A New Start for our City

The City of Toronto where I live has spent the last five years addressing climate change:

• In 2017 the City Council unanimously approved a long term climate strategy to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions and improve health - also considering economic and social well being.

• Two years later in 2019, the council declared a climate emergency. Emissions were 38% lower that year than they were in 1990.

  On December 15, 2021, the Council Approved the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy. It includes the following goals for 2030:

  • Homes & Buildings

    • All new homes and buildings will be designed and built to be near zero greenhouse gas emissions

    • Greenhouse gas emissions from existing buildings will be cut in half, from 2008 levels

    Energy

    • 50 per cent of community-wide energy comes from renewable or low-carbon sources

    • 25 per cent of commercial and industrial floor area is connected to low carbon thermal energy sources

    Transportation

    • 30 per cent of registered vehicles in Toronto are electric

    • 75 per cent of school/work trips under 5km are walked, biked or by transit

     Waste

    • 70 per cent residential waste diversion from the City of Toronto’s waste management system

    • Identify pathways to more sustainable consumption in City of Toronto operations and in Toronto’s economy

    City of Toronto Corporate Goals

    • City of Toronto corporate greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 65 per cent over 2008 base year

    • All City Agency, Corporation and Division-owned new developments are designed and constructed to applicable Toronto Green

    • Standard Version 4 standard achieving zero carbon emissions, beginning in 2022

    • Greenhouse gas emissions from City-owned buildings are reduced by 60 per cent from 2008 levels; by 2040, City-owned buildings reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions

    • All City-owned facilities have achieved zero waste

    • Generate and utilize 1.5 Million Gigajoules of energy from biogas

    • Approximately 107,700 tonnes CO2e per year are reduced through Organics Processing with Renewable Energy and Landfill Gas Utilization

    • 50 per cent of the City-owned fleet is transitioned to zero-emissions vehicles

    • 50 per cent of the TTC bus fleet is zero-emissions

    • Greenhouse gas emissions from food the City of Toronto procures are reduced by 25 per cent

• It includes a directive to everyone.

The suggestions in this short video may not apply to everyone directly - renters for example - but even here, tenants associations can play a role. Most of the suggestions are actionable by families and bring participation down to the local level. Cities are where we live and work. They are also the places where we have the most impact on local policies. I commend all local councillors - and especially two who send regular newsletters I have signed up to receive. I’ve met in person with both on occasion. In the amount of noise in the news, it’s good to go back to local sources and see that citizens can have an impact.