Caledon Environmental Progress
Action Plan Update
2014-2019
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
The Plan Update Process
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Review of Town Plan
and Policies:
Town staff felt it was important
to determine how and where
all Town policies and plans
fit together. Specifically, this
exercise determined how
Energy and Environmental plans
and strategic initiatives are
embedded into Town policies
and procedures.
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Best Practice Scan:
Internal Consultation:
External Consultation:
All Our Ideas:
To remain a municipal green
leader, the Town wanted to
challenge itself against other
municipal environmental best
practices. By understanding
the successes and challenges
experienced by other
jurisdictions in implementing
similar environmental strategies,
it helped authenticate the Town’s
originally proposed energy and
environmental actions.
Three staff engagement sessions
were held which were attended
by over 80 staff. These sessions
included discussions about what
else the Town and individuals
could do to lower the impact on
the environment.
Staff held a community external
consultation session attended
by over 40 individuals and group
representatives. The session
began with photo based Pecha
Kucha style presentations
to engage and inspire
conversation, followed by world
café conversations.
As a final stage to the
engagement process, All Our
Ideas -- an open sourced
platform developed by Princeton
University -- was used to allow
staff and community members
to rank between two randomly
selected actions, as well as
suggest new actions/initiatives
to be considered for the final
Action Plan. Almost 1,400
votes on over 60 actions were
collected and considered in
finalizing the plan.
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The Environmental Plan Update provides
recommendations in the following key action areas.
Air Quality
ENHANCE local air quality and MINIMIZE harmful air
pollutants
Page 6
Climate Change
MITIGATE the contributors of Climate Change and be
PROACTIVE in adaptation
Page 8
Energy
REDUCE energy consumption at Town facilities and
PROMOTE efficient energy management to the public
Page 10
Sustainable Planning
PLAN for sustainable communities and businesses
that ENHANCE the natural environment
Page 12
Greening Town Hall
COMMITMENT to environmental leadership and
WALKING the TALK
Page 14
Community Capacity
SUPPORT community groups and individuals to
FOSTER sustainable behaviour
Page 16
PROMOTE a local food and agriculture SYSTEM
Page 18
ENCOURAGE alternative transportation systems and
framework
Page 20
Food and Agriculture
Sustainable Transportation
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CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Using and Implementing
the Plans: Now What?
The Environmental Plan Update acts as a
guiding document for implementing environmental actions. Containing 30 + actions
Air Quality
within eight priority areas, progress on these
Transportation
actions will be continually tracked. With a
strong focus on staff and public education
and awareness, the Plan presents a “call to
action”.
A Note on Accountability and
Climate
Change
Energy
Transparency
The Town’s Energy and Environment Section
is responsible for developing, implementing
and ensuring performance in collaboration
with Town Staff. Two staff groups, the Staff
Greening
Town Hall
Sustainable
Planning
Environment Committee and a Corporate
Energy Management Team, have been established to assist. To demonstrate implementation and performance tracking, the Town
has committed to biannual reporting. If you
Community
Capacity
Food and
Agriculture
require any additional information on the Plan,
please visit www.caledon.ca/environment or
email Energy and Environment Staff at [email protected]
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Greening Town Hall
COMMITMENT to environmental leadership and WALKING the TALK
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The Town continually strives to ‘get its own house in order’
to lower its environmental impact and to inspire others to do
the same. These initiatives include tangible actions, such as
introducing a three-stream waste diversion program in the Town
café. Other actions focus on greening internal Town processes
and practices.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
Staff Carpooling: The Town became
a member of Smart Commute
Brampton Caledon in 2006. Since
that time, staff have embraced
carpooling as a commuting option.
As a result, three priority parking
spots were created and 234, 021
vehicle kms were avoided, resulting
in a reduction of 50.8 tonnes of GHG
emissions.
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Paper Use and Reduction: Since 2008, the Town has used
Canadian made paper with Forest Stewardship Council and
Eco Logo certification. Also, most printers are preprogrammed
for double sided printing and Council agendas and minutes are
primarily available on-line.
Drinking Water: The Town banned the sale of plastic
water bottles at Town Hall and installed water coolers that rely on
municipal tap water. This is equivalent to diverting 1,000 water
cooler jugs from the landfill annually. Caledon Day, Caledon’s
largest community event, also encourages tap water through the
ban of bottled water at vendor booths and by providing filtered
tap water.
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Greening Town Hall
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Environmental stewardship part
of goal setting and employee
performance review system
Embed environmental stewardship into
employee goal setting and goal setting and
performance review system. Work with Human
Resources to determine requirements.
