City of Hamilton continues climate action in wake of COVID-19

HAMILTON, ON - The City of Hamilton continues to prioritize climate action and sustainability throughout 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yesterday the General Issues Committee heard an update on the City’s SMART Corporate Goals and Areas of Focus for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and response the City of Hamilton remains committed to improving its energy efficiency, decarbonizing by reducing GHG emissions and increasing its resiliency to the impacts of climate change.

This work builds on the strong foundation laid by City Council’s Climate Change Emergency Declaration and initiation of the Corporate Climate Change Task Force in 2019. This foundation and culture shift ensured that climate change is understood as a collective corporate responsibility and that a climate change lens is incorporated into routine work across all City departments.

Key climate and sustainability actions in 2020

In 2020 capital investments with positive contribution to the City’s climate action goals equaled $202.4 million. This includes investments in transit, new high performance buildings/energy efficiency, municipal building energy retrofits, park development, and tree planting.

Capital Investments

• Shoreline protection and waterfront elevation project to improve the Waterfront Trail.
• Flamborough Park wetland restoration project.
• Westmount Solar Thermal Pilot Project to reduce Natural Gas consumption.
• Constructed 675m trail and 11 km of new bike lanes to improve active transportation options and reduce the need for single-occupancy vehicles
• Planted 6,500 large caliper trees, and 4,800 bare root seedlings as part of the provincial 50 million tree program, to remove carbon from the atmosphere
• Purchased 2 all Electric Kia Souls and a zero-emission litter picker. Installation of two electric vehicle charging stations with more to come to support Electric Vehicle purchases in the community. 

Policy and Planning

Central to environmental sustainability and climate resiliency is changing how we work and conduct City business, and understanding how municipal policy can have a positive impact on the corporation and in the community.

• Working towards a Green Fleet Vehicle policy.
• Drafting key development requirements for new development to consider energy and environmental performance.
• Update site plan and engineering guidelines to include climate mitigation and adaptation best practices.
• Meteorological data collection to inform infrastructure planning.
• Community Energy Plan to identify a pathway to achieve decarbonization in line with City and national targets and timelines.

Additional Resources

• Learn about the City’s Updated Timelines, SMART Corporate Goals and Areas of Focus for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation 
• Learn about the City’s Community Energy Plan