thousands and thousands of families were thinking about reducing their consumption for 60 days every summer. Toronto Hydro worked with the city to increase the energy efficiency of about 60 community centers.
All these programs add up to about a $60 million investment to date, resulting in a reduction of about 360 megawatts. But the sobering reality is that the average growth of electricity demand in Toronto grew at about the same rate as that amount we were able to reduce. In this period the city’s consumption grew about 300 megawatts.
At a business level Toronto Hydro has reduced the number of vehicles by about 40% and was one of the first fleets to move to biodiesel fuels. Toronto Hydro plants about 2500 trees a year along with the city; if a customer goes to an e-billing program Toronto Hydro plants a tree on their behalf.
Provincial government’s role is to set and enforce stringent standards and limits for airborne emissions. Over the last three years some 57 new controls with respect to air pollutants have been added.
This past weekend the government of Ontario took part in the first ever joint Ontario-Quebec cabinet meeting in Quebec City. The two governments have agreed to work on a cap and trade system for greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario and Quebec. The cap and trade system in Ontario will be a flexible market-based program, with caps becoming more stringent over time. It will help make the transition to a lower-carbon economy and encourage technological innovation, economic growth and job creation.
Ontario is also exploring opportunities to join other cap and trade programs. An example would be with the Western Climate Initiative, which is developing regional strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions involving a number of U.S. states, including California and three Canadian provinces.
One major commitment from our government is to stop using coal to generate electricity in Ontario by about 2014. The province of Ontario is the only jurisdiction in North America to take this aggressive step. We’re also making sure that coal facilities reduce their emissions between now and 2014.
Ontario recently proposed that Ontario Power Generation reduce CO2 emissions to no more than 11.5 million tones or 53% as of 2011.
The Province recently make it mandatory for landfills of a certain size to capture the methane generated from the rot and garbage that’s contained therein. While it would be better to have landfill owners benefiting from the use of landfill gas for electricity, just burning off the methane will reduce methane’s global warming potential by 95%.
Regulation 194 set Ontario’s first ever limits on the emissions of NOx and SOx from major industrial sources. SO2 emissions from the 30 regulated facilities dropped by 15% just within the last year. And in the same period emissions from nitrogen oxide decreased by 2.5%.
Also plan to finalize our recent ban of the sale and use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes that will help keep harmful contaminants from the air.
The Province of Ontario has set an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are working towards reducing emissions that contribute to climate change by 6% below the 1990 levels by the year 2014, 15% below by 2020, and 80% below the 1990 levels by the year 2050.
Go Green Ontario’s five-point plan includes: The Next Generation of Jobs fund supports companies whose products reduce pollution and energy use; $150 million to help Ontario homeowners conserve energy by using more green technology; legislation such as the Greenbelt Act to protect nature and open spaces around our most populated areas; and The Places to Grow Act to create more compact energy efficient transit friendly communities.
The fifth part of Ontario’s action plan on climate change is Move Ontario 2020, a $17.5 billion plan to build more than 900 km of new or improved rapid transit in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. It is the largest transit investment in Canada’s history. It will take 300 million car trips off GTA roads and reduce CO2 emissions in the region by 10 mega tonnes by the year 2020. About 60% of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions come from passenger vehicles. GTA residents made about 10 million car trips per day in 2004 and are responsible for 14 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Since 2003, the provincial government has invested $6.2 billion in public transit across Ontario and delivered on their commitment to give municipalities a long-term sustainable source of transit funding. The provincial government now shares the gasoline tax with municipalities to help them expand and improve public transit.
Since 2003 municipal transit ridership has increased and 57 million car trips have been removed from our roads.
Highways will always be with us, so we are looking at them in a greener way. The province of Ontario is the first government in Canada to introduce high occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) on the 400 series highways. We unveiled our 25-year HOV plan for Ontario that includes an integrated network of 450 km of HOV lanes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
The Ministry of Transportation is creating a new Greener Roads Advisory Committee to help us build greener highways from the ground up. It will include experts in engineering and sustainability from government, the environmental movement, academia, and the private sector. We want to construct highways that are better integrated with other modes of transportation like transit, biking and walking. We want to minimize construction waste and use more recycled materials, reduce salt use in winter, and better manage stormwater run-off in summer.
Our government has proposed legislation that would make the use of speed limiters mandatory on large trucks. These devices would cap truck speeds at 105 km/h. Lower speeds and better fuel efficiency for large trucks is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 280,000 tonnes each year. That is like taking 2,700 tractor-trailer trucks off the road every year.
Municipal Leadership on Clean Air and Climate Change
Canadian municipalities must come to grips with what is happening. Climate change is affecting our current practices We see this in the increasing need for emergency preparedness associated with extreme weather, to resizing storm water infrastructure, implementing smart growth and infill strategies and standards, managing risk associated with protecting water supply, flood control measures, heat waves and other health-related impacts that we’re all familiar with such as West Nile and asthma associated with smog.
Green economy and green jobs are the next major economic trend. Jobs in the green economy will be high paying technical jobs. Stocks in the green economy are rising. Wind energy is the fastest growing power producer. 600% growth in solar, wind and fuel cell markets in the last 10 years. Green initiatives not only make society sustainable but they are also good business.
Municipal governments represent a key opportunity regarding implementation of sustainable solutions to climate change that can produce significant results to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
As federal and provincial partners try to reach their targets, it is important for them to recognize that municipalities provide their best platform for solutions.
It is important that the federal, provincial and municipal governments come together along with private sector and the not-for-profit sector. We must work together collectively on this issue.
