Spring 2021 Update

Launching the “Climate Action in the Community” series

Over the past few years, the District has ramped up our goals and initiatives related to climate action. We’re constantly making improvements, introducing policies, and implementing initiatives – and we want to make sure you get the opportunity to learn about them and the benefits they bring to our community.

We’re excited to introduce our new “Climate Action in the Community” series, a social media & Let’s Talk campaign that spotlights climate projects across the District. Every couple weeks, we’ll post a snapshot summarizing a new or existing initiative – such as the retrofitting of the Caretaker House at Centennial Park to 100% LED lights.

Taking the Express Lane to transition the municipal fleet

This spring, Central Saanich is deepening our commitment to decarbonize our fleet by increasing our pledge under the West Coast Electric Fleets program to the “Express Lane” level. This commits the District to at least 10% zero emission vehicle procurement by 2025 for our light-duty vehicles and a portion of our medium and heavy-duty fleet, and to an annual review of this pledge to assess room for increased ambition.

This pledge is in line with our Climate Leadership Plan, especially our target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and the “Green fleet transition” action under Municipal Operations. Being in the Express Lane group opens the door to access resources, funding, and technical support. The District has already taken significant steps, including acquiring EVs, installing public EV charging stations, using an e-bike for water metering, introducing an Electric Vehicle & E-Bike Strategy, and implementing a policy in Fall 2020 requiring new construction to be EV and e-bike ready.

And on this topic… Central Saanich Police kicked off the New Year with a new electric vehicle! As Chief Ian Lawson put it, “The Central Saanich Police Service received a second electric vehicle this year as part of its commitment to the District’s Climate Leadership Plan to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Municipal “top-up” rebate

The CleanBC Better Homes program offers a suite of rebates for energy conversion & efficiency projects and, since January 2020, Central Saanich has sweetened the deal with an additional $350 rebate for folks converting their primary heating from fossil fuels to electric heat pumps.

As a result of these and other rebates and the regional Bring It Home 4 Climate program, of which we are a key partner, residential retrofits are booming! Our original municipal contribution helped support over 25 homeowners in upgrading from oil or natural gas to electric heat pumps, which will reduce GHG emissions by around 200 tCO₂e each year – equal to 13% reductions of residential fuel oil emissions community-wide!

PACE Pilot Program

The top-up rebate is just one of the steps we’re taking to get closer to our goal of converting all remaining oil heating in the District to electric by 2030. Homeowners in Central Saanich wanting to replace their oil heating systems with an electric heat pump will soon have access to 0%-interest financing through the District of Central Saanich.

The District’s two-year pilot program is one of the first of its kind in the province. The program, funded by the District and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, is known as Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. It enables homeowners to fund the up-front cost of the home improvement through an interest free loan repaid on property tax bills over 10 years.

“By enabling homeowners to make the switch, we will reduce carbon-intensive energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions in our community,” said Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor. “It will also decrease home energy bills for participating homeowners, which can be put towards repaying the loan.” The program will also helps increase resilience against future climate impacts, since heat pumps are able to heat and cool homes and can therefore handle the hotter summers anticipated for southern Vancouver Island.

Workshops and educational sessions for Central Saanich’s PACE pilot program will be scheduled over the summer while the official launch is planned for fall 2021.

For more information

If you are a homeowner in the District currently using heating oil and would like to be kept informed of program developments, please contact Ali Rivers, Climate Action Specialist for Central Saanich at ali.rivers@csaanich.ca or 250-652-4444.

Stay engaged on the Official Community Plan

What would make Central Saanich better now and in the future? The District is asking the community to share their ideas during the Official Community Plan (OCP) review. The OCP impacts all areas of our life in the District – and is a wonderful opportunity to further embed climate action into our plans and build a more resilient Central Saanich.

