The City of Peterborough is committed to developing meaningful climate action projects and programs that mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originating from corporate sources. The municipality generates GHG emissions during the operation of its corporate assets that are in the service of the community. Corporate GHG emission sources include all municipal buildings (i.e. City Hall), streetlights, other streetlighting (i.e. parking lot and park lighting), fleet vehicles (i.e. fire trucks), the landfill, and the wastewater treatment plant. A review of corporate assets determined that the landfill was the largest source of GHG emissions, estimated to have emitted 7,643 metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2021.
Sector | Emission Source | 2011 GHG (tCO2e) | 2018 GHG (tCO2e) | 2019 GHG (tCO2e) | 2020 GHG (tCO2e) | 2021 GHG (tCO2e) | Change (2011 to 2021) |
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Fleet | Gasoline & Diesel | 5,905 | 7,128 | 6,704 | 6,535 | 7,172 | +21% |
Waste | Anaerobic Methane Gas | 10,223 | 7,232 | 7,620 | 7,470 | 7,643 | -25% |
Buildings | Electricity & Natural Gas | 4,747 | 3,384 | 3,402 | 3,258 | 3,305 | -30% |
Wastewater | Electricity & Natural Gas | 1,054 | 518 | 524 | 431 | 492 | -53% |
Pumping Stations | Electricity & Natural Gas | 31 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | -39% |
Streetlights | Electricity | 531 | 172 | 87 | 64 | 60 | -89% |
Other Lighting | Electricity | - | 12 | 12 | 8 | 7 | - |
Non-Fleet Vehicles | Gasoline & Diesel | 437 | 403 | 426 | 316 | 151 | -65% |
In 2016, the Corporate Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) was developed as a guiding document to facilitate the abatement of corporate emissions. The CCAP targeted a 30% GHG emission reduction below 2011 baseline levels by 2031. In 2019, City Council declared a Climate Emergency that upgraded the corporate GHG emission target to 45% by 2030 from 2011 levels and net-zero emissions by 2050. The declaration directed city staff to accelerate the development of climate action projects that will achieve significant reductions.
The City of Peterborough is committed to achieving the enhanced reduction goal and is investing to mitigate GHG emissions through dedicated climate action projects. The following are planned or completed actions at city-owned facilities and assets that will support meeting the 45% reduction goal.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations |
In 2022, the City of Peterborough installed eight level-2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at four municipal facilities. The stations have a total of 16 charging ports available for refueling city-owned vehicles. The installation of the EV stations is the first phase in the transition of the corporate fleet to zero-emission vehicles. The conversion of the light-duty fleet has the potential to lower GHG emissions by hundreds of metric tons of CO2 by 2030. |
LED Streetlight Conversion |
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 of GHG emissions by 83 metric tons of CO2 equivalent from 2018 levels. |
Municipal Buildings Energy Efficiency Renovations |
Energy renovation were completed across multiple corporate facilities to lower energy consumption, increase building energy efficiency, and curtail emissions. The following are examples of key energy efficiency renovations that have occurred since 2011.
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Decarbonization Modelling of Municipal Buildings |
In 2023, nine of the most energy intensive municipal facilities were selected to have energy models completed to determine which mitigation measures should be deployed to reduce GHG emissions by 50 percent in ten years and 80 percent in 20 years. The investigation includes all arenas, PSWC, City Hall, airport and bus terminals, public works, and the art gallery. Once the modelling is completed, the City will be able to budget renovations accordingly to lower emissions in a stepwise approach. |
Construction of Net-Zero Fire Hall |
The ageing Carnegie Fire Station is scheduled for decommissioning and replacement. The City of Peterborough has taken proactive measures and has submitted an application to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Capital Project New Construction Energy Efficient Facilities program. If successful, the municipality will be able to receive funding and establish a loan agreement to construct a net-zero fire station. The fire station is currently in the early design stage receiving stakeholder input. The location for the new fire station will be built on the site of the former Northcrest Arena. At present, the Carnegie Fire Station contributes to 20 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year. |
Alternate Fuel Study for Transit |
The Alternative Fuel Study for Transit project will explore various approaches to reducing GHG emissions from transit vehicles. The Study will make recommendations to City Council for considerations for an approved direction forward such as planning for a new transit garage facility. |
Transportation Projects |
Multiple transportation planning projects are being pursued which will help set important planning direction, many of which aim to target increasing mode share of active transportation and transit alternatives. These planning projects include: |
Active Travel Projects |
Improving access for cyclists to commute throughout Peterborough is an excellent way to lower community GHG emissions by decreasing the number of vehicle trips. Since 2011, the cycling network has been expanded and contains 76 km of dedicated bike lanes and trails. New bike lanes are being planned for Crawford Trail, George Street, Lansdowne Street, and Parkhill Road. The Cycling Master Plan is currently being developed that is the long-term strategic plan that will instruct cycling targets, route selection, bike infrastructure, and capital funding to 2041. |
