HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-14-028 - Climate Change Mitigation & Adaption Staff Report
I r Community Services Department wvwuukitchenerra
REPORT TO: Community & Infrastructure Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: April 28, 2014
SUBMITTED BY: Brandon Sloan, Manager of Long Range & Policy Planning,
519-741-2200 ext. 7648
PREPARED BY: Brandon Sloan, Manager of Long Range & Policy Planning,
519-741-2200 ext. 7648
Renee Sambrook, Corporate Planning Coordinator, 519-
741-2200 Ext. 7302
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All Wards
DATE OF REPORT: April 16, 2014
REPORT NO.: CSD-14-028
SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION
RECOMMENDATION:
That funding of approximately $25,000 per year towards a collaborative approach for
facilitation of the Community Climate Action Plan implementation from 2015-2021 be
referred to the 2015 Budget process as a potential strategic addition; and
That subject to approved funding, a collaborative service agreement for facilitation of the
Climate Action Plan implementation be entered into between the Cities of Kitchener,
Waterloo, Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo to the satisfaction of Legal Services.
BACKGROUND:
In late 2013, the Region of Waterloo and Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo endorsed
in principle the Climate Action Plan to further reduce our community greenhouse gas emissions
(climate change mitigation). A portion of the November 25th, 2013 Council resolution stipulates:
"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the continuation of a ClimateActionWR collaborative
approach between the Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Region of Waterloo along
with community and business groups, utilities, schools, universities and residents be explored to
achieve a community-wide GHG reduction target, and at minimum should include:
• A Terms of Reference for an Implementation Group with any such terms and associated
agreements being prepared to the satisfaction of Legal Services and Purchasing, and
any associated costs being to the approval of Council;
• Implementation strategies for moving forward with specific actions;
• Prioritization, cost and resource requirements for actions;
• Monitoring and an interim reporting of results before 2020;
• Consideration of a Greenhouse Gas reduction target beyond 2020;
• Submission to FCM as fulfillment of Community Milestones 4 (Implementation) and 5
(Monitoring and Reporting)"
6 - 1
In addition to this Council resolution, on January 13, 2014, the Finance and Corporate Services
Committee requested a report on actions the City is undertaking to respond to the impacts of
climate change, and extreme weather events, from an infrastructure replacement and
operational perspective (climate adaptation).
This report provides a summary of the actions currently being taken by the City of Kitchener to
address climate change in two ways, climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.
Climate Change Mitigation vs. Climate Change Adaptation
Climate change mitigation is related to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and
the improvement of quality of life in the community. When sustainable practices are in place
within a community, the long term impact of climate change is mitigated as there is more energy
security, sustainable transportation available for citizens, water conservation, a reduction in
waste through waste diversion, and so on.
Climate change adaptation is the process of modifying or updating infrastructure and
community practices in order to address issues related to climate change. Climate adaptation
differs from climate mitigation as adaptation seeks to deal with the effects of climate change,
while mitigation looks to reduce the causes of climate change (please see table below for
examples of mitigation and adaptation). Adaptation is often associated with resiliency, and
mitigation is associated with sustainability.
Climate change adaptation is of particular importance given the increase in climate related
events such as excessive rainfall, high winds, and ice storms — all of which Waterloo Region
has experienced in recent years. These events caused damage to both city and private property
and disrupted power supply to many residents. Although climate change adaptation actions
cannot guarantee the avoidance of negative impacts from climate change, it is considered a
necessary step in creating a resilient city that can effectively handle climate change events.
Climate Change Mitigation Climate Change Adaptation
• Using alternative energy (e.g. solar, • Structural pruning of trees to increase
wind, geothermal, etc.) strength of branches
• Participating in Earth Hour • Using rain barrels to divert water from
• Using a hybrid powered vehicle stormwater management systems
• Anti-idling laws • Increasing the volume of stormwater
• Reducing your carbon footprint management systems
• Composting and recycling • Having cooling/heating centres for
• Public transit plans extreme temperature days
Both climate change adaptation and mitigation are seen as important concurrent steps in
climate action, as stated in the Climate Action Plan by Climate Action Waterloo Region
(ClimateActionWR).
