Greater Sudbury Community Energy and Emissions Plan

The City of Greater Sudbury will develop a Greater Sudbury Community Energy Plan that sets out a path to achieve an 80% reduction in energy consumption by 2050. Initiated and managed by the City of Greater Sudbury, the plan will benefit from the involvement of numerous community partners through a Stakeholder Working Group (SWG). The plan will also benefit from the nearly 200 organizational partners established through the City’s EarthCare Sudbury Program. Bringing together diverse key stakeholders will ensure that various points of view are considered in the development of environmental, social and economic objectives for the Project. As such, the Project has the potential to bring a range of benefits to the Greater Sudbury community including an energy supply that is less vulnerable to disturbances in specific fuel supply chains; residents that are less vulnerable to abrupt pricing changes caused by market volatility; greater supply of locally generated renewable electrical energy; socially equitable strategies for energy conservation and efficiency and GHG reduction; economic development opportunities based on innovative solutions in the energy/GHG reduction field; sets a local vision for energy and resiliency; reduces vulnerability to climate change; and helps the community reduce its environmental impact. The method to be used in the development of the plan will include a number of steps: 1) establishing a baseline for both energy use and GHG emissions, 2) stakeholder engagement in setting targets and actions required to meet the targets, 3) plan development, 4) plan implementation, 5) monitoring progress. The plan will follow the methodology outlined in the report entitled “Advancing Integrated Community Energy Planning in Ontario: a primer” prepared by Quest Canada (attached). The Quest Canada methodology closely ties energy planning to GHG reductions but utilizes roughly the same approach as the methodologies outlined in the PCP milestone framework and the Natural Step. The GHG reduction goal of 80% by 2050, will be analysed and revised if necessary to develop a realistic road map leading to its attainment. As such, the Project is vital to Greater Sudbury’s sustainable future.