Solar power, electric vehicle chargers included in Edmonton's new 15-part climate resilience plan
Some who spoke to councillors Tuesday want stricter policies to cope with extreme heat
Edmonton has a blueprint for a greener future, including requirements for solar panels and electric vehicle chargers, but some industry leaders are warning councillors the plan could make building and buying a house more expensive.
Council's urban planning committee accepted administration's Climate Resilience Planning and Development Action Plan at a committee meeting Tuesday at city hall.
The plan's 15 priority actions will set standards for how buildings are designed and constructed, create requirements for electric vehicle chargers and solar technology, outline options for landscaping and preserving natural areas and make new regulations for wildfire risk areas.
Dave Turnbull, president of Enerspec Energy Consulting, said that the plan contains only a high-level description of how some items will be approached or interpreted. He said the plan may make building more expensive.
"There are long-term implications for builders and developers and ultimately those impacts are passed on to residents."
Turnbull, also the lead of the energy transition working group for Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) Edmonton Metro, said streamlining the permit process for green building is a great idea but there's no firm definition of what qualifies.
"And frankly, some home orientations and roof designs are just not conducive to solar," he added.
Andrew Knack, Ward Nakota Isga councillor, said he recognized the lack of specifics in the plan but stressed that the high-level report wasn't meant to answer all the questions right away.
"The idea very much was here's the action plan with each of these actions," Knack said during the meeting. "We have more work to do. We have engagement to do."
The city will invite public input during engagement sessions in the coming months and post updates on the project web page.
The city expects the changes will take 2½ years to implement, with funding for the projects included in the 2023-26 budgets.
Cost of climate change
Climate change could lower Edmonton's GDP by $3.2 billion yearly, and $7.4 billion as early as the 2070s, Chandra Tomaras, the city's director of environment and climate resilience, said at Tuesday's committee meeting.
Actions outlined in the climate resilience plan, such as streamlining the permitting process, aren't expected to cost much: The city rates them as low cost with a big return.
Many will require changes to the city's zoning bylaw and therefore require a public hearing, where people can give feedback.
Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador said she's excited by the climate resilience plan.
"We know that land use, transportation and buildings, as I mentioned before, are massive contributors to emissions and to climate change," she said. "
"And when we look at the tools we do have, planning and development is a foundational tool that we need to be looking at to reduce our overall carbon footprint."
The 15 priority actions included in the plan:
- Streamline the permitting process for climate-resilient development.
- Incorporate electric vehicle-ready requirements into the zoning bylaw.
- Incorporate solar-ready requirements into the zoning bylaw.
- Pursue options for resilient landscaping practices on private property.
- Update the Floodplain Protection Overlay in the zoning bylaw.
- Introduce new regulations for wildfire risk areas in the zoning bylaw.
- Incorporate climate-resilient standards into the city's design and construction standards.
- Pursue opportunities to bolster climate action through policy, regulatory and other planning tools.
- Incorporate climate resilience into the terms of reference that guide new neighbourhood design.
- Identify and pursue opportunities to enable development of low-carbon district energy systems.
- Pursue options for preserving natural areas through neighbourhood design.
- Develop a Climate Risk Index for Edmonton neighbourhoods.
- Foster awareness of climate resilient development through public education and outreach.
- Pursue opportunities to leverage incentives for climate resilient development.
- Build organizational change within administration through education and collaboration.
Coping with heat
A few speakers from the public told councillors Tuesday they want faster action from the city when it comes to dealing with the effects of climate change.
Alex Jack, who lives with a chronic illness and uses a wheelchair, said a lack of proper air conditioning and circulation in some Edmonton apartment buildings can lead to heat-related illness.
"I ended up fainting because of the extreme heat and lack of air circulation in the place and had to be brought to the hospital as a result," Jack told the committee.
Tomaras said Tuesday that the region is getting hotter and saw its hottest July on record.
Kate McMorran with Climate Justice Edmonton highlighted the need for the city to adopt specific policies especially to help low-income earners.
"Surviving the summer or even just existing comfortably should not be a cost-dependant outcome," McMorran said.
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