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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEAC 2017-09-13 agenda.pdfCity of Maple Ridge ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA Wednesday,Sept 13, 2017, 7:00 pm Blaney Room, Maple Ridge City Hall 1.WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS 2.AGENDA APPROVAL 3.MINUTE ADOPTION –July 12, 2017 4.PRESENTATIONS 4.1 Intro to Maple Ridge Bear Aware & Wild Safe BC Program 5.NEW & UNFINISHED BUSINESS 5.1 Report to Council Update –Rodney Stott 5.2 Communications and Outreach Subcommittee Update –Leanne Koehn 5.3 MV Grow Green Program –Rodney Stott 5.4 Update on Initiatives by MP Dan Ruimy –Leanne Koehn 5.5 Advisory Committee Update –Sunny Schiller 6.CORRESPONDENCE 6.1 UBCM Resolutions -attached 7.ROUNDTABLE 7.1 KEEPS Presentation 8.QUESTION PERIOD 9.ADJOURNMENT QUESTION PERIOD Question Period provides the public with the opportunity to ask questions or make comments on subjects that are of concern to them.Each person will be given 2 minutes to speak.Up to ten minutes in total is allotted for Question Period. /ss 2017 UBCM RESOLUTIONS RELATED TO CLIMATE & ENERGY RESOLUTIONS SUPPORTING EXISTING POLICY: Transportation B8 Public Transportation (Vanderhoof) Whereas many rural communities in northern British Columbia do not have public transit; And whereas the absence of public transportation in these rural communities places them at a distinct disadvantage as their citizens have no opportunity to use public transportation within or between communities: Therefore, be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province of BC implement a public transportation strategy and establish solutions leading to the sustainability of public transit in all rural communities. Endorsed by the North Central Local Government Association. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: Endorse B9 BC Transit Expansion & Funding Certainty (Sunshine Coast Regional District) Whereas the current Annual Operating Agreements (AOA) between BC Transit and local governments provide for base service levels that are equal to the previous year but do not reflect agreed upon expanded transit service levels; And whereas local governments are expected to authorize future commitments for transit expansion which are subject to cost increases at the discretion of BC Transit: Therefore, be it resolved that UBCM urge the provincial government to provide a rolling 3-year funding commitment to BC Transit in order to provide and secure longer term funding assurances necessary for local governments to adequately budget and plan for transit expansion beyond the current year. Not presented to the Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: Endorse Environment B23 Local Partnerships for Energy Efficiency Retrofits (Victoria) Whereas local governments across North America are partnering with other levels of government to provide incentive programs to property owners to save money and reduce the environmental impact of buildings, including incentive programs funded through local service charges to support the installation of solar energy t echnology options for solar photovoltaic, solar hot air and solar hot water; And whereas municipal local improvement charges in British Columbia cannot currently include the provision of cost recovery for municipal services on private property; Therefore, be it resolved that the Province of British Columbia work with local governments, First Nations governments and the federal government to introduce robust incentive programs to support residents, property owners and property managers in improving energy efficiency of buildings to address climate action and housing affordability objectives, and that the Province of British Columbia enact legislation to allow the cost recovery of municipally-financed green energy technologies on private properties through municipal local improvement charges. Not presented to the Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: Endorse Land Use B32 Wind Turbine Siting on Crown Land (Peace River Regional District) Whereas the placement of wind turbines on Crown land that is adjacent to private property has effects on the private property and its owners; And whereas the private property owners and other stakeholders such as local government expect proper consultation regarding placement and per mitting of any large projects affecting them and their right to private enjoyment of their properties: Therefore, be it resolved that UBCM call on the provincial government to require that local government land use regulations apply to all small scale energy generation projects, including wind energy projects, regardless of their location on public or private property to ensure proper consultation with affected landowners and local governments takes place in advance of construction of wind energy projects in the province. Endorsed by the North Central Local Government Association. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: Endorse RESOLUTIONS PROPOSING NEW POLICY: Transportation B57 Regulation of Ride-sharing Services in Small & Rural Communities (Enderby) Whereas the Province of BC has expressed its intent to create a regulatory framework that permits ridesharing services and transportation network companies to operate in BC; And whereas the assessment of the possible impacts of allowing new entrants into the passenger transportation field has focused primarily on large urban communities with robust, established, passenger transportation options, which is often not the reality for small, rural, and remote communities where ridesharing and transportation net working offers uniquely viable solutions in the absence of other options: Therefore, be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of BC to implement a viable, flexible, ride - sharing service regulation in BC with attention given to regulatory solutions that w ill help solve those passenger transportation challenges that are unique to small, rural, and remote communities. Endorsed by the Southern Interior Local Government Association . UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: Endorse Environment B62 Provincial Action on Building Energy Benchmarking (Richmond) Whereas as described in the Canada Green Building Council’s “Energy Benchmarking, Reporting & Disclosure in Canada: A Guide to a Common Framework,” mandatory energy benchmarking and reporting is a low cost, market based means to enable buildings to reduce energy costs and GHG emissions; And whereas the Province of BC is a signatory to both the Pan -Canadian Framework on Climate Change and Clean Growth, and the Pacific Coast Climate Leadership Plan, both of w hich commit the Province to implement benchmarking requirements for larger buildings; And whereas a provincially administered benchmarking requirement similar to that adopted by the Province of Ontario would be most impactful and administratively simple; And whereas climate change threatens BC communities, and action in the built environment is necessary to mitigate climate change and realize economic opportunity: Therefore, be it resolved that the Province be requested to develop a requirement that buildings above a size threshold benchmark their energy performance and report this information to the province annually, and that the resulting data be available to local governments to inform their climate policy and programs. Endorsed by the Lower Mainland Local Government Association. