Climate Action Planning

Climate Action and Energy Plan

The Climate Action and Energy Plan (CAEP) identifies opportunities to reduce North Cowichan's energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through community actions, policy, and other municipal mechanisms by 80% by 2050. The CAEP was adopted by Council in 2013 and updated in 2022 through a grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The CAEP articulated seven categories of actions, informed by technical analysis and research, and significant engagement with the public, the Environmental Advisory Committee and Council:

  1. Compact, complete communities
  2. Efficient buildings
  3. Low-carbon transportation
  4. Local renewable energy generation
  5. Renewable energy procurement
  6. Efficient water and waste
  7. Low-carbon industry, agriculture, and forestry

Climate Adaptation Planning

Climate Change is here. North Cowichan is experiencing summer drought and winter flooding conditions. Adapting to this changing climate means we need to understand what climate we are likely to experience in the future and create a proactive plan to prepare for impacts to develop more resilient communities.

We are developing a Climate Adaptation Strategy that will help North Cowichan respond to the effects of extreme weather on our local infrastructure, natural environment, economy, and community well-being. Thanks to a grant provided by the Province of BC through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund’s Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Adaptation funding stream. Work will consist of a three step process:

  1. Determine the Municipality’s vulnerabilities to climate hazards by assessing the exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of a broad range of community elements that align with municipal services.
  2. Develop a climate change risk management framework that identifies and evaluates risks to support the prioritization of time and resources for adaptation.
  3. Create an adaptation strategy specific to the North Cowichan context that outlines actions to treat and manage high-priority risks and vulnerabilities.

This project will build off recent work completed by the Cowichan Valley Regional District. North Cowichan’s Climate Adaptation Strategy will dive into our local context and develop actions, related to our municipal operations, that will address local risks and identify opportunities to enhance community preparedness.

We want to hear from you


Tell us how you think North Cowichan can better prepare our communities for extreme weather and climate hazards. We would also like to know which areas of the community you feel are vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather events. To participate in our survey please visit: www.connectnorthcowichan.ca/climate-adaptation 

Your feedback will inform North Cowichan’s ‘risk and vulnerability assessment.’ Your input will ensure that the project addresses the areas that matter the most to the community and support prioritization of time and resources.

CAEP Reserve Fund

Funding for climate action is facilitated by a 0.5% tax which is put into a reserve fund annually (CAEP Reserve Fund). Energy savings realized from projects enabled from the fund are also put back into the fund. Money from the fund can then be used to offset the costs of future climate action which will help to ensure sustainable funding sources into the future and reduce the municipality's capital budgets. 

The CAEP Reserve Fund was established in 2014 and the Terms of Reference was updated in 2022 to guide the management and expenditures from the fund.

See the Climate Action Community Grants webpage for more information. 

Provincial Climate Action Reporting

Each year, North Cowichan reports on corporate (municipal operations) emissions to the B.C. Government. As of 2022, the Municipality reports through the Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP).

Questions?

Please contact us:
250-746-3100
environment@northcowichan.ca 

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