Climate Action on the Peninsula

On May 9th, Northern Bruce Peninsula's Climate Action Plan was formally accepted by Council during a Special Council Meeting. Along with the overall plan, a greenhouse gas emissions target of 20% reduction by 2030 from 2020 levels was also adopted.

This represents the culmination of nearly two years of work by the Municipal Climate Action Committee and dozens of other volunteers and committed community members. You can find the presentation material from the Special Council Meeting below.

Public consultation has been a key component of the development of the Climate Action Plan. Throughout this process nearly 1,000 community members have provided their input into the goals and initiatives that make up the Plan.

Earlier this Spring, we asked for input on the draft version of the Climate Action Plan. Respondents asked tough questions and had pointed feedback on several portions of the plan - but overall were strongly in favour of the approach. Below is a summary of the feedback received which we'll be incorporating into the final version of the Plan delivered later this month.

This year's March Break included a new twist for Northern Bruce Peninsula: a family-friendly climate fun fest! Across two days, more than 150 members of the community participated in activities to raise awareness about climate change and what local climate action could do.

The Climate Action Committee also used the event as an opportunity to release the draft of its Climate Action Committee that you'll find below. There's a public survey requesting feedback on the draft on the LetsTalkNBP site - we hope to hear from you!

In the fall of 2022, working with Municipal staff, members of the Climate Action Committee and experts from the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation - a climate-focused think tank at the University of Waterloo - met to discuss strategies to address the potential impacts of climate change on the Peninsula.

This analysis was based on projections and the latest climate science generously compiled by leading scientists from Parks Canada. The Climate Action Committee has put together a brief summary of their findings below.

On October 5th and 12th, the Climate Action Committee ran the first in its series of consultations regarding the Climate Action Plan. The committee was thrilled to have over 40 passionate climate change advocates participating in the two sessions - setting us up well for future engagement.

For those unable to attend, the session materials can be found below. A recording and recap of learnings from the session will be posted shortly. Those with questions on the session or project are encouraged to contact the Climate Action Plan project lead Will Meneray at wmeneray@ourcanvas.ca.

The Climate Action Committee is pleased to have the support of the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association with the development of a Climate Action Plan for the community.

As part of its work on climate change, the Biosphere is simultaneously running several programs designed to support immediate climate action on climate change - such as those focused on promoting usage of Electric Vehicles and Heat Pumps. These initiatives are crucial for Northern Bruce Peninsula to get a head-start on many of the future elements of its Climate Action Plan - which is targeted for completion early in 2022.

To support these initiatives the Biosphere has developed a Climate Action Hub - which contains a wealth of information and resources regarding climate change and some of its programs. For all those interested, you can learn more by clicking the link below:

https://bpba.ca/projects/climate-action

Thanks for visiting our Lets Talk NBP site for Climate Action. This site is your go-to hub for all Community Climate Action related events and opportunities.

The project is brought to you by the Municipality's Climate Action Committee: a group of dedicated volunteers and experts committed to addressing climate change in our community. The project is being run in partnership with the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association - a local environmental-focused non-profit.

For more details on the project, check-out the project overview below...and stay tuned for more updates!