High priority
(July 2014 – July 2015)
• Behaviour change
• Improved staff environmental awareness
• Accountability
• Corporate responsibility
• Demonstrated leadership in environmental stewardship
Waste reduction program
Expand waste diversion programs at Town
Hall to other facilities. Initiate a pilot at a large
recreation facility.
Medium priority
(July 2015 –July 2017)
• Reduced waste generation
• Demonstrated leadership in waste reduction
• Staff and community awareness and engagement
Bottle water ban
Ban bottled water in all Town facilities.
Medium priority
(July 2015 –July 2017)
• Reduced waste generation
• Demonstrated leadership in waste reduction
• Staff awareness and engagement
Greening Town events checklist
Develop a “green” checklist for Town staff to
complete when organizing an event within Town
facilities.
High priority
(July 2014 – July 2015)
• Demonstrated leadership in environmental stewardship
• Corporate responsibility
• Staff and community awareness
Green implications section on
Council Reports
Include a “green implications” section on
Council Reports.
High priority
(July 2014 – July 2015)
• Demonstrated leadership in environmental stewardship
• Corporate responsibility
• Staff and community awareness
Town Hall staff garden
Establish a working group of interested staff to
build a staff garden at Town Hall.
Medium priority
(July 2015 –July 2017)
• Staff engagement
• Staff appreciation
• Improved work environment
Paperless forms and pay-stubs
Transition away from paper forms to electronic
formats. (e.g. pay-stubs, agendas, procurement
forms, records, etc.).
High priority
(July 2014 – July 2015)
• Reduced paper waste
• Reduced cost
• Increased efficiency in staff time to process forms
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Air Quality:
IMPROVE local air quality and MINIMIZE harmful air pollutants
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
WHAT WE’VE DONE
Although the 2011 Ontario Ministry of Environment Report indicates
that air quality has improved significantly over the past 10 years, certain pollutants like ozone continue to be a problem. Concern about
the quality of air has been a long standing issue in Peel Region. According to the 2008 Region of Peel’s Discussion Paper on Air Quality,
there are numerous air quality related health impacts and the elderly
and young children are at greatest risk. There are also economic
impacts from increased health care costs and general environmental
impacts including soil and water quality, vegetation and impacts.
Air Quality Survey:
The Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change operates a
provincial monitoring system with two air monitors in Peel Region; both
of which are in Mississauga and Brampton. This monitoring system is
designed to monitor air quality over a large region and to identify trends
in air quality.
Consequently, a detailed community-wide picture of air quality in the
Town of Caledon is lacking and the drivers of poor air quality locally are
not well understood. As a result, in 2012 Peel Region implemented a
Peel wide air quality modeling program. This will provide data to help
understand and address sources of poor air quality and assist in the
assessment of planning and transportation issues.
The Region’s Program will help Caledon better understand its air quality, which is critical given the Town’s population growth projections and
high traffic volumes due to the nature of Caledon being a commuting
route.
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The Ministry of Environment conducted a “regional airshed characterization” survey in the summer of 2006 to determine if a provincial Air
Quality Station was warranted and to collect data on fine particulate
matter.
Smog and Idling:
The Town communicated the importance of ‘turning off vehicles’
through distributing anti-idling signs at Town Facilities, and local
schools. More recently (2014), Town Council passed an Idling Control
By-law.
Transportation:
Caledon’s Trails Master Plan was expanded to include cycling routes
and active transportation. The Town enjoys over 354 km of active
transportation routes. The Town also participated in the Region of
Peel’s Active Transportation Plan; a 20 year plan that highlights the infrastructure, policies, programs and networks to increase active transportation participation and infrastructure throughout the Region.
Tree Seedling Program:
Since 2003, the Town of Caledon and its residents have committed
to a tree seedling program to reduce air emissions and promote local
native tree diversity by offering 18 different tree species for landowners.
In 2014, the Town provided up to 10 free replacement tree seedlings
to Caledon property owners who were affected by the December 2013
ice storm.
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Air Quality:
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Fleet vehicle purchasing policy
Develop a “green fleet” policy for replacing
/ purchasing new fleet vehicles and for the
consideration of hybrid, electric, or “alternative”
fuelled vehicles.
Medium priority
• Reduced emissions and improved air quality
• Improved carbon footprint
• Demonstrated leadership in reducing GHG emissions
As part of the current green fleet initiatives,
implement a driver-training program for all staff
that drive Town vehicles (e.g. York Region’s fleet
fuel challenge, Shuttle Challenge).
