Gamblers First Nation/RM of Russell-Binscarth Climate Change Local Action Plan & Community Energy Plan

The Regional Municipality of Russell-Binscarth, in collaboration with Gamblers First Nation, will develop a Climate Change Local Action Plan (CCLAP) and a Community Energy Plan (CEP) for each community. The documents will guide the planning and development of local resources, pinpoint concrete actions to mitigate climate change risks, provide the communities with road maps for GHG emission reductions, and identify opportunities for more efficient uses of energy. The plans will also identify easy-to-implement green projects that are tailored to each community, including projects related to transportation, energy efficient buildings, waste management, and mitigating of the effects of flooding and erosion. The plans will also include long-term climate change adaptation strategies. The goal of developing plans for the two communities concurrently resulted from the long standing relationship between Russell-Binscarth and Gamblers First Nation, and the need to address waste management in both communities. Gamblers First Nation no longer has a viable waste landfill site, while the Binscarth waste site has been closed and Russell's is approaching the end of its life span. Developing the plans in parallel will allow collaborative efforts to address current and future GHG emissions and waste reduction initiatives, and to explore opportunities for joint projects. The CCLAP for each community will include the development of a GHG emissions inventories for both municipal and community operations. These inventories will assist in forecasting the short, medium and long-term objectives for energy, waste and water management, sustainable transportation, land use and brownfield remediation. Inventories and targets for GHG reductions will be determined using methods available through the Partners for Climate Change (PCP) program from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). The creation of a CEP will complement the CCLAP process by helping the First Nation and the municipality to identify additional avenues for GHG reductions as well as move towards more energy efficient uses in their communities. To this end, a consultant will complete an ASHRAE Level 2 audit, which will determine energy conservation and retrofit solutions, and include financial impact analysis. The concurrent CCLAP/CEP processes will therefore identify actions that stimulate the local economy and reduce municipal operating costs, through actions that reduce GHG emissions and also reduce the risk of climate change-related impacts.