6 - 2
REPORT:
Current Mitigation Actions
Kitchener has a Strategic Plan for the Environment that focusses on seven themes: Natural
Heritage System and Recreational Amenity Areas, Water Resources, Air Quality, Land
Resource and Growth Management, Energy Systems, Resource Consumption and Waste
Management, and Environmental Education and Public Awareness. The majority of the
programs under these themes deal with mitigation and environmental amenities (e.g. parks,
green spaces).
The City of Kitchener is a member of FCM's Partners for Climate Protection which is a program
aimed at reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change. As a corporation, the City
of Kitchener has reached the first milestone of creating a greenhouse gas emissions inventory
and forecast. However, through Kitchener's partnership in the release of the Climate Action Plan
for Waterloo Region in November 2013 (developed by ClimateActionWR), the community of
Kitchener has achieved Milestone 3: Developing a Local Action Plan.
As outlined in the Kitchener Council resolution from November 25th, 2013, one of the next steps
in the ongoing activities to reduce our community's greenhouse gas emissions is to determine
the implementation approach to ensure the actions identified in the Climate Action Plan are
completed. With the goal of achieving Community Milestones 4 (Implementation) and 5
(Monitoring and Reporting) under the Partners for Climate Protection program, staff continues to
work with the lead collaborators of ClimateActionWR; which includes the Region of Waterloo,
the Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, Sustainable Waterloo Region, and REEP
Green Solutions. The following is the proposed governance structure:
• Administration Committee (internal-facing for Plan administration)
• Plan Manager (internal and external-facing as convening hub for all ClimateActionWR
activity)
• Leadership Committee (external-facing to advance Plan implementation and
engagement)
• Working Groups (ad-hoc action-specific focus with experts and stakeholders)
An overview of the draft governance structure, including key responsibilities, is attached to this
report as Appendix A. A framework is now prepared for the Administration Committee
participation, the Leadership Committee Terms of Reference, a Plan Manager job description
and annual deliverables along with draft legal agreements between the collaborative parties.
The logistics of undertaking an ongoing collaborative approach will be outlined in a core service
agreement between the Region, Sustainable Waterloo and REEP with a supplementary service
agreement between each of the municipalities and the Region.
For Kitchener, the Administration Committee representative is intended to be Brandon Sloan,
Manager of Long Range and Policy Planning, who is currently performing that function. The
Leadership Committee representative is intended to be Lynda Stewart, Energy Management
Specialist, who would provide a direct link to the Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reduction project
which is now underway. The actions through the Working Groups will involve several other staff
members throughout the City depending on the related discipline/activity.
6 - 3
The continuation of the collaborative approach has recently proven instrumental in gaining
support from Waterloo North Hydro, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro and Cambridge and North
Dumfries Hydro. This is largely due to their recognition of the energy related benefits from
implementation of the Climate Action Plan.
Current Adaptation Actions
The following section of this report outlines a number of initiatives the City has undertaken to
adapt to the effects of climate change:
• The City's Stormwater Management (SWM) Program from 2010 stated that over the next
five years, the City would rehabilitate older stormwater ponds, construct new ponds, and
various other actions. The City's website also promotes best-practices for stormwater
management through the use of rain barrels, cisterns, infiltration galleries/basins, rain
gardens, and permeable pavers. Property owners can apply for stormwater credits for the
stormwater portion of their utility bill if they partake in the best-practices. The proactive
approach of reducing the strain on the stormwater management systems helps during
excessive rainfall to prevent flooding. The City also implemented a new stormwater monthly
user fee appeared on utility bills in February 2011. The new fee goes specifically
towards stormwater management, which has been historically underfunded.