Medium priority
Air quality monitoring
Support the Region of Peel’s air modelling and
monitoring program.
Ongoing
• More accurate understanding of local air quality
• Baseline understanding of air quality in the Region of Peel
Tree planting strategy
Work with applicable agencies (e.g. Region of
Peel and Credit Valley Conservation) to increase
the tree canopy in Caledon.
High priority
• Improved Town aesthetics
• Better air quality
• Increased tree canopy and variety of trees
Green fleet driver training
(July 2015 –July 2017)
(July 2015 –July 2017)
(July 2014 – July 2015)
• Reduced waste generation
• Demonstrated leadership in waste reduction
• Staff and community awareness and engagement
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Climate Change:
REDUCE climate change CONTRIBUTORS and be PROACTIVE in adaptation.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Climate change is defined as the change in the average or ‘normal’
weather conditions (i.e., changes in precipitation patterns, increase
in extreme weather events, heat waves, droughts, etc.) for a particular area over time. In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, the leading international body for the assessment of climate
change established by the United Nations, stated that the ‘warming
of the climate system is unequivocal’ and “Human influence on the
climate system is clear…[which is] evident from the increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere”
This means more frequent severe weather events such as the 2013
Toronto and area ice storm, the 2013 Calgary floods and the July
8th, 2013 flooding event in the GTA. Since municipalities are said to
have direct or indirect influence on 44% of the greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions in Canada (according to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities), municipalities must be proactive in responding to the local
impacts and threats of climate change.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
Partners for Climate Protection Program:
The Town has been a longtime supporter of taking action on climate
change as a Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) member for close
to 10 years. Caledon is joined by more than 204 municipalities across
Canada who have committed to climate change action through the
completion of a five milestone framework. Joining in 2003, the Town
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has since fulfilled milestones one through three -- conducting an extensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, setting short and long
term goals for GHG reduction, and producing the Community Climate
Change Plan.
Peel Climate Change Strategy:
The Town was an active and integral partner in the development of the
Peel Climate Change Strategy. The unique partnership is comprised
of the Region of Peel in collaboration with area municipalities (Caledon,
Brampton and Mississauga) and two Conservation Authorities (Toronto
Region Conservation and Credit Valley Conservation). The Strategy
consists of multiple mitigation (actions to reduce the magnitude of climate change effects) and adaption (actions to reduce vulnerability and
increase resilience to climate change impacts) actions.
Caledon Community Climate Change Plan:
This progressive and wide reaching Plan was created through the leadership of a Community Working Group. This Group comprised more
than 15 internal and external stakeholders and was key in developing a
series of proposed greenhouse gas reduction actions.
These actions are categorized in the following areas: transportation;
green development; energy; schools; agriculture; community awareness; tree planting and naturalization; waste and local food. This Plan
received a 2011 Credit Valley Conservation Award of Distinction and
was a finalist for the Ontario Power Authority Community Conservation
Award.
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Climate Change:
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Milestones for the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities Partners
for Climate Protection (PCP)
program
Address and complete remaining PCP milestone
commitments for both the Community and
Corporate sectors.
Ongoing
• Demonstrated leadership in climate change protection
• Public and corporate commitment to reducing GHG emissions
• Utilizing a recognized method to measure success
Caledon Community Climate
Change Action Plan
Ensure actions from the Climate Change Plan
are implemented and progress is tracked in line
with the PCP program and Peel Climate Change
Strategy.
Ongoing
• Accountability
• Alignment of Town goals and actions
• Reduction in GHG emissions
• Engagement of all sectors within Caledon
• Demonstrated leadership in climate change
Peel Climate Change Strategy
Town staff to work with Region of Peel and
partners on implementation of the Peel Climate
Change Strategy. Consider development of
a Town climate change adaptation plan or an
infrastructure vulnerability assessment.
Ongoing
• Demonstrated leadership in climate change
• Reduction in GHG emissions
• Improved carbon footprint
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Energy:
REDUCE energy consumption at Town facilities
and PROMOTE energy to the public.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
According to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, buildings
are the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions and energy
consumption in Canada.
At the provincial level, the Ministry of Energy established a 6 year
Conservation First framework starting January 2015. The framework
forecasts an ambitious energy conservation target equivalent to taking
more than 440, 000 homes off the grid by 2020 to stay on track with
Ontario’s Long Term Energy Plan.
