LETTER: City's greenhouse gas reductions a drop in the bucket

SooToday received the following open letter from the Sault Climate Hub addressed to the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Mayor Shoemaker and Council regarding the City of Sault Ste. Marie greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory update of Jan. 30:

Dear Mayor Shoemaker and Council:

As members of the Sault Climate Hub we have reviewed the Inventory Update, pages 107 to 203 in the Jan. 30 agenda.

While we do congratulate the City for its leadership in compiling this very thorough Inventory, the data reveal that the City is not on track to meet even its modest corporate GHG reduction target of 10% by 2030.

Although we credit the City for undertaking important energy retrofits, we note that the emissions reductions from retrofit projects (p. 197) amount to a "puddle in a veritable sea".

The Sault Climate Hub and its supporters insist that the Climate Crisis demands a more fundamental change in current practice.

The City needs to come up with a revised plan for significant GHG reductions in the near term, as well as over the longer term.

Regardless of the success of the city’s FCM Green Municipal Fund application for energy audits (p. 121), the city should fund and move ahead with audits and projects to increase building energy efficiencies and reduce GHG emissions.

The City needs to invest money up front to get a reduction in emissions and operating costs in the future. The first steps should include:

• The John Rhodes complex is a significant portion of City emissions (p. 140). That complex also has a large open space surrounding it. A ground source heat pump system can greatly reduce carbon emissions and should be evaluated.
• The city must invest in electric vehicles. Converting the fleet of City buses and garbage trucks to electric vehicles would result in a large reduction in GHG emissions because of their greater efficiency for stop and start transportation.
• The city needs to establish a municipal green bin and composting program. This reduces the amount of material going to the landfill and may be eligible for Canada Greenhouse Gas Offset credits.

The SCH is pleased to offer any assistance. We can provide research connections and can mobilize the support of citizens to spearhead climate mitigation projects and initiatives.

We look forward to working with you to make Sault Ste. Marie a better, more livable place now and for our future generations.

Sincerely,
Sault Climate Hub