Region of Durham Community Climate Change Local Action Plan

The Region of Durham, an upper tier municipal government situated immediately east of the City of Toronto, will develop a community based Local Action Plan (LAP) to address climate change locally. A member of FCM’s Partners for Climate Protection (PCP), the LAP will allow the region to achieve its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets as stated in the Durham Region Strategic Plan 2009-2014, Growing Together. The LAP is intended to demonstrate that the Region’s aggressive GHG’s reduction targets of 5% by 2015, 20% by 2020, and 80% by 2050 from their 2007 baseline emission levels are achievable. The plan will be developed using a triple bottom line approach to evaluate GHG reductions as well as the economic and social benefits of each potential action. In keeping with the findings from the GHG inventory, the key sectors addressed will be the built environment, energy, food systems, natural systems and resources, transportation and waste. The region is committed to community ownership, and so is working closely with its local community groups, institutions, businesses, utilities, and Durham’s eight local area municipalities. The local municipalities will be further involved in the implementation of the final LAP through the Durham Environmental Coordinating Committee, presentations to each municipality’s council, and involvement in the business plans for programs that overlap in their areas of jurisdiction. The Region has already completed its corporate and community GHG inventories, and its corporate LAP. This initiative will permit them to complete Milestone 3 of the PCP program and develop activities to reach Milestone 4. The engagement processes to allow the Regional and member municipal governments to reduce GHG emissions with a common approach and implementation plan. This is innovative for this region and may serve as a model for other rapidly growing Canadian communities. (Project description from original funding application)