The Province has also introduced public agency energy reporting
requirements through the Green Energy Act, 2009 Ontario Regulation
397/11. The Town has complied with this legislation through the 2014
Corporate Energy Management Plan update.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
Corporate Green Building Standard:
The Town mandated a Corporate Green Building Standard, requiring
all new facilities over 10, 000 sq ft to be built to LEED Silver. The
newly built OPP Facility in Caledon East recently received LEED Gold
certification.
LED Street Lighting Standard:
The Town mandated that all new developments or streetlight
replacements must be replaced with LEDs. The Town is also
considering LED streetlight retrofit options.
Updated Corporate Energy Management Plan:
Green Energy:
In conjunction with the Town’s updated Environmental Progress
Action Plan, an updated Corporate Energy Management Plan has
been developed to comply with the Green Energy Act 2009 Ontario
Regulation 397/11.
Three Solar Projects:
The Town has a history of purchasing green electricity. Currently, the
Town purchases 238MW of green electricity for the new LEED Gold
OPP facility.
The Town owns three solar projects through the Province’s micro-fit
program which help fund a corporate energy reserve fund.
Energy Efficiency Grants:
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The Bolton Community Improvement Plan offers grant opportunities to
support energy efficient retrofits.
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Energy:
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Community energy plan (CEP)
Investigate funding and grant options for the
development of an integrated Community
Energy Plan (e.g. the Municipal Energy Plan
funding)
Medium priority
•
•
•
•
•
•
Corporate energy management
plan (CEMP)
Ensure actions from the CEMP are implemented
and progress is tracked annually.
High priority
LED streetlight retrofit
Establish a streetlight baseline inventory,
and retrofit and replace existing Cobra style
streetlights with LEDs as appropriate.
Ongoing
(July 2015 –July 2017)
(July 2014 – July 2015)
Increased energy reliability
Improved energy security and cost control
Leadership in community energy management
Understanding of community energy footprint
Tool for improved community development and planning
Alignment of Town goals with OR Compliance with
Green Energy Act, 2009 Ontario Regulation 397/11
•Accountability
• Reduced energy consumption
• Alignment of Town goals and actions
• Alignment of Town goals with OR compliance with
Green Energy Act, 2009 Ontario Regulation 397/11
• Better understanding of streetlights and cost savings
• Energy savings (kWh)
• Cost savings (energy and maintenance)
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Sustainable Planning:
PLAN for sustainable communities that ENHANCE the natural environment
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Mayfield West Phase II Sustainability principles:
Planning sustainable communities can be crucial in controlling and reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and improving
air quality. For example, by planning walkable communities, with a variety of transportation choices (i.e. public transit, active transportation)
it may contribute to reducing emissions from transportation, one of the
highest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Caledon.
Council adopted sustainability principles for the Mayfield West Development to influence the planning process. There has been strong emphasis to ensure that this community promotes active transportation,
accessibility, integrated design process, and maximizes conservation
and innovation (i.e. water, waste and energy).
WHAT WE’VE DONE
This Guide was developed in early 2014 to provide staff guidance on
the planning, design, and subsequent development of eco-business
zones throughout the Town of Caledon. Eco Business Zones are areas
of employment or industrial activities that promote environmental
quality, economic vitality and social benefits. Characteristics of an ‘Eco
Business Zone’ include rain water management, sharing resources (i.e.
loading docks, or office supply orders from companies), choice in transit, shared/multi-use office spaces, building design (i.e. environmentally
friendly and energy efficient), etc.
Enhanced the Town and Region’s Official Plan:
In 2010, the Town ingrained sustainability principles into the Official
Plan. Some features of this include green development patterns and
sustainable community design, energy and water conservation, alternative and renewable energy generation, adaptive environmental
management and sustainability indicators.
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A Guide to Eco-Business Zone Planning and Development:
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Sustainable Planning:
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Community design
standards
Implement the sustainable residential planning
policies that were created for Mayfield West
Phase 2.
Low priority
• Greener communities
• Demonstrated leadership in sustainable community development
Sustainability checklist
for reviewing planning
applications
Finalize and implement a sustainability
checklist for reviewing planning applications.
Consider City of Brampton, Town of Richmond
Hill, and City of Vaughan collaborative work on
sustainability performance metrics.
Medium
District energy
Investigate opportunities for district energy in
new community developments.
Low priority
Low impact
development
Develop guidelines that require low-impact
development features for all existing and
new Town projects to manage storm-water
as close to its source as possible (see City
of Mississauga and Toronto and Region
Conservation and Credit Valley Conservation
low impact development guidelines).