• The City of Kitchener report, Stormwater Policy Review and Proposed Master Plan (March
20, 2014) states that "the existing 2001 SWM Policy lacks specific policy requirements
relating to infrastructure resiliency and adaptation in the context of climate change..." It also
states that the Water Opportunities Act and Ontario Water Resources Act references the
need to adapt and plan for climate change and ignoring this "may leave the municipality
vulnerable to future legal action and or claims of negligence". In the proposed table of
contents for the City of Kitchener Stormwater Management Master Plan, there is an entire
section dedicated to addressing climate change which includes observed and predicted
climate changes, potential impacts to water resources, potential strategies for infrastructure
management, and existing and new infrastructure and climate change adaptation.
• The City's Engineering Services Division uses updated rainfall intensity-duration-frequency
(IDF) curves for stormwater pipes that are installed in new subdivisions in Kitchener. IDF
curves, which are a summary of the history of rainfall behavior over time, are prepared by a
number of agencies including the Ministry of Transportation. As more intense storms are
experienced due to climate change, the IDF curves change, effectively making the same
storm (e.g. a one in five year storm) larger. As the IDF curve changes, stormwater pipe sizes
must increase in size to adapt to the increase in rainfall. The updated IDF curves do not
affect existing storm sewers, except during reconstruction, when a similar approach is used.
• The City of Kitchener has identified various species of trees to replace any removed trees
with a focus on diversifying the species and planting appropriate tree varieties for the area—
no tree species will exceed 20% of the trees in an area. This diversity helps ensure that in
the case of an invasive species (such as the Emerald Ash Borer); a neighbourhood will have
a reduced risk of losing their entire tree population. There was also a proposal presented to
Council in December 2013 to invest $250,000 in a tree maintenance program (structural
pruning) for Kitchener's urban tree canopy. Structural pruning would maximize the stature of
trees, allow trees to live longer, provide more shade, and reduce damage cause by large
storms. Although the initial cost of structural pruning is higher than if trees are allowed to
6 - 4
grow freely, the long-term maintenance costs are reduced and the tree is stronger and less
likely to break during extreme weather events. This proposal was defeated by a Council vote
in January 2014.
• The City's recently built facilities such as the Activa Sports Complex, Fire Hall 7, and the
Kingsdale Community Centre achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) standard making them more environmentally friendly. Many of these LEED features,
such as the use of recycled materials and the use of energy efficient lighting, offer climate
change mitigation benefits, but climate change adaptation features are also used. For
example, the use of cisterns and having a green roof or heat island effect roof are just two
adaptation strategies used by these facilities.
• During extreme heat or cold days in the summer and winter months, cooling and warming
centres are offered at Kitchener City Hall, Kitchener Libraries, Kitchener arenas, as well as
numerous Community Centres. The City's website also encourages residents to visit at-risk
family members, friends, and neighbours, in case they need assistance during heat events.
These centres will become especially important as extreme temperature days become more
frequent due to climate change.
An in-depth look at climate change adaptation strategies being undertaken by other cities is
attached as Appendix B.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
This initiative is helping implement the community priority of ENVIRONMENT.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Climate Action Plan Implementation (ClimateActionWR)
In order to facilitate a coordinated approach to implementation of the community's Climate
Action Plan amongst the various stakeholders, the ClimateActionWR group intends to hire a
dedicated Plan Manager position in the spring of 2014. This position will be under the direct
supervision of Sustainable Waterloo Region and REEP Green Solutions and includes resources
for marketing, outreach and community engagement.
The Cities of Cambridge and Waterloo, along with the Region, have identified $25,000 to be
utilized this year towards all aspects of administering the coordinated approach to plan
management. The local hydro companies have now indicated support for an additional
commitment. The City of Kitchener has no identified funding contribution for 2014. This gap in
funding for plan management is expected to impact the ClimateActionWR's scope of activities
for the first year of implementation.
The recommendation of this report is to refer consideration of funding to the 2015 budget
process. Implementation, monitoring and reporting is intended to occur to at least the year
2021. Currently, the collaborative partners have not committed the full funding that would be
necessary for the Plan Manager position to continue for the duration of 2015-2021 and
consequently will also be seeking long-term financial support within their upcoming respective
budget processes.
