Get Involved in the Grey County Climate Change Action Plan
Submitted by rhatten on Mon, 2021-10-18 15:28
Sign up for a virtual engagement session October 26, 27 or 28.
Grey County is Developing a Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP)
The Draft Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) identifies actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve energy efficiency while delivering community benefits.
As Grey County’s population continues to grow, it is important to understand how we can best manage future growth in a sustainable manner. This will help us mitigate potential impacts to our environmental, economic, social and infrastructure systems.
The Grey County CCAP will establish long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets for corporate operations and the Grey County community. It will also identify priority actions to advance towards these goals. The CCAP is being developed by Grey County with support and expertise provided by ICLEI Canada.(link is external)
A summary presentation on the draft CCAP can be found here.
Want to stay connected? Our mailing list sign up is at the bottom of the page.
Get Involved and Have Your Say
The public comment period on the Draft Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) ended on November 5th. Thank you to all those of you that took time to provide your feedback. The County also hosted two public engagement sessions in October to hear resident comments, ideas and concerns.
We asked residents to consider the following questions:
- Does the draft Climate Change Action Plan reflect your priorities? What should we do first?
- What’s your reaction to the draft GHG reduction targets?
- How do you want to be engaged in implementing the County Climate Action Plan? How can we implement these strategies to deliver the most community benefit (e.g. create jobs, advance reconciliation, improve public health etc.)?
Stakeholders have also been engaged to provide feedback including local Municipal staff and Councils, and Advisory Committees.
All feedback is being summarized and analyzed into a ‘What We Heard’ report that will be released in December 2021.
Key Themes: Buildings, Transportation, Waste, Agriculture, Land-Use, Energy, and Protection of Waterways and Shorelines
The draft Climate Change Action Plan assesses Grey County’s energy use today and identifies actions to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions created by the County of Grey (i.e. county services, fleet vehicles, public buildings) and the community (residents, businesses, institutions, visitors).
Many Benefits of a Climate Change Action Plan
Some of these benefits include:
- Reduced energy costs as a result of more energy efficient technologies and practices.
- Reduced air pollution and improved health from more active transportation, public transit, and carpooling;
- Increased energy security through use of more renewable energy systems and reduced power outages and interruptions;
- New jobs and economic growth in the building and construction industries and clean energy sector;
- Growing tourism industry from the expansion of electric vehicle use, conservation of our natural heritage, and investment in more sustainable practices;
- Economic growth in the agricultural industry as a result of more efficient agricultural practices; and
- Other social and health benefits as a result of ecological conservation, better waste practices, and sustainable land-use planning
The action plan requires input from community stakeholders
Everyone has a role to play in mitigating and adapting to climate change. This page will be updated to include Council meeting reports, developments made in the plan, and opportunities for public engagement. We will reach out through emails and social media to invite participation in our surveys. Want to stay connected? Our mailing list sign up is below.
The CCAP is being developed by Grey County with support and expertise provided by ICLEI Canada.
Who is involved?
Public Input and Comments
Grey County is full of knowledgeable and engaged citizens. We greatly value the input people have shared with us on the CCAP to date.
Climate Change Working Group
A Climate Change Working Group has been formed including a wide range of departments and key external stakeholders. This group will contribute technical knowledge and provide advice and recommendation as the plan is developed. The group will inform greenhouse gas reduction targets, opportunities to reduce energy emissions, and more. Stakeholders include: Indigenous groups, conservation authorities, health unit staff, municipal staff and others.
Climate Change Task Force
The Climate Change Task Force consists of Grey County Councillors and County staff. This task force supports a climate-conscious Grey and provides input in the development of the Climate Change Action Plan and recommendations for Council direction.
The Process
The planning process follows the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI Canada’s Partners for Climate Protection five-milestone framework.
Milestone 1 – Create a baseline emissions inventory and forecast.
Milestone 2 – Set emissions reductions targets.
Milestone 3 – Develop and local action plan.
Milestone 4 – Implement the local action plan.
Milestone 5 – Monitor progress and report results.
Grey County’s draft plan is being developed throughout 2020 - 2021. Community and stakeholder engagement will continue to happen throughout the process.