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: Endorse B63 Provincial Zero Waste Strategy (LMLGA Executive) Whereas the provincial government has delegated solid waste management planning to regional districts (many of whom are pursuing zero waste) and set a target of municipal solid waste disposal of 350 kg per capita by 2020/21; And whereas local governments can work on diversion and management of materials but the provincial government has more powers to influence what kinds of materials come in, the volume of those materials and reductions of those volumes as well as the power to regulate extended producer responsibility programs: Therefore, be it resolved that the Province of BC develop a provincial Zero Waste Strategy. Endorsed by the Lower Mainland Local Government Association. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: Endorse B105 Comprehensive Reporting of Community Energy & Emissions Inventory (Highlands) Whereas the Province of BC provides Community Energy and Emis sions Inventory (CEEI) numbers to BC local governments, but the Province omits or has inconsistent reporting of emissions from: • Manufactured goods (embodies emissions in vehicles, building materials, and all consumer goods) • Aviation for individuals and commercial transport • Loss of soil carbon from agriculture • Deforestation (loss of sequestered CO2); And whereas these emissions account for a significant amount of total emissions: Therefore, be it resolved that UBCM request the provincial government to improve the CEEI to account for these significant sources and where not possible, fully acknowledge these sources of emissions when reporting to local governments. Endorsed by the Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities . UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: No Recommendation B106 On-road Transportation Sector Required in the Community Energy & Emissions Inventory (Capital Regional District) Whereas the on-road transportation sector is a critical component of the Provincial Community Energy and Emissions Inventory (CEEI); And whereas this sector has been removed from CEEI for all communities outside the Lower Mainland: Therefore, be it resolved that the provincial government include the on-road transportation sector in future Community Energy and Emissions Inventories. Not presented to the Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: No Recommendation B109 Recycle BC (Central Kootenay Regional District) Whereas the Regional District of Central Kootenay and other regional districts have demonstrated over a long term our ability to manage an effective, efficient recycling program, which achieves significant waste diversion and meets the needs of residents; And whereas Recycle BC, since its inception, has unilaterally attempted to dictate service levels, operational constraints and financial reimbursements (including penalty clauses) which conflict with local needs and proven practices when regional districts have entered into discussions to enter the program: Therefore, be it resolved that the Minister of Environment directs Recycle BC to negotiate a cash transfer to regional districts (without operational constraints) to support existing programs which manage the recovery of printed and packaging materials and that if agreement cannot be reached by 31 March 2018 then the Ministry begin a mediation process to resolve the level of payments by December 31, 2018. Endorsed by the Association of Kootenay & Boundary Local Governments. UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: No Recommendation B116 Resale of Electricity for Electric Vehicle Charging (Metro Vancouver) Whereas the BC Climate Leadership Plan has a stated goal of supporting vehicle charging development for zero emission vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and lack of access to electric vehicle (EV) charging, especially in stratified dwellings, is an impediment to EV uptake; And whereas exclusions from the definition of a ‘public utility’ under the BC Utilities Commission Act include a person providing a service or commodity to tenants, but are silent regarding strata corporations and its resident members; And whereas processes for exemptions from provisions of the BC Utilities Commission Act discourage small-scale for-profit resale of electricity for the purpose of electric vehicle charging: Therefore, be it resolved that the Province of British Columbia amend the Utilities Commission Act, before the end of 2018, to specifically exclude from the definition of a ‘public utility’ a strata corporation providing services to its members, and exclude from the definition of a ‘public utility’ a small-scale reseller of electricity at profit for the purpose of electric vehicle charging in public and private settings; and, in both of the aforementioned cases, exempt the reporting requirements currently set out in Section 71 of the Act. Not presented to the Lower Mainland Local Government Association . UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: No Recommendation B132 Electric Vehicle Charging in Strata Buildings (Metro Vancouver) Whereas the BC Climate Leadership Plan has a stated goal of supporting vehicle charging development for zero emission vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and lack of access to electric vehicle (EV) charging is an impediment to EV uptake; And whereas a significant and growing proportion of British Columbia residents live in multifamily dwellings, most of which are stratified; And whereas requirements for approval by a strata corporation under the BC Strata Property Act for alteration of common property represent a significant barrier to installing and accessing means of charging in stratified buildings: Therefore, be it resolved that the Province of British Columbia amend the BC Strata Property Act, before the end of 2018, such that strata councils and strata corporations must accommodate reasonable requests from residents, for the purpose of electric vehicle charging, to access existing or install new powered outlets and/or electric vehicle cha rging infrastructure, where the assignment of associated costs are to be determined by the strata council and/or the strata corporation. Not presented to the Lower Mainland Local Government Association . UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: No Recommendation Taxation B92 Federal GST Charges on Provincial Carbon Tax (Vernon) Whereas the Government of British Columbia instituted a “carbon tax” in 2008; And whereas the Government of Canada imposes GST on the “carbon tax”, essentially a tax on tax; And whereas the carbon tax and subsequently the GST on the carbon tax applies widely on carbon fuels and affects the cost of living for British Columbians: Therefore, be it resolved that UBCM request the provincial and federal governments to eliminate the GST being charged on the provincial carbon tax. Endorsed by the Southern Interior Local Government Association . UBCM Resolutions Committee recommendation: No Recommendation