6 - 5
It should be noted that since the collaborators would be "pooling together" the individual
contributions towards a larger amount, it is much more effective than any one municipality
attempting to complete this work on their own and may lead to other funding/grant opportunities.
This approach is similar to the one taken to achieve Community Milestones 1-3 that saw
ClimateActionWR clearly demonstrate how collaboration can accomplish more than individual
effort. A total of $372,000 was raised which for every $1 contributed by local/regional
government, $6.60 was leveraged from external funding (the Kitchener contribution was
$8,000).
Any new actions prioritized from the Climate Action Plan that require funding beyond what is
currently budgeted will require further consideration by the collaborative partners and Councils.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
This initiative is heavily utilizing the COLLABORATE theme of community engagement and this
report is intended to INFORM.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Michael May, Deputy CAO, Community Services Department
Attachments: Appendix A — Moving Forward with PCP Milestones 4 and 5-Governance
Structure Overview
Appendix B— Climate Change Adaptation Research
6 - 6
L p U U N
N C O U O O
4)
N -° O fn N 4= — O
7 ° (0 C U a) o
U N N U U U N N O U C) O- E O
0) 0 0
CL U a) N N N 0 (0 O .- O- O
O fn _ a) _ o a) E
U' a) C O = fn .0 > U N 0 0 p
O N E -0 U) O
O- (0 N O c0 'E o_ a) a) Q
r N N -O 0 Q N Q N ° O N N
Y > O
m E U -0 " N 0°
)
O p O -O C O Q N'E a) -O O N N U)
a) N a) N N
° N N
O N a)- U C N N
° 0 °o x 0) 5
a_ U Q m O a) 2 m 0
L
> U
O _ a) U U) o
d a) O .O a) (0
O O
U ° 0) C) 0 U N N 0 O N .° C
++ U -O (0 N U O a) O U i V U
U) E c c 0) E E a) E Q o a)
N O (0 (0 N U E Q 0) 0 � O Q
C Q .0 0 E m m > .o ° N E T)i °
> 0) c Q ° N
C '� O a) 7 U L E
L C C O M N O O N O 0)
0 af°i � a) (0 Z3 � cn Q > a) E 0) m N � .N aoi
Q m c U)
J c E — c o E '� E 0 y o `) E c
a) c a) 5 Q o m m c > ° °o ° o o E
X m > o U Q Q � c 0 0 0 O
w Q O U
N )
Q v C w N Q -E c0 —E
X O °- aQ a)
a)
o
M a) ° c E� o> a)
QL C J 0 _0 U) °? c a) m E >
CL a) c00 �° ° aoi > axi E '� N E N a)
a) c
Q U R c N 0) - -0 O 0 0 ° Q m
d R m a) E a) c -0 5 a�i � a) 0).� ! Q
F- a) E c o a) — > c a) N '� c o
3 aoi E o o- a) axi > ° U) o 0 E E aoi .0 c
c0 x
CL w x '— � - U) > O c m aa) m a) a) m x m o O
_0 LU a i aa) 2 � 0 N m i j a) c V_ E o o f �
m °) m E o) o > 0) 0)'— `o a) O E U
3 E 0) a) O o a) m E E c o 0) ° E o cn
LL c Q E c m m _ o o m o . E 0
°) a) O m °) -o m U O Q U U -0 Q J a) Un m -0
c
U a)c Q co 0
O
O in 0) a) c
m -0 o Y Q
C U
N .fn O 7
> c O
U) E 07) � aa)) O .0�
O 3: 0 E O ° 0 M a)-0 4 N 0 0
C
++ (0 N Q X O O
Q I O > m Q E �cu a) i — 0 O
(0
C -0 O a) — 0 -0 U CL C
U E v c c0 o c a) Os
U m m
U) o
0
)N n o C: .2 s c O a) Q Z, 0)_0 te ° °)
a)E a) 7D-
> > m o >o a ° � LL rQ °O = U) CD n ° n E cn
°LL n
O O
r
O r L
Q_ y N
L U Y a 7
E a
a 0 CL V L N
O
6 - 7
APPENDIX B
Climate Change Adaptation Research
Based on the review of numerous climate adaptation plans from various cities and
municipalities, climate change adaptation plans are often connected to municipal strategic
plans. Climate change adaptation plans that have been released by other municipalities stress
the importance of developing strategies to adapt to the changing climate and weather events.
