Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Mississauga’s Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) progress report includes a snapshot of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) over the last few years and concludes that about 65 per cent of action plans are either underway or ongoing and two actions are completed.
“Municipalities like Mississauga are experiencing the impacts of climate change first-hand, with extreme weather like heat waves and storms every year. We recognize our role in fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Having an annual report to track our progress allows us to be transparent and accountable in meeting our targets. We’ve already replaced some of our buses with hybrid-electric buses, installed more bike lanes and developed a green fleet and equipment policy and electric vehicle charging station standard.”
Approved in December 2019, the CCAP is a 10-year roadmap with two main goals: reduce GHGs 40 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050; and increase the City’s resilience and capacity to withstand and respond to climate events.
Some of the highlights from the progress report include:
Implementing a Corporate Green Building Standard
Conducting a district energy (DE) feasibility study for Downtown Mississauga and supporting DE at Lakeview Village
- Including sustainability and climate-related information in financial reporting
- Installing electric vehicle chargers, including planned installations for public use
- Developing a Green Fleet and Equipment Policy
Also, the Project Neutral carbon calculator was launched this year to help residents understand their own carbon footprint and ways to reduce emissions.
In the near future, more of MiWay’s older-model buses will be replaced with new hybrid-electric buses. Five new, second-generation hybrid-electric buses (60 ft.) will be added to MiWay’s existing fleet – the first is already in service while the other four is expected in early 2022.