Municipal Climate Action

In 2023, the City of Peterborough launched its Source Separated Organics program to divert food waste from the landfill to the newly constructed Peterborough Organics Facility. Collecting residential food waste is estimated to lower GHG emissions created during the decomposition process by 4,700 metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030. Restaurants and multi-unit residential buildings are slated to join the composting program in 2026 and 2027. 

The City of Peterborough is converting its existing light-duty fleet vehicles to low-carbon vehicles, such as battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). The transition of fleet light-duty vehicles from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles (EVs) has the potential to lower corporate GHG emissions by 150 metric tons of CO2 by 2030. To support the shift, the City has installed multiple EV charging stations at six municipal facilities:

• 16 level-2 charging stations installed in 2022
• 7 level-2 charging stations installed in 2026

As of 2026, the City has several low-carbon light-duty vehicles in its fleet:

• 6 PHEVs
• 1 eVan
• 2 EVs

The City will continue to replace existing vehicles with low-carbon vehicles at the time of vehicle renewal.

The City of Peterborough replaced the Carnegie Fire Station with a net-zero fire station in 2024. The new fire station incorporates the following mitigation and adaptation features into its design:

• Ground-source heat pump
• Rooftop solar panels (96 kW)
• Heat recovery systems
• Rainwater collection
• Mass timber construction materials

The use of mass timber, which is laminated wood, to replace steel and concrete structural components significantly reduced the embodied carbon in the manufacturing and construction phase. The interior wall finishes also used reclaimed wood from the decommissioned Northcrest Arena.

The City is seeking certification of the facility as a Zero-Carbon Building Design and LEED v4 Gold by the Canada Green Building Council.  

In 2019, the municipality completed a significant mitigation project that upgraded 7,205 streetlights with light-emitting diode (LED) light fixtures to improve energy efficiency, reduce electricity costs, and decrease GHG emissions. The LED conversion increased energy efficiency by lowering electricity consumption by 52 percent. The decline in electricity usage resulted in an annual decrease in GHG emissions of 224 metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2024 compared with the 2011 baseline. 

In 2025, 11 of the most energy-intensive municipal facilities completed decarbonization modelling to understand the mitigation measures needed to reduce building emissions by 50 percent and 80 percent. Facilities modelled included:

• City Hall
• Art Gallery 
• Kinsmen Arena
• Healthy Planet Arena
• Memorial Centre
• Sports and Wellness Centre
• Simcoe Transit Terminal
• Airport Terminal
• Municipal Operations Centre
• 500 Water St Police Station
• 1421 Lansdowne St W Police Station

Capital and operational costs were modelled as well, which will help budget the renovations in a stepwise approach to lowering emissions over time. An estimated 700 metric tons of CO2 equivalent is anticipated to be reduced by 2030 from these buildings after retrofits are completed.  

The City of Peterborough investigated the implications of converting its fleet away from internal combustion engines to low-carbon fuel sources to decrease corporate vehicle GHG emissions. Engine types evaluated included:

• Battery-electric
• Hybrid-diesel
• Hydrogen fuel cell
• Natural gas 

In 2026, the Alternative Fuel Study for Transit Vehicles was completed, which proposed transitioning to battery-electric and hybrid-diesel buses as replacement options for diesel buses at the time of renewal. Recommendations also included making the soon-to-be-constructed Transit Garage electric-vehicle ready.

The Alternative Fuel Study for Non-Transit Vehicles is nearing completion and will provide recommendations as to how the remaining fleet vehicles are to be converted before 2050. 

The City of Peterborough is seeking to substantially reduce municipal building emissions by constructing facilities that are built and operated with fewer sources of GHG emissions. In 2026, the City kicked off the development of a Corporate Green Building Policy that will provide guidance on what mitigation, environmental, and resiliency measures are to be included in the final design of new construction. 

The City of Peterborough strives to create engaging community events that educate residents on climate change, environmental, and sustainability topics. Past events include the following:

• Environmental and Climate Action Expo
• City Nature Challenge
• Great Canadian Bio-Blitz
• Home Energy and Electric Vehicle Expo 

The City will continue to pursue community outreach events to engage residents in environmental and climate action.

During the 2020 City Budget deliberations, City Council approved the creation of the Climate Change Reserve (CCR). The CCR raises $426,400 per year and is directed toward exclusive climate action projects and programs. The CCR has been used to fund the following corporate climate projects:

• Alternative Fuel Study for Transit and Non-Transit Vehicles
• Electric vehicle charging stations
• Building decarbonization modelling
• Net-zero fire hall

In 2022, the CCR was aligned with the Consumer Price Index to adjust to the annual rate per year. 

To improve climate action transparency, city staff report on climate mitigation and adaptation progress to multiple governing and third-party bodies, which include:

• City Council
• Peterborough Environmental Advisory Committee
• Ministry of Energy and Mines
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities 
• Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

The annual budget cycle requires identifying whether proposed budget items have considered the impacts on mitigation or adaptability goals.

The City of Peterborough has numerous staff positions that are directly responsible for developing projects or programs that tackle mitigation or adaptation. The following are climate change staff positions: 

• A full-time Climate Change Project Manager position to manage climate action projects, apply for external funding to amplify the magnitude and reach of climate action projects, and conduct GHG accounting of corporate and community sources to evaluate impact
• A full-time Watershed Senior Manager role to improve the resiliency of Peterborough against flooding, such as spearheading flood mapping and watershed projects, and climate resiliency initiatives
• Multiple staff positions within the City are vital to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts and include, but are not limited to, Urban Forestry, Stormwater and Water Resources, Asset Management, Engineering and Construction, Planning, Waste Diversion, Transportation Planning, Public Works, Facilities Management, and Capital Projects staff.

• 2021 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2020 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2019 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2018 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2017 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2016 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2015 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2014 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2013 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2012 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report
• 2011 Corporate Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report