Medium priority
Septic inspection
program
Develop a septic system re-inspection
program to ensure watershed and
groundwater protection.
Medium priority
(July 2017 – July 2019)
(July 2015 – July 2017)
(July 2017 – July 2019)
(July 2015 –July 2017)
(July 2015 –July 2017)
• Improved land use and community planning
• Greener developments
• Improved accountability of developers
• Reduced energy consumption
• Integrated design
• Demonstrated leadership in alternative energy sources
•
•
•
•
•
Improved water quality
Improved groundwater recharge
Restored aquatic habitat
Reduced number of flood events
Reduced inflow and infiltration into sanitary sewers
• Improved watershed and groundwater quality
• Reduced run-off and contamination
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Community Capacity:
SUPPORT community groups and individuals that FOSTER sustainable behaviour
WHY IT’S
IMPORTANT
The way people
live, work and play
all have significant
impacts on the
natural environment.
In Caledon, the
community has and
Region of Peel - Let your green show program
continues to play a
significant role in its greening efforts. Therefore, it is important for the
Town to continually find effective ways to empower residents, local
businesses and educators to embrace a culture of sustainability and
conservation. Community engagement, interaction and education are
the building blocks, followed by developing meaningful partnerships
and collaboration.
Although the Town has initially focused its “greening” efforts in the past
five years to leading by example, the Town has recognized the need
for strengthening community capacity. This has been achieved by the
following actions.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
Green Funds:
The Town established two annual funding programs to support
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community greening initiatives – the School Green Fund, and the
Community Green Fund. The Community Green Fund, created in
2006, has distributed more than $143,000 dollars that supported
32 community projects. The School Green Fund is fairly new and
has provided grants in 2012 and 2013 for various school “greening”
projects.
Caledon Environmental Advisory Committee:
Caledon has had an Environmental Advisory Committee for over 15
years. The Committee is a group of citizens that advise and assist
the Council and the citizens of the Town of Caledon in the protection,
enhancement, restoration, management and appreciation of our
common natural heritage and to ensure that our communities are
planned for environmental sustainability, health and respect for all life.
Earth Hour Initiatives:
The Town has a history of engaging the community with Earth
Hour events. In 2013 and 2014, the Town coordinated free movie
screenings of popular “green” movies that help educate the public
about environmental issues while having a call to action.
Community Climate Change Action Plan:
The Town established a Community Working Group comprised of 16
varied stakeholders to draft an action plan. The Town also held various
community engagement meetings and collected surveys to gain input
on the plan.
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Community Capacity:
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Biannual reporting
Develop a biannual report on the Town of
Caledon’s Energy and Environment progress.
High priority
• Information sharing
• Education of staff and public
• Improved communication about energy and the environment
Incorporate annual “green” themes into the
Community Green Fund to align with the Town’s
work plans and goals.
High priority
Community environmental
stewardship committee
Establish a community environmental
stewardship committee that plays a role in
assisting in developing work plans and projects.
Medium priority
Sustainable
neighbourhood
competition
Develop a sustainable neighbourhood
competition (i.e. City of Pickering), or a
Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan with
Toronto Region Conservation Authority.
Low priority
Community Green Fund
(July 2014 – July 2015)
(July 2014 – July 2015)
(July 2015 –July 2017)
(July 2017 – July 2019)
• Aligned community and Town goals
• Community engagement
• Increased number of green initiatives within the community
• Aligned community and Town goals
• Community engagement
• Fostering partnerships between the Town and the community
• Community engagement
• Increased number of green initiatives within the community
• Community awareness and behaviour change
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Sustainable Transportation:
ENCOURAGE alternative transportation systems and framework
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The Town of Caledon, a true community of
communities, is spread over 700 square
kilometres- the largest geographic area in Peel
Region. This, coupled with an extensive rural
presence, a lack of public transportation and
its nature as a ‘commuter community’ makes
it challenging for encouraging sustainable
transportation options.
Given that transportation has been identified as
the largest greenhouse gas emissions contributor,
it is important to provide the ‘ingredients’ for a
more sustainable, reliant transportation system
through public outreach and education. Sustainable transportation
‘infrastructure” is also critical, such as cycling lanes, trails and more
innovative technologies that support low emission transportation, like
electric vehicle charging stations.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations:
The Town recently installed two electric vehicle charging stations in
downtown Bolton, as part of a road and parking lot reconstruction
project. The Town’s Corporate Green Building Standard also states
that new facilities 10, 000 square feet and larger must have electric
vehicle plug in stations.
