Ministry of Environment

Note: For the most up to date Community-scale Energy and GHG Modelling, please visit http://www.toolkit.bc.ca/tool/modelling

New on this page: highlights of The City of Victoria Climate Action Program

Community-scale Energy and GHG Modelling Tools: Informing Local Government Targets, Policies and Actions

The Province of BC and Smart Planning for Communities present the following six case studies and webcasts. Each case study describes a distinct community-scale energy and GHG modelling tool highlighting the recent experience of five local governments in British Columbia.

These six examples were chosen because they demonstrate how a diverse grouping of BC local governments have used community-scale energy and GHG modeling to help them to establish targets, policies and actions to reduce GHG emissions as required by the Local Government Act.　

Community-scale energy and GHG modeling allows local governments to assess the impact of projected land use changes on future energy use and GHG emissions. These case studies were created to inspire and assist other local governments in BC to determine the best way for their community to approach energy and emissions planning through the use of community-scale energy and GHG modelling tools.

Each case study includes a written and webcast* component. The written case study is a downloadable report that explores the tool in some depth. Webcasts are narrated by local governments that used the tool along with consultants who developed the tool.

Each case study outlines:

How the modelling tool works
How the modelling tool has been integrated in typical planning processes and used to set GHG reduction targets, policies and actions; and
Background information to encourage enquiries from any and all other local governments or consultants across B.C.

Get the Modelling Tool Series
Download case studies and webcasts from the table below:

Community	Tool Used	Purpose	Developer	Case Study	Webcast
Regional District of Central Kootenay	E2 Tool	CEEP, OCP, & RGS	Sheltair/Stantec	RDCK	PC Mac
City of Colwood	Numerical Model	CEEP	Jordan Fisher & Associates	Colwood	PC Mac
Fraser Valley Regional District	GHG Proof	OCP/RGS	Sustainability Solutions Group	FVRD	PC Mac
City of North Vancouver (part 1)	Carbon Neutral City	100 Year Sustainability Vision	UBC’s Design Centre for Sustainability	North Van(1)	PC Mac
City of North Vancouver (part 2)	Low Carbon Path	OCP/CEEP	HB Lanarc	North Van (2)	PC Mac
City of Prince George	SCEC3	OCP/ICSP	NRCAN	Prince George	PC Mac

CEEP: Community Energy and Emissions Plan
OCP: Official Community Plan
RGS: Regional Growth Strategy
ICSP: Integrated Community Sustainability Plan

The Province and other collaborative partners (NRCAN, UBC Design Centre for Sustainability, and UVic-based Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions) are working to support local government access to quality community–scale energy and GHG modelling tools. Please revisit this page for future updates.

The Province of BC and Smart Planning for Communities, a program of the Fraser Basin Council, would like to acknowledge the cooperation and contributions of those in Colwood, Prince George, North Vancouver City, Regional District of Central Kootenay, Fraser Valley Regional District, Jordan Fisher and Associates, Natural Resources Canada, UBC Design Centre for Sustainability, HB Lanarc, Stantec, and Sustainability Solutions Group in preparing these case studies and webcasts.

*Webcasts are compatible with a Windows PC environment. If you do not have access to a PC please contact us to request an alternative viewing platform: info@toolkit.bc.ca.

Contact: Ted Sheldon
Ted.Sheldon@gov.bc.ca
250-387-1359

City of Victoria Climate Action Program

We are excited to highlight the work that City of Victoria Staff has undertaken along with HB Lanarc. The Energy and Emissions Baseline Mapping Report (linked below) is a great example of how local governments can use the CEEI data as a baseline for more detailed analyses.

In May, 2010, the City of Victoria committed to a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the community by 33 per cent by 2020, based on 2007 levels, matching those set by the Capital Regional District and the Province of BC. Over the next two years, Victoria's Climate Action Program will coordinate the development of two plans:

The Climate and Energy Resiliency Plan for the Community
The Carbon Neutral Plan for the Municipal Corporation

In an effort to lead by example and to motivate others toward climate action, the City has committed to being carbon neutral in its municipal operations by 2012.