Creation of Municipal Climate Change Reserve |
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 for exclusive climate action projects and programs. Presently, the CCR has funded the following climate projects:
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Climate Change Reporting |
To improve climate action transparency, city staff report on climate mitigation and adaptation progress to multiple governing and third-party bodies. Climate action reports are issued to City Council, the corporate leadership team, provincial ministries, Peterborough Environmental Advisory Committee, and various third-parties such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Additionally, the annual budget cycle requires identifying if each proposed budget item has considered its impact on mitigation or adaptability. |
Climate Change Staff Positions |
The City of Peterborough has numerous staff positions that are directly responsible in developing projects or programs that tackle mitigation or adaptation. The following are climate change staff positions:
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Sustainability and Climate Change Events |
The City of Peterborough strives to create engaging community events that educate residents on climate change, environmental, and sustainability topics. A past event includes the Peterborough Environmental and Climate Action Expo (EnviroX) that showcased climate action initiatives and projects spearheaded by the City of Peterborough and community partners. Many more community events are planned to engage residents in environmental and climate action. |
Greenhouse gas emissions from City-owned facilities are calculated by using monthly utility bills multiplied with an emission factor for each energy product (electricity, natural gas, etc.), which is provided by the Province of Ontario. For example, the emission factor for electricity is based on the power grid's mix of energy generation and as this composition changes so does the amount of GHGs linked to electricity generation. City staff can then track and project how changes in facility energy use will impact GHG emissions.
The City of Peterborough submits annual corporate GHG emissions to the Province of Ontario as part of the Broader Public Sector reporting mechanism. Corporate assets that are reported include all municipal buildings that are heated or cooled, buildings in the service of transporting or treating sewage, and streetlights. The annual reporting improves the transparency of energy used by corporate operations in the service of the community.
Since 2019, the City of Peterborough has been reporting its mitigation and adaptation efforts annually to CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, to benchmark municipal performance against peer cities. Each annual disclosure is extensive in the breadth of questions and document submissions which CDP evaluates and computes into an overall score. The City strives to improve its yearly score by developing new programs and policies and disclosing previous and current climate initiatives. The following is a list of past annual scores:
2019 Score |
In the inaugural submission to CDP, Peterborough received an overall evaluation rating of Awareness level. Compared to peer North American municipalities, Peterborough's Awareness rating ranked in the majority and slightly above average compared to the global municipal average. Peterborough received a final Adaptation score of C and Mitigation score of C. The City submitted documentation on its commitment to Mitigation & Adaptation, GHG Emission Inventories, and GHG Emission Reduction Target. |
2020 Score |
The City improved its overall annual score by achieving Management level through disclosing more information to CDP. Peterborough ranked above average when compared to peer North American and global municipalities. The City received a final Adaptation score of C (Awareness) and Mitigation score of A- (Leadership). Disclosed items included City-wide GHG Emission Inventory, GHG Emission Reduction Target, Mitigation Plan, and Risk & Vulnerability Assessment. |
2021 Score |
Peterborough maintained its overall score of Management level in 2021. The City ranked slightly above average when compared to its peer North American municipalities and above average against its global counterparts. Peterborough again received a final Adaptation score of C (Awareness) and Mitigation score of A- (Leadership). Disclosed items included City-wide GHG Emission Inventory, GHG Emission Reduction Target, Mitigation Plan, and Risk & Vulnerability Assessment. |
2022 Score |
In 2022, the City retained its Management level score. Compared to peer North American municipalities, Peterborough ranked average and above average to global municipalities. Peterborough improved its Adaptation score to B (Management) but its Mitigation score declined to B (Management) due to CDP restructuring its mitigation evaluation criteria. The City disclosure included City-wide GHG Emission Inventory, GHG Emission Reduction Target, Mitigation Plan, Risk & Vulnerability Assessment, and Adaptation Plan. |
2023 Score |
In 2023, the City achieved Leadership level score for the first time. Compared to peer North American and global municipalities, Peterborough ranked above average in reporting criteria. Peterborough improved its Adaptation and Mitigation scores to A- (Leadership). The City disclosure included City-wide GHG Emission Inventory, GHG Emission Reduction Target, Mitigation Plan, Risk & Vulnerability Assessment, Adaptation Goal, and Adaptation Plan. |