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Trails and Cycling:
The Town recognizes the importance of its extensive trail network
and cycling options as a means of active living and as a mode of
transportation. Boasting over 260 kilometres of publicly accessible
trails, the Town updated its Trails Master Plan to further “demonstrate
the Town’s ongoing commitment to addressing the needs of residents
and trail partners in establishing and maintaining a well-connected,
safe and environmentally sound trail network”.
A few recent trail and cycling initiatives include: increased bike parking
spaces at Recreation Facilities; approval for a multi-use trail plan linking
the community of Bolton to the Albion Hills Conservation Area; ongoing
construction of the Airport Road Caledon Trail crossing to improve
safety for users crossing regional roads, and offering a Bike Valet
Service at the 2014 Caledon Day and Bolton’s Midnight Madness.
Transportation Demand Management:
Town staff have and will continue to work closely with the Region
of Peel to implement their new Five-Year Transportation Demand
Management Plan. This Plan intends to help reduce the number of
vehicles on the road and encourage the use of active transportation
(biking and walking) and transit use where applicable. Determining
ways to successfully promote sustainable transportation within
residential neighbourhoods is an important component of the Plan.
CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Sustainable Transportation:
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Offsite work arrangement
Implement the off-site work arrangement
pilot program currently ongoing with Smart
Commute Brampton Caledon. Make HR policy
recommendation based on pilot.
Ongoing
• Increased staff productivity
Investigate further opportunities for electric
vehicle plug-in stations based on pilot stations in
downtown Bolton.
Low priority
• Reduction in GHG emissions
(July 2017 – July 2019)
• Demonstrated leadership in green fleet technologies
Expand on Smart commute Brampton Caledon
efforts as appropriate
Medium priority
• Reduction in GHG emissions
(July 2015 –July 2017)
• Reduction in individual car trips
Electric vehicle plug-ins
Smart Commute
Brampton Caledon
• Reduction in GHG emissions
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Food and Agriculture:
PROMOTE a local food and agriculture SYSTEM
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Promoting local food is a win-win for the environment and the
community. It significantly reduces transportation costs and the
associated greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants involved
in ‘moving’ food from farms to our plates. It supports the local
farming community and fosters partnerships between producers,
retailers and other value chain participants. It also creates local
jobs and promotes healthier lifestyles. For example, farmers’
market studies show that market customers consume more
fruits and vegetables and have increased physical activity levels.
Subsequently, most municipalities are including some variation
of sustainable food and agriculture within their environmental
strategic plans. In fact, according to “Municipal Food Policy
Entrepreneurs: A preliminary analysis of how Canadian cities
and regional districts are involved in food system change”, 64
local and regional municipalities across Canada are working
to improve the food system using a mix of municipal policies,
programs and civil-society interventions”.
WHAT WE’VE DONE
Caledon Farmers Market:
The Town of Caledon launched the Bolton
Farmers Market in 2009.
Community and School Green Fund:
The Town’s two annual funding programs have supported
numerous local food initiatives, including outdoor education
gardens and kitchen projects.
Staff Education Campaigns:
To recognize Earth Day, local food tastings and education
campaigns were coordinated to promote the importance of local
food and its connection as an environmental issue and benefit.
Community Climate Change Plan:
This Plan identified local food as a priority focus area.
Bolton Farmer’s Market
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CALEDON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS ACTION PLAN UPDATE
Food and Agriculture:
WHAT’S NEXT
Actions
Implementation Approach
Priority Level/time line
Anticipated Outcomes
Local food and farming
production and
distribution
Ensure actions from the “Agriculture” and “Local
Food and Farming Production and Distribution”
from the Caledon Community Climate Change
Plan are implemented and progress is tracked.
Low priority
•Accountability
(July 2017 – July 2019)
• Alignment of Town goals and actions
Community Gardens
Support the development of community gardens
where appropriate and explore a community
garden policy.
Medium priority
• Reduction in GHG emissions
(July 2015 –July 2017)
• Reduction in car trips
• Food security
• Local economic development
Local Food Charter
Consider the development of a local food
charter- a guiding document to assist in the
development of local food related policies and
programs and to ensure food security and a
sustainable food system.
Medium priority
• Reduction in GHG emissions
(July 2015 –July 2017)
• Reduction in car trips
• Food security
• Local economic development
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Notes:
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.caledon.ca T. 905.584.2272 | 1.888.225.3366 F.
| 905.584.4325
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