Burlington councillors stay committed to going net carbon zero by 2050

Burlington | Halton | Community | Latest News |

By

Published September 21, 2022 at 12:27 pm

Burlington councillors continue to make long term plans towards becoming a net carbon zero community by 2050.

At yesterday’s council meeting, City staff presented the Electric Mobility Strategy which directly supports the City’s Climate Action Plan.

The Electric Mobility Strategy will support and encourage the use of electric mobility options. These options include electric vehicles (EV), electric bikes, and electric (stand-up kick) scooters in the community through the implementation of four key action areas:

  • Charging Infrastructure and Grid Capacity: Growing residential and workplace charging capacity and expanding public charging opportunities, while working to ensure the electricity grid can support increased electric mobility uptake.
  • City Leadership: Leading by example through fleet electrification and advocating to other levels of government to implement policies that support electric mobility options.
  • Education and Awareness: Providing opportunities and resources for the community to learn about EVs and other electric mobility options, in addition to electric charging technology.
  • Equity and Accessibility: Working with community partners to ensure equitable access to charging stations.

“The Electric Mobility Strategy will become more important as the technology and access to electric vehicles grows. Switching personal use vehicles to electric is one of the major opportunities for greenhouse gas reductions in Burlington,” said Allan Magi, executive director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services.

“The transportation sector currently represents more than 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Burlington, signalling a strong need to speed up the shift to sustainable modes of transportation to reduce the city’s overall emissions profile.”

Next steps include working with the Climate Action Plan Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee to determine the resources needed to implement the plan over a five-year period.

The City of Burlington partnered with BurlingtonGreen to conduct a comprehensive, inclusive, strategic engagement and research process over an eight-month period. This included gathering and reviewing local insights, forecast trends, and best practices to inform the development of the electric mobility strategy for Burlington.

“BurlingtonGreen was proud to prepare the first community-based Electric Mobility Strategy in partnership with the City of Burlington. This project builds on the knowledge and experience we have gained through our Make the Switch program, working with residents and businesses to reduce our use of fossil fuels with a goal to become a net carbon neutral community,” said Amy Schnurr, executive director of BurlingtonGreen

“Broad community engagement was important to us so we could understand barriers and work with stakeholders to develop actions to accelerate electric mobility. BurlingtonGreen looks forward to supporting the implementation of the strategy.”

According to staff, community input included an online survey with 665 responses, stakeholder engagement with 39 different organizations and a Plug’n Drive event with 203 appointments and 362 EV test drives.

For more information on the Electric Mobility Strategy, visit here.

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising