Greenhouse gas emissions open house planned for March 4

A community open house will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 in the Plummer Room at the Civic Centre (3rd Floor, 99 Foster Drive) from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. as part of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventory report. The community’s GHG emissions inventory was presented to Council at its February 24, 2020 meeting. The inventory outlines next steps for the development of GHG targets, a reduction plan and provides an overview of the planned 2020 stakeholder engagement initiatives.

“The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory is an important starting point to understand how and where community GHG emissions come from,” said Emily Cormier, Climate Change Coordinator with FutureSSM. “It can also be used as a measurement metric for understanding community progress with regards to GHG emissions reduction. Sault Ste. Marie’s community GHG emissions inventory provides an overview of GHGs produced within the community, both by residents in their homes and by local businesses and institutions as they carry out their operations.”  

The City’s FutureSSM team worked with local energy distributors, municipal staff and external agencies to collect aggregate community emission metrics and provincial averages.  With the completion of the report and the creation of a baseline emissions inventory and forecast, Milestones 2 and 3 of the Partners for Climate Protection program can proceed. Over the next year, FutureSSM will work with the community to develop GHG targets and a GHG reduction plan. A series of stakeholder consultations including an open house and one-on-one presentations with stakeholders are planned as part of the process. Feedback can also be provided through the GHG reduction plan online survey. 

For more information and to stay informed, check out the Green House Gas Reduction Plan, or contact [email protected]. All are welcome to attend the open house and share questions and comments with City staff.