How to get involved

• Visit the project site, LetsTalkCentralSaanich.ca/OCP
• If you weren’t able to attend the virtual town hall, check out the video online
• Complete a “Community Conversations” workbook by April 30! You can do this on your own, with family or your bubble, or virtually with neighbours & friends

Further public consultation will take place in the fall, when the District hopes to be able to offer both online and in-person events and present draft policies for discussion and feedback.

Partnership with UBC Sustainability Scholars program for local biofuel research

The District of Central Saanich is partnering with a Master’s student from UBC’s Sustainability Scholars program to conduct research into the local context for biofuel generation from municipal organic waste streams. The scholar, who will be mentored by the Climate Action Specialist with support from our Public Works and Planning departments, will work virtually from May to August to research potential technologies, processes, and best practices to help us advance climate action related to waste diversion and renewable energy through the application of circular economy processes.

Leveling up our buildings with Step Code

As of January 4, 2021, Central Saanich has moved to Level 3 of the BC Energy Step Code for (most) new home construction! The Step Code is an initiative to increase the energy efficiency of new construction in the province beyond the requirements of the BC Building Code – for example, Level 3 requires new homes achieve energy efficiency performance levels of 20% better than the Building Code.

Don’t forget that Central Saanich and the province offer rebates to help finance high-efficiency projects! We have authorized building permit rebates for construction that exceeds our current Step Code level and a $500 Blower Door rebate for projects building to Step Code and completing a mid-construction blower door test. At the provincial level, CleanBC offers rebates through the Better Homes New Construction Program for residential buildings and the Better Buildings program for commercial buildings.

Go By Bike Week 2021

Check your tires and mark your calendars, folks – Go By Bike Week is coming up! From May 31 to June 6, get out of your car and onto your bike to soak in some sunshine while reducing your carbon footprint. Same as 2020, the event has been re-branded to Go By Bike Week, meaning any & all trips by bike count towards the goal – not just trips to and from work. Did you know that since the start of the pandemic, more folks in Central Saanich are biking for recreation? Start getting your team together now and look forward to great prizes, the Sticker Challenge, Neighbourhood Rides, and more!

Nearby Active Transportation planning

Regional collaboration is key for active transportation planning, and while our staff works actively with other municipalities through the CRD Inter-Municipal Working Group on Climate and other collaborations, it’s just as critical that residents support neighbouring municipalities in their goals, too.

• Esquimalt has started engagement for their own Active Transportation Plan, and they have a survey, interactive map, and ideas forum open for feedback from anyone who works, plays or socializes there.
• North Saanich has just wrapped up engagement on their Active Transportation plan, which can now be viewed online: https://www.connectnorthsaanich.ca/active-transportation-plan.

Plan a beautiful yard that supports climate resilience & biodiversity

Gardening is a great way to help increase local climate resilience through local food security, green infrastructure services (like absorbing run-off), and creating landscapes that support local pollinators. This year, enjoy a climate-friendly yard!

Central Saanich is already experiencing warmer summers, and these are anticipated to be hotter and drier in future. Save water – and money on your utility bills! – by choosing water-efficient species and making good use of mulch. Water-wise, or “xeriscaping”, landscaping considers the natural conditions of the environment, with a focus on native and drought-tolerant species. Don’t think this limits you to rock gardens and succulents, though – water-wise gardens can be lush, colourful, and biodiverse!

Try to keep lawn spaces small and select drought-tolerant grass mixes and clover. Water lawns sparingly, and do so early in the morning or in the evening to reduce evaporation. Lots more great tips in the CRD’s Homeowner’s Guide to Outdoor Water Use.

Choosing native species (and avoiding invasive species at all costs!) also helps our native pollinators like bees and butterflies, whose populations are crucial for the long-term health of our local agricultural lands. Avoid pesticides and harsh, GHG-intensive fertilizers and instead make use of natural soil enhancements - like compost, kelp, and coffee grounds - and permaculture techniques that recreate natural ecosystems to keep pests under control.

Check out more tips from Habitat Acquisition Trust in their Gardening with Native Plants guide or join a free virtual workshop on Gardening with Native Plants during April!