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Committee recommendation
That Council approve that Ottawa join the Commonwealth Climate Change
Challenge and direct staff to assist the Royal Commonwealth Society in its
local implementation.
RECOMMANDATION DU
COMITÉ
Que le Conseil
approuve que la Ville prenne part au défi du Commonwealth relatif au changement
climatique et charge le personnel d’aider la Royal Commonwealth Society à le
mener à bien à Ottawa.
Documentation
1.
Environmental
Advisory Committee report dated 1 September 2010 (ACS2010- CCV-EAC-0004).
Report
to/Rapport au :
Planning and Environment Committee/
Comité
de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement
and
Council / et au Conseil
1 September 2010/ le 1 septembre 2010
Submitted by/Soumis par : Chair, Environmental Advisory
Committee
Contact
Person/Personne ressource: Stephanie Brown Bellefeuille, Coordinator, Advisory
Committees, City Clerk’s Branch/Direction du greffe
(613) 580-2424 x16760,
Stephanie.Brown@ottawa.ca
SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
The Environmental Advisory Committee
recommends that Planning and Environment Committee recommend that Council
approve that Ottawa join the Commonwealth Climate Change Challenge and direct
staff to assist the Royal Commonwealth Society in its local implementation.
RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité consultatif sur l’environnement (CCE) recommande au Comité
de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement d’approuver que la Ville prenne part au
défi du Commonwealth relatif au changement climatique et de charger le personnel
d’aider la Royal Commonwealth Society à le mener à bien à Ottawa.
BACKGROUND
At its 13 May meeting, the Environmental Advisory Committee passed the following motion:
Whereas the Royal Commonwealth Society has
requested the City of Ottawa’s participation in the Commonwealth Climate Change
Challenge; and
Whereas the Commonwealth Climate Challenge
is an international competition involving 12 cities across 12 different
Commonwealth countries focused on the need to address climate change at the community
level; and
Whereas the City of Ottawa’s Climate Change
Management Plan has a community reduction target of -20% by 2012;
And Whereas this community target is far
from being met;
Be it resolved that the
Following
the approval of this motion by the Environmental Advisory Committee at its May
13 meeting, this motion was distributed in a memo to all members of
Council. With the Ottawa launch of the Royal
Commonwealth Society’s Climate Change Challenge now planned at City Hall for
Thursday, November 25 in Jean Pigott Hall, including the British High
Commissioner to Canada Anthony Cary, it is hoped by the Committee that Council
will formally endorse the participation of the City of Ottawa in this worldwide
challenge.
DISCUSSION
The Commonwealth Climate Challenge is an international
competition involving 12 cities across 12 different Commonwealth countries. 12 households in each city will compete to
reduce their environmental impact over the course of one year.
Run by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), in
partnership with the Prince of Wales’ Charities, the Commonwealth Climate
Challenge offers an opportunity to:
•
highlight the need to address climate
change across diverse Commonwealth countries
•
demonstrate the value of practical
actions by ordinary people
•
compare how people in very different
contexts can change their behaviours to make a
positive impact
•
raise the profile of the Commonwealth
The RCS is an educational charity founded in 1868
to promote international understanding, and is the world’s oldest and largest NGO,
with headquarters in London. The RCS
hopes that Ottawa, Canada can be involved as a participating city.
Challenge
Participants
To give the Climate Challenge a Commonwealth
flavour, the RCS is planning to work in 12 cities in 12 different countries around
the Commonwealth, whose first letters combine to spell out the word
‘Commonwealth’. These cities have been
carefully chosen to reflect the geographic and economic diversity of the
Commonwealth. The proposals include
cities in all regions: Africa (3), Asia (3), Caribbean (1), Europe/Canada (2)
and Pacific (3). They are: (City, Country)
C – Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago
O – Ottawa, Canada
M – Male, Maldives
M – Malacca, Malaysia
O – Oxford, UK
N – Nairobi, Kenya
W – Wellington, New Zealand
E - East London, South Africa
A – Apia, Samoa
L – Lagos, Nigeria
T – Trivandrum, India
H – Hobart, Australia
Choosing
the City of Ottawa
When identifying cities to take part in the Climate
Challenge, the RCS is seeking to include a range of sizes and types of city,
with varied geographies. As the capital
of Canada, and one of the largest municipalities in the country, encouraging
the population of Ottawa to support efforts to combat climate change has the
potential to send a powerful message to other communities across Ontario and
Canada. The RCS hopes that the Mayor of
Ottawa and the City Council can support the Climate Challenge and help to
showcase Ottawa’s green credentials to the world.
Household Participants
In each of the 12 participating Climate Challenge
cities, the RCS hopes to work with local partners to identify 12 households to
participate in the project. The 12
households will compete as a team on behalf of Ottawa against the other 11
cities worldwide.
The success of the Climate Challenge is dependent
on the scientific credibility of the measurement process. The RCS is therefore working with
environmental experts to develop a set of comprehensive criteria to monitor
each household’s progress.
CONSULTATION
Environmental
Sustainability Branch
Further
to the Environmental Advisory Committee motion, Environmental Sustainability
staff contacted the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) to get a better
understanding of the initiative. Efforts
to build awareness and promote ways of reducing household resource use (i.e.
energy and water) support City objectives in a number of areas including GHG
reduction, waste diversion, and water use.
Being involved in an international effort such as the commonwealth
challenge would be an effective way to help partner with the community.
Staff
suggested several possible non-profit environmental organizations in Ottawa
that may be interested in being involved, including EnviroCentre. The RCS subsequently contacted EnviroCentre
who will be the Project Coordinators of the Climate Challenge. Staff will be available to assist in terms of
advice and contacts/promotion.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Set up and facility rental costs for the launch will be approximately $310; funds are available within Community Sustainability’s operating budget.
The launch reception and other costs incurred at the local level over the course of the year-long event will be the responsibility of EnviroCentre.
LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT
IMPLICATIONS
There are no Legal/Risk Management Implications associated with the recommendations in this report.
DISPOSITION
Upon approval by Committee and Council, Ottawa endorsement of the initiative will be provided to the Royal commonwealth Society and staff from Community Sustainability will provide support as noted in the report.