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CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
March 15, 2005 | |
Author: |
Carolyn Drugge | |
Phone No.: |
604-871-6543 | |
RTS No.: |
4995 | |
CC File No.: |
3501 | |
Meeting Date: |
March 29, 2004 |
TO: |
Vancouver City Council |
FROM: |
Sustainability Group |
SUBJECT: |
Corporate Climate Change Action Plan - 2004 Annual Report |
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT City Council receive the appended Corporate Climate Change Action Plan - 2004 Annual Report for information.
B. THAT Council approve the creation of a permanent fleet engineer (CE1) position in Equipment Management, subject to review and classification by the General Manager of Human Resources, to assist the further implementation and development of the action items set out in the CCAP related to improving the corporate fleet. Annual cost of this position including benefits is $78,000 plus a one time cost of $5000 for computers and software. Funding for the balance of 2005, estimated at $57,000, to be recovered through rental rates on City vehicles and equipment.
COUNCIL POLICY
On October 16, 1990, Council approved in principle Clouds of Change Recommendation #1 to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% as part of the actions to address global climate change issues, subject to future reports on costs and trade-offs involved in achieving the objectives and targets.
In 1995, Vancouver joined the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' "20% Club", which became the Partners for Climate Protection Program in 1998.
On April 23, 2002, Council adopted a Definition and Principles of Sustainability to guide, prioritize, and improve the sustainability of City actions and operations.
On May 2, 2002, Council unanimously carried the motion, proposed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to support the Canadian Government's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.
On March 25, 2003, Council approved an emissions reduction target of 20% from 1990 levels for the corporation of the City of Vancouver, subject to evaluation of the implications of the target to ensure it is realistic. On this same date, Council created the Cool Vancouver Task Force and requested that it report back with a report on the components of a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Action Plan for both the corporation and the community.
On December 2, 2003 Council adopted the Corporate Climate Change Action Plan as recommended by the Cool Vancouver Task Force.
PURPOSE
This report is submitted to Council as an update on the progress being made toward achieving the goals of the Corporate Climate Change Action Plan, and to secure approval and funding for the addition of one staff in the Equipment Services branch to coordinate and advance the initiatives related to our corporate fleet as outlined in the plan.
DISCUSSION
The Corporate Climate Change Action Plan outlines the path for the City of Vancouver as a corporation to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2010. By adopting this plan Vancouver City Council has positioned Vancouver to not only lead other municipalities in the region and across Canada, but also to serve as a model for other corporations, institutions, and the people of Vancouver as we launch the Community Climate Change Action Plan.
Having set such an ambitious goal, Vancouver has signaled the importance of taking immediate and aggressive actions. The appended annual report outlines the actions already started, completed, as well as those yet to be tackled.
By focusing the majority of efforts on improving civic facilities and our corporate fleet, major reductions of greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved while incurring small capital costs which, for the most part, will be fully recovered over time. The amount of work is significant and while internal capacity is being built with existing staff, additional resources are required to ensure the plan's success.
The Equipment Services branch as been making significant progress towards building a sustainable fleet. However, continuing operational demands on the technical staff in the branch are preventing the branch's ability to devote resources to meeting our sustainability goals. Many of the initiatives yet to be undertaken will require significant technical and engineering staff resources from Equipment Services.
When the Corporate Plan was originally developed, it was expected that additional staff resources would likely be required for the fleet. At that time a staffing request for an additional engineer in Equipment Services was postponed. An additional engineering position is now requested for the Equipment Management section of Equipment Services in order to assist in further analyzing and implementing the Corporate Climate Change Action Plan and other branch initiatives. Without an extra position, it will be difficult for Equipment Services to help the City attain our climate change reduction goals.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The additional fleet engineer position will have an annual cost to the Equipment Management budget of $78,000 plus a one-time cost of $5,000 for computer and set up. The funding requirement for the remainder of 2005 is estimated at $57,000. Many of the operational and vehicle changes outlined in the fleet section of the City's Corporate Climate Change plan will result in overall cost savings to all departments over the long term, and these savings have the potential to offset this additional staff cost.
CONCLUSION
Implementation of the Corporate Climate Change Action Plan is well underway. The appended annual report details the progress being made on reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from corporate operations. While internal capacity is being built, additional resources in the Equipment Services branch are required to ensure that the goals centred on creating a sustainable fleet can be achieved.
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