Sustainable Severn Sound's Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP)

The North Simcoe Community Futures Development Corporation (NSCFDC) created a collaborative, multi-stakeholder sustainability program in 2011 called “Sustainable Severn Sound” to provide leadership on the Severn Sound Sustainability Plan (2009). The Sustainable Severn Sound program is supported and directed by seven of the municipalities in the Severn Sound Area including the Towns of Midland and Penetanguishene, Townships of Georgian Bay, Severn, Oro-Medonte, Tiny and Tay. Through this project, Sustainable Severn Sound is completing a local climate change action plan in collaboration with the seven local municipalities and community partner organizations including the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, the North Simcoe Community Futures Development Corporation, and the Severn Sound Environmental Association.The Local Climate Change Action Plan will include the development of a community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and the setting of corporate and community GHG reduction targets and will follow the FCM’s Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program milestone framework. The corporate inventories will be for municipal government facilities and operations, including buildings, street lighting, water and wastewater treatment, municipal fleet and corporate and community solid waste. The community inventory will include residential, institutional, commercial, industrial, transportation, and solid waste sectors. The GHG information will be presented combined, representing the total emissions of the seven municipalities, and also individually for each Town or Township. Targets for GHG emissions reductions will be identified as part of the planning process both regionally and for each municipality. Targets will exceed the initial GHG reduction targets selected by each municipality in their Corporate Conservation and Demand Management Plans (1-5%). The local climate change action plan will take into account existing municipal plans and strategies and will also consider the influence and impact of provincial policy in relation to climate change for setting targets. Each municipality will be able to join and achieve milestones 1-3 of the PCP program as a result of this Plan.Initiatives arising from the local climate change action plan will work to reduce overall GHG emissions in the region while also delivering on municipal energy conservation goals and positively impacting the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the community. The participation of community organizations representing the perspectives of environmental protection, cultural and social health, and local economic development will ensure a holistic approach to this Plan, and support implementation of both corporate and community-based projects designed to reduce GHG emissions. Sustainable Severn Sound will consult with municipal and community representatives through in-person meetings and workshops, as well as on-line surveys distributed throughout the community, and via social media platforms. This process will support Sustainable Severn Sound in identifying, evaluating and prioritizing potential projects that will meet the GHG reduction targets for both the region and each municipality respectively. The Local Climate Change Action Plan will become the foundation for future climate change programs, and is an example of a collective impact model, demonstrating the success of regional municipal collaboration and innovation in response to the climate change challenge.