Following the adoption of the Greener Collingwood Corporate Climate Change Action Plan by Council on April 17, 2023, Collingwood has received recognition for the successful completion of Corporate Milestone 2 and Corporate Milestone 3 of the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program.
In October 2019, Collingwood declared a Climate Crisis and joined the PCP Program to guide the municipality through the creation and implementation of Local Climate Action Plans, with the intention of implementing lasting and environmentally sustainable changes.
Corporate Milestone 1 of the PCP program highlighted that in 2019, the Town of Collingwood produced 3,370 tonnes of CO2 equivalents (tCO2e) in 2019, and in a business-as-usual scenario, emissions are expected to reach 4,422 tCO2e by 2030. Milestones 2 and 3 require municipalities to set Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) reduction targets and create a Local Climate Action Plan. The Town completed Milestones 2 and 3 concurrently which resulted in the development and adoption of the Greener Collingwood Corporate Climate Change Action Plan. The Greener Collingwood Plan outlines nineteen corporate actions for the
Town to achieve the following visions:
- Integrate climate change and sustainability into the Town’s corporate culture,
- Reduce GHGs by a minimum of 30% below 2019 levels by 2030, and
- Become a corporate and municipal leader in sustainability initiatives and GHG reduction measures in the region.
Under the Plan, Corporate Actions are outlined under the categories of:
- Buildings & Facilities (Goal: Reduce building emissions by 50% in 10 years and 80% in 20 years)
- Transportation & Fleet (Goal: Reduce light-duty and heavy-duty fleet emissions by 30% by 2030)
- Waste (Goal: Reduce waste (and associated emissions) by 20% by 2030)
- Environment & Biodiversity (Goal: Enhance and protect Collingwood’s natural environment)
- Behaviour and Culture Change (Goal: Integrate climate change and sustainability into the Town’s corporate culture)
The Town of Collingwood will continue to progress through the five Corporate Milestones of the PCP program between now and 2030.
In addition to the Corporate Milestones, the Town has received recognition for the successful completion of Community Milestone 1, which identified that all GHG emissions produced within Town boundaries from residents, tourism, and businesses was estimated to be 207,218 tCO2e in 2019.
“I am extremely proud of Collingwood for the headway we are making to reduce our climate footprint now and, in the future,” says Mayor Yvonne Hamlin. “I look forward to hearing from the community on what kind of changes we can make together through the development of the Community Climate Action Plan.” Development of the Community Climate Action Plan will commence shortly.
Visit the Town booth at the Collingwood Downtown Farmer’s Market on July 8th and at Sidelaunch Days on August 12th and 13th to speak with members of Council and the Town’s Climate Change Specialist, Nicole Yardy.
For more information on climate action in Collingwood or to access the full Corporate plan, please visit: www.collingwood.ca/greener-collingwood.
About Collingwood
The Town of Collingwood is a progressive community located in the heart of a four-season recreation area on the southern shore of Georgian Bay. The area is well known for its many natural amenities and its rich heritage. Collingwood is a destination for tourism and many business, sporting, and cultural events Collingwood acts as gateway to the South Georgian Bay region, with stunning landscapes that encourage an active lifestyle, and inspire the local arts and culture community. Downtown Collingwood might just surprise you with 30 plus restaurants, 60 plus boutique shops, spas for relaxing, live music for grooving…all in the only downtown core recognized in Canada’s Registrar of Historic Places! More recently, the harbourfront area is emerging as an extension to the downtown district. Plans for expanding the amenities and events in the harbourfront area promise to make this a much more prominent tourism destination.