Here are just a few examples at what municipalities across Canada are doing:
Dawson Creek undertook an energy planning process in January 2005 to make municipal operations more environmentally and financially sustainable. The resulting recommendations gave rise to a number of projects such as using low-voltage high pressure sodium lights that has reduced annual electricity consumption 100,000 kilowatts and has saved the city $40,400 per year. Solar hot water systems offset approximately 3.3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions.
Okotok’s innovative solar thermal storage district energy system will meet 90% of the community’s heating needs with solar energy.
At Drake Landing, a new subdivision, a new district energy system provides heat to 52 single-family homes.
Edmonton’s integrated waste management system diverts 60% of the city’s waste per year. A gas recovery plant extracts 60,000 milligrams per day of landfill gas and generates 4.8 Megawatts of electricity per year. This powers 4,600 homes.
In April 2006 the town of East Gwillimbury mandated that Energy Star standards be applied in all new home developments. These homes use 30-40% less energy than regular buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 3 tonnes per home per year.
At the FCM AGM the establishment of an advocacy working group on climate change was announced. They will work to encourage Canadian municipalities to join the PCP, adopt and replace current PCP measurement and reporting methods with the recently released Local Government Protocol produced by ICLEI that provides international standards for emission calculations and measurement methodology.
The primary path to success is through municipalities. The Green Municipal Fund is specifically geared toward funding municipalities with their efforts to develop green infrastructure projects to achieve environmental benefit. To date FCM has committed more than $375 million to support more than 700 sustainable community plans, and these projects have leveraged almost $2.2 billion of economic activity in 350 communities across Canada.
Municipal Announcements (click city name to view videos)
Ajax - Mayor Steve Parish: municipal green fleet strategy with idle-free zones, urban forest strategy with 40% urban forest coverage by 2040 and Ajax Fire Hall is a green building with a green roof.
Brampton – Mayor Susan Fennell: receiving $95 million from the federal and provincial government for Accleride public transit program.
Burlington – Mayor Cam Jackson: Building one of Canada’s first LEED certified performing arts centres and will be installing a wind turbine on new city pier this summer.
Caledon- Mayor Carolyn Morrison: Green Development Pilot Program offers financial incentives for new industrial and commercial buildings that incorporate LEED certification or green technology.
Halton Hills – Mayor Rick Bonette: Halton Hills Green Plan includes 60 recommendations affecting 4 key groups, residents, schools, business and local interest groups, other levels of government and the town corporation itself. As well there will be 2 new fire stations with a LEED rating.
King – Mayor Margaret Black: golf charity event at Cardinal Golf Course went carbon neutral with the planting of 517 trees.
Markham – Mayor Frank Scarpitti: 2007 achieved 70% waste diversion target, Warden Energy Centre will deliver 5 megawatts of electrical power to the grid, received $4.5 million grant from the province to establish a cross community network of walking and cycling trails.
Mississauga – Councillor George Carlson: developing bus rapid transit, VRT, involved in GTA Smart Commute initiative, city’s first photovoltaic energy station recently installed at Hershey Centre which is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 25,000-kg/ year for 25 years and green power has been purchased for the civic centre for a 1-year pilot project.
Newmarket – Mayor Tony Van Bynen: LEED equivalent recreational centre just opened, and the 2007 voluntary trail policy asks developers to contribute $1000/lot to support trail system.
Oakville – Regional and Town Councillor Alan Johnston: Smart Commute Halton Initiative has installed bike lockers, offered discounted transit fares and a ride matching service, and the North Oakville Plan creates environmentally sustainable community for 50,000 residents that establishes walking, public transit and a compact dense layout.
Oshawa – Mayor John Grey: Leader in Brownfield re-development, currently developing LEED certified courthouse and a 90% waste diversion initiative in 2008.
Pickering – Mayor David Ryan: created Office of Sustainability, first city in Durham to sign on to Smart Commute and recipient of FCM sustainability award.
Toronto – Mayor David Miller: July 2007 city council passed the Toronto Climate Change Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan which plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050, the Live Green Toronto program is a 5 year $20 million program to encourage community projects at a local level.
Vaughan – Councillor Joyce Frustaglio: Environmental Master Plan to be completed in 2009 and a review of our Official Plan which will focus on sustainable development, pesticide, anti-idling and tree protection bylaws, preparing for 2 new subway lines. As of 2007 all new low-rise subdivisions must be ENERGY STAR qualified.
Mayor Jackson, City of Burlington: recent initiative with downtown BIA. All employees will get free transit for the month of June. It includes a monitoring mechanism. After only 2 days we have 100 signed up.
Mayor Scarpitti, Town of Markham: first municipality in Canada to adopt local food procurement policy, which will help support Ontario’s farm economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Durham region has initiated a regional roundtable on climate change.
2008 Declaration Presentation and GTA-CAC Progress Update
The GTA-CAC was established at the 2000 Smog Summit, an intergovernmental working group that commits to the Inter-governmental Declaration on Clean air that is signed at every Smog Summit. Every year the list of accomplishments and initiatives gets longer.
For example there are new green building initiatives, renewable energy initiatives, green fleets, and the setting of new targets for action planning.
Activities for capacity building and monitoring progress include communities of practice – green procurement, model corporate and community green building policies, purchase and/or production of green power, continued support for air pollution modeling project.
Emerging Issues include promotion of Air Quality Health Index, co-operation on assessing vulnerability to climate change impacts, co-operation and information sharing with municipalities in southwestern Ontario, promoting air quality through effective public massaging, and investigate and promote local sustainable food system.
