2023 budget boosts City’s ability to fight climate change

Hamilton, ON - The City is doubling the capacity of its Office of Climate Change Initiatives and is committing $2.5 million in annual funding toward green initiatives.

The City's Office of Climate Change Initiatives was established in November 2022 and will see its complement expanded to four in 2023 with the addition of two project managers dedicated to implementing initiatives in the City's Climate Action Strategy, approved in August 2022.

Full implementation of the Climate Action Strategy will bring many direct financial and economic benefits to the City, including new jobs, a positive return on investment, and reduced household and business energy costs.  In addition, most elements of the strategy bring benefits beyond the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions including human health benefits and general improvements to quality of life for all Hamiltonians. 

The Office's work will be supported by the annual funding of $2.5 million to the Climate Change Reserve to support project implementation. The Office can use the reserve for a variety of projects, including:

• Preventative measures that enable effective recovery from extreme weather events or other climate-related events
• Major adaptation and resiliency initiatives where support from other levels of government does not cover total project costs
• Support for one-time community-led climate change actions, with priority given to projects that can benefit equity-seeking groups, including Indigenous Peoples, racialized communities, LGBTQ2+ groups, women, youth, persons with disabilities, immigrants, and other minority populations.
• Additional support for funding opportunities participated in by senior orders of government or community groups.

In 2023, the Office of Climate Change Initiatives will focus on five key areas, including climate change governance and innovation initiatives that may benefit from the climate change reserve, community outreach, carbon budgeting, and the greening of buildings and other urban areas. Additionally, the City's climate change team will assist in establishing a community climate advisory committee and launch a home energy retrofit pilot program.

The 2023 initiatives will build on past action taken by the City, including the development of a Community Energy and Emissions Plan, the development of co-generation plants at the City landfill, the ongoing greening of the City’s vehicle fleet, and the electrification of major city equipment, including ice resurfacers, sidewalk sweepers and a variety of City equipment.