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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnv - 2015-01-22 - Item 5 - Strategic Plan Annual Report Card Presentation Date: January 7, 2015 To: Chair and Members of the Environmental Committee From: Barbara Steiner, Senior Environmental Planner Carrie Musselman, Senior Environmental Planner Brandon Sloan, Manager of Long Range & Policy Planning Subject: Strategic Plan for the EnvironmentImplementation 2014Report CardandWebpage Update Strategic Plan for the Environment have been on- going since the first plan was adopted by Council in 1992. The plan has been updated several times since then. Environmental initiatives are organized under seven (7) themes: 1. Natural Heritage System and Recreational Amenity Areas; 2. Water Resources; 3. Air Quality; 4. Land Resource and Growth Management; 5. Energy Systems; 6. Resource Consumption and Waste Management; and 7.Environmental Education and Public Awareness. environment are planned, started, moved along or completed, and the Strategic Plan for the Environment keeps track of progress on these initiatives. This progress report is provided to movement on achieving Community Priorities, one of which is Environment. This is the third year of utilizing the current implementation framework and this year new quantitative indicators are being piloted. progress2014 The summary of in Strategic Plan for the EnvironmentEnvironmental Actions - City of Kitchener) which is attached. Some 2014 numbers are still being compiled; the most up-to- date figures will be presented at the meeting on January 22, 2015. Next Steps Receive and incorporate feedback from Environment Committee on the 2014 DRAFT webpage content and progress indicators; Finalize the webpage and post it online; Provide the completed 2014 progress report to Compass Kitchener; and Refine the piloted (for 2014) environmental indicators to measure the progress of environmental initiatives for continued use in subsequent years' report cards. Attachment: Strategic Plan for the Environment Implementation DRAFT Webpage Text (2014 Report Card) 5 - 1 9“Ýz©š“’;“·Œ L“7z-·š©­  ‘;,­z·; {Ғ’©ä 1. Natural Heritage System and Recreational Amenity Areas IšÞ ©; Þ; 7šz“mj The adopted June 2014. The Official Plan identifies all of the known regionally and locally significant components that comprise a na We can now add the Official Plan (2014) to the Parks Strategic P Trails Master Plan (2012) offering direction on the way we devel. The culmination of the above, now puts Kitchener in a much bette our natural heritage system and recreational areas. At the ground level, having active work on the Natural Areas Pro naturalization and stream restoration projects is critical. It is now time to turn to the tasks of monitoring, reporting and areas. The Natural Lands Acquisition policy and program should be finis Heritage System in public ownership. Amount of Natural Heritage System in Kitchener (Ha) 7087 Ha (51.7%) Amount of Kitchener Natural Heritage System that is available per resident 3229 ft 2 2 (NEW) 304 M Kitchener Natural Heritage System in public ownership (Ha and %) 4266 Ha (59%) Amount of Parkland in Kitchener (Ha) 2035 Ha (14.9%) Amount of Parkland that is available per resident (NEW) 87.06 M 2 Number of Park Facilities in Kitchener (NEW) 477 Tree Canopy Across the City 22.0% 2. Water Resources IšÞ ©; Þ; 7šz“mj Water is one of our most precious resourcesessential to human life and the health of our natural ecosystems. The City and its partners like the Region and GRCA c 5 - 2 only ensuring that our drinking water is protected and replenish our watercourses are improved, and our stormwater is managed pr Kitchener, along with the Region and GRCA, continues our pioneering efforts and the watershed management of stream and river systems. But it laurels as we strive to move the bar higher in our efforts to sa Restoration of Kitchener's streams and valleylands continued thr restoration of Schneider Creek through Filsinger Park and new en for the enhancement or restoration of both Idlewood and Balzer C education program for citizens with respect to stormwater, marked a fouth year of home and business visits and workshops. refreshed Kitchener Stormwater Management Master Plan will be developed. Kolb Creek and stream restoration efforts while plans for the restoration o completed in 2015. The Region's Source Protection Plan has now b final approval of our revised local plan is anticipated in 2015 Clean Water Act now projected for the first quarter of 2016. Area 125 km 2 total urban area , 10% is treated for improved water quality % of Total Number of Stormwater Management (SWM) facilities with 57% quality component (80 of a total of 140 facilities) Linear kilometres of stream restored Schneider Creek 1.3km Road salt applied per linear kilometer of road TBD Stormwater Management Credits applied 2014 vs. 2013 TBD 3. Air Quality IšÞ ©; Þ; 7šz“mj How many other local municipalities in Ontario investigate five improving air quality from a citizen advisory committee that mon doing this since 2006 as part of the Quality in Kitchener (updated in 2010). In 2014, a n audit of the Recommended Actions in both the 2006 and updated only 7 of the 50+ actions have not yet been investigated or impl 2015 as a final step in this eight-year program. City plans, pol 5 - 3 for addressing air pollution. These tools are aimed at getting citizens out of their cars and using green transportation choice In addition, completing significant milestones of the Partners f both corporate and community greenhouse gas reduction are huge s criteria air contaminants at the same time. Kitcheners progress on Air Quality will now be monitored through the Strategic Plan