Georgian Bluffs township hall exterior. (file photo)
Georgian Bluffs will be undertaking a consultation period on its draft corporate climate action plan.
Township councillors received the plan and endorsed several recommendations related to it at the June 14 committee of the whole meeting.
Some of those recommendations include directing staff to incorporate climate actions into future budget processes, and for an updated corporate climate plan to come back to council before the end of 2023 that considers community feedback.
A report from Georgian Bluffs Acting CAO Niall Lobley says the plan focuses on two key pillars: mitigation and adaptation.
“It is the first small step by the municipality in demonstrating leadership to its communities … and how we are going to adjust our operations over the next few years to try and decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we are producing as an organization,” Lobley explains. “And also in how we prepare ourselves for the changes in climate, which are already unfolding all around us.”
Lobley’s report says the township has already achieved a 22 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through its operations since 2018.
The draft corporate climate action plan includes a 40 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030, and longer-term goals of 70 per cent by 2040 and 80 per cent by 2050.
“You will see that diesel is a big issue for us to tackle,” Lobley says. “There isn’t a ready solution to the diesel problem for the township running heavy equipment. It’s coming. We know it’s coming. It’s not here yet. Some of the answers are not here yet. We anticipate they’re coming in the future, and preparing ourselves to be able to adopt that technology when we get there will be key.”
The recommendations received in committee of the whole still require formal approval by Georgian Bluffs council. Following that, a 60-day public comment and consultation period will be launched on the township’s draft corporate climate action plan.