Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Burlington updated three environment and energy projects at a recent council meeting, one year after the Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB) was adopted. All reports are available online.
The plan includes a 10-year implementation plan with 32 actions being led by staff from eight different City departments.
“There is a lot of work going into climate change related initiatives across every department within the city,” said Lynn Robichaud, manager of environmental sustainability. “It’s not just the environment and energy team driving It.
“Taking steps to reduce and electrify our energy and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint along with planning for our changing climate is at the forefront of city projects.”
Electric mobility is identified as a key program to support Burlington becoming a net carbon zero community by 2050. Highlights include:
- 18 new electric vehicle charging stations with 43 plugs on city property
- 18 electric vehicle charging stations with 36 plugs are planned for installation over the next two years on city property
- There are 114 total public and private electric vehicle charging stations in Burlington
- 16 per cent of the City’s fleet is electric or hybrid with plans to increase the percentage
An update on the Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan (CEEMP) was shared with council with data and measures on energy and greenhouse gas emissions for city operations. This plan, approved in July 2019, supports Burlington’s plan to be net carbon neutral by 2040.
CEEMP Highlights:
- Over the past year, City staff have been working with consultants to perform Deep Energy Retrofit Studies at Appleby Ice Centre, Brant Hills Community Centre, Fire Station 2 and Fire Station 7. These studies will provide pathways to transform each of these buildings into low carbon facilities and provide significant reduction in the City’s operational greenhouse gas emissions. The studies are expected to be complete this summer.
- Solar panels will be installed at Fire Station 5 in Kilbride. The solar panels will be operational later this year. It is estimated that the system will offset slightly more than 100 per cent of the building’s electricity usage. The excess electricity will allow the City to offset heating electrification in the near future.