for the Environment s annual report card. Providing local direction and solutions to been a priority for Kitchener since the more frequent smog days Happily, local air quality has been significantly improved in th our commitment to making local change for air quality improvemen Cycling Master Plan, Transportation Demand Management Strategy, Multi-Use Pathways and Trails Master Plan, Transportation Master Plan, the new Official Plan, and the Air Quality theme of the Strategic Plan for the Environment will be essential to improving air quality in the city. With respect to the reduction of greenhouse gases and the relate continue in 2015 on corporate target setting and action plans. A Community Climate Action Plan now has momentum and will encourage the community at large to active modes of transportation, sustainable building design and initiatives. Number of Smog Days per Year TBD Annual PM exceedances in Kitchener TBD 2.5 Days in a year with Air Quality Index (AQI) in the Good Range 311, or 85% (cf. 308, or 84% in 2013; 296, or 81% in 2007) 4. Land Resource and Growth Management IšÞ ©; Þ; 7šz“mj Kitchener is well-positioned for the future. The City has an ove program in place to coordinate and track growth. The Downtown/Urban Growth Centre continues to undergo transforma objectives are being established to achieve more residents and j compared to the minimum provincial target of 200). 5 - 4 Kitchener is contributing to provincial and regional growth mana (the "intensification level" was 60% in 2014). The Kitchener Growth Management Plan (KGMP) Fall 201 Fall 2015+ continues to guide development and growth for the Kit Generally, new development is occurring in places well served by development rate was significantly higher in 2014 (2400+ new dwe permits compared to 1070 in 2013). A significant number of mixe and transit-supportive are well underway or in the planning and A higher level of attention is required in new development to en conservation is more prevalent. In Kitchener's built-up areas, i/redevelopment is becoming a more predominant type of land development and further required. 2014 saw the completion of Phase 2 of the City-led Pla (PARTS) project and the commencement of a comprehensive and deta Study area. 90% % of Growth Management Strategy action items completed % of new residential dwelling construction within the BuiltUp Area 60% (Intensification Level) within the last calendar year % of new residential dwelling construction within the Built Up Area 49% (Intensification Level) within the last 5 years % of new dwelling units under construction that are multiples (i.e. 56% not single detached dwellings or townhouses) 5. Energy Systems IšÞ ©; Þ; 7šz“mj To reach our community GHG reduction target of 6% below 2010 lev and regional municipalities including the City of Kitchener are Climate Action Plan for Waterloo Region: Living Smarter in 2020. In 2014, we made progress on the following sustainability actions in our community: Community bike share systems Electric vehicles (EV) and charging network Corporate sector reduction commitments Zero-Impact sustainability incubator Water efficiency target Conservation & demand management (CDM) initiatives In 2015, we need to further activate corporate initiatives, our and greenhouse gas reductions. 5 - 5 Modal split (%) Auto Driver 77% Auto Passenger 10% Transit 6% Cycling/Walking 6% LEED Certified Buildings (all level of LEED 18 buildings in Kitchener) Energy Use By Sector Per Year (and per Electricity (kWh) 1,636,445,466 7190 person in adjacent column) Natural Gas (m 3) 249,248,847 1095 Fuel Oil (L) 16,677,176 73 Diesel (L) 27,699,940 122 Propane (L) 15,848,006 70 Gasoline (L) 72,941,772 320 On-and Off-Road Leisure Opportunities Pathways and Trails 38.3 Km Bike lanes (City and 47.7 Km Region) Proportion of the Cycling Master Plan On-Street (City owned) 19.3% bikeway network completed On-Street (Regional) 31.3% Proportion of the Multi-Use Pathways and 8.7% Trails Master Plan network completed Annual spending on cycling infrastructure $2.57 per resident 6. Resource Consumption and Waste Management IšÞ ©; Þ; 7šz“mj Kitchener citizens need to be doing more. s that one bag of garbage going to landfill still contains 53% organics that couldbeen composted and 14% paper/containers that could have been recycled. Regional Council approved the Region of Waterloo Waste Managemen Waste Reduction and Diversion Study. The Waste Management Master next five years, including: Standardizing rural and city waste programs, Modifying depot drop-offs, Enhancing programs to maximize diversion, including options such collection, reducing and standardizing bag limits, and/or incorp Further investigating thermal technology and energy recovery opt 5 - 6 Residential waste collected per household 0.92 tonnes Residential waste diverted per household 0.51 tonnes Residential waste diverted away from landfill 53.0% 7. Environmental Education and Public Awareness IšÞ ©; Þ; 7šz“mj Knowledge is critical. We are continually learning and growing, to educate ourselves and create environmental awareness througho corporately. Earth Day 2014 was celebrated by Kitchener citizens in April wit registered participants. But other stewardship activities in 201 year with the Kitchener Natural Areas Program (KNAP) activities opportunities to participate in practical activities at Kitchene17 stewardship projects engaged 321 people while another 26 educational events 2014 numbers pending). Considering the number of initiatives spearheaded by the City an there! We still need to do more to monitor and share these initi with the broader public. We need to reach those that are not alr awareness ideas are welcome! 5 - 7 Example of Infographic (DRAFT) 5 - 8