Strategies range from evacuation plans for extreme weather events to larger scale policy-
changes such as the implementation of a green-roof bylaw for new buildings.
Although a variety of municipalities have climate change adaptation plans, large cities and
coastal cities such as Boston and Seattle tended to have more substantial adaptation strategies
that look to adapt to issues such as water levels, flooding, extreme weather, and the heat-island
effect. Land-locked cities or cities that were not at risk of sea-level rise focussed on heat events,
extreme weather leading to flooding, and tree cover. Water management (including heavy rain,
flooding, basement backflow, water quality, droughts, etc.), heat events, extreme weather, and
infrastructure upgrades were consistent themes throughout all of the various climate adaptation
plans.
A sample of risks and recommendations for adaptation can be found below under"Key Areas".
Key Areas
Sector Risk Examples Examples of Climate Adaptation
Recommendations
Water . Flooding of roads . Mandatory downspout disconnection
Management and basements . Increasing the size of storm sewers
• Stormwater . Installation of basement backflow preventers
management and window well guards
issues . Permeable surfaces to decrease runoff and
• Flooding from high street flooding
water levels in the 0 Green roofs to absorb rainfall
Grand River
Heat . Health issues for . Planting more trees to increase shade and to
at-risk residents clean and cool the air
• Increase in . Increasing public access to water, issuing heat
days/nights with alerts, and providing cooling centres
high temperature • High albedo pavement and roofs (e.g. white
• Higher opportunity roof)—to reduces heat island effect
for invasive
species
6 - 8
Extreme . Wind and rain . Proactive structural pruning of trees to reduce
Weather events increase in damage to property and electrical power lines
severity and during wind storms
frequency . Selective tree planting of"hardy" trees and
• Fallen trees on appropriate tree-types for the environment
houses, roads, . Identify evacuation centres/plan for residents
power lines, etc.
Infrastructure . Increase in road . Incorporate climate into infrastructure
Upgrades damage due to development
extreme . Evaluate climate impacts to transportation
freeze/thaw infrastructure and operations
• Summer heat . Retrofit technologies for at-risk building
deteriorates structures and infrastructure types.
infrastructure more
quickly
In Ontario, Toronto appears to have the most elaborate and well-documented climate change
adaptation plan. In 2008, the Toronto Environment Office held six public and stakeholder
engagement meetings for input on the climate change adaptation strategy document. Meetings
included business focus groups and public workshops. A Climate Change Adaptation Steering
Group was also created by the Director of the Toronto Environment Office to help in the
development of the adaptation strategy. Members of the groups were from a variety of City
departments including economic development and planning. Their climate change adaptation
strategy, entitled "Ahead of the Storm: Preparing Toronto for Climate Change" was unanimously
endorsed by City Counsellors in 2008, highlighting the importance placed on this strategy.
Toronto's strategy document gives an overview of what Toronto can expect due to climate
change and why it is important for the City to adapt to the changes. The document also reviews
what Toronto has already implemented to adapt to climate change and what the City intends to
do in the sectors of stormwater/flooding, energy, transportation, buildings, urban ecosystems,
and health. In 2011, Toronto released a document of over 70 programs or actions taken by the
City in the spirit of climate change adaptation. Actions included the Green Roof Bylaw for new
buildings, a Shade Policy and Guidelines, and a Basement Flooding Protection Program.
The City of Edmonton, although over three-times larger in population compared to Kitchener, is
similar to Kitchener in that it is land locked. The City of Edmonton created their Environment
Strategic Plan through a variety of sources. The process involved reviewing past public
consultations, interviewing stakeholders, analyzing global benchmarks, creating a steering
committee, forming an expert panel, receiving guidance from the City's citizen environment
committees, commissioning white papers, and so on. The final result was an Environmental
Strategic Plan entitled "The Way We Green" in 2011. Although Edmonton is currently a carbon-
neutral city, the environmental plan focusses on sustainability and resiliency through 12 long-
term goals divided into six categories: land, water, air, energy and climate change, food, solid
6 - 9
waste, and foundation for success. Making Edmonton's various systems and structures durable
is just one way Edmonton plans to adapt to climate change.
As of September 2013, The City of London, Ontario and an interdisciplinary team of city staff
and agencies have been working on creating an inventory of climate change risks and
approaches to adapt to the risks. Once an official climate change adaptation strategy is created,
the intention is that adaptation management decisions will become a part of standard operating
procedures for the City, and will help London in becoming resilient to climate change.
Four Canadian cities with a similar population to Kitchener were also reviewed: Regina,
Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Windsor, Ontario, and Burnaby, British Columbia.
The cities of Regina and Saskatoon do not have formal adaptation documents, but do have
Greenhouse Gas Emission plans and mention on their websites that actions will need to be
taken to adapt to climate change. Windsor has a formal Climate Adaptation Strategies available
on their website and the City of Burnaby, British Columbia is currently in the process of creating
an Environmental Sustainability Strategy.
The City of Windsor, with a population slightly less than Kitchener, created a Climate Adaptation
Plan in 2012. The City held consultations with all city departments and some agencies to create
a list of potential impacts due to climate change. The plan incorporates both short-term and
long-term actions to address vulnerabilities and strategies to address long-term climate impacts.
The risk severity of each impact was determined by the City of Windsor's Environment and
Transportation Standing Committee. Focus is placed on five areas: the increasing operating
maintenance demands due to climate extremes, the increase in flooding to
basements/roads/infrastructure, the demand increase in operations when responding to severe
storms, public health risks, and policies that were created prior to climate change. In the future,
climate change adaptation will be incorporated into the City's policies, plans, and new projects.
The effects of climate change and the implemented strategies will be monitored for impact, and
public engagement opportunities will be utilized. Proposed actions in the plan include sealing
manhole covers and creating an Extreme Weather Fund Reserve.
The City of Burnaby, British Columbia, with a population slightly larger than Kitchener, is
currently in the process of developing an environmental strategy. The strategy will include
climate change adaptation and directions for city resiliency. The Burnaby Council appointed a
Mayor-led steering committee comprised of Burnaby citizens and stakeholders as well as
various Councillors in 2012. There will be extensive public consultation in order to focus the
vision, goals, and actions of the strategy in order to align it with the community's needs.
Organization Support for Climate Change Adaptation
There are numerous Canadian organizations that provide toolkits, resources, and courses to
assist municipalities identify climate risks for their area and in the creation of a climate change
adaptation strategy. Organizations include The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM),
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Canada (ICLEI), Association of
Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and the Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation
6 - 10
Resources (OCCIAR). FCM offers an e-course, Adapting to Severe Weather and a Changing
Climate, which allows participants to learn about adapting infrastructure to meet the demands of
the changing climate. FCM also provides case studies, climate change projections, planning
guides, and more, as resources to municipalities.
On March 29, 2014, Transition KW launched their Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit which
aims to provide tools for Waterloo Region residents to become more resilient to climate change
and strengthen the community. The grassroots organization created the Toolkit specifically for
the Region through the input of community members, experts, and focus groups. The City of
Kitchener is a partner of this project. According to the group's website, the Toolkit addresses:
• Effects climate change will have on energy, infrastructure, food, water and the economy
of the region
• What residents need to do to prepare for changes
• What the community already knows about adaptation
• Where to get help for adaptation
• Other benefits of preparing for climate change
6 - 11