Climate Action Planning

What is the 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 articulates a detailed understanding of the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the proposed emissions and energy reduction actions which will guide us as we select the best actions to pursue. The CAEP was informed by significant engagement with the public, the Environmental Advisory Committee and Council.

The first iteration of the plan was adopted by council in 2013 and was updated in 2022 through a $78,800 grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).  The project involved:

  • Updating the original greenhouse gas modelling to address changes in land use and development patterns, respond to technological advancements, and provide more functional and user-friendly tools for monitoring.
  • Obtaining a progress update on the municipality’s emissions reduction goals in order to determine if the goals in the CAEP are attainable. 
  • Rescheduling and reevaluating existing projects and determine if there are any new projects that should be implemented.
  • Developing an Implementation and Monitoring Framework that identifies quantifiable outcomes, timelines, and objectives to ensure progress towards emission reduction targets. 

CAEP Reserve Fund

Funding for climate action and corporate energy projects is facilitated by a 0.5% tax which is put into a reserve fund annually (CAEP Reserve Fund). Energy savings realized from projects that were enabled by expenditures 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 or corporate energy projects 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 a Terms of Reference document was developed to guide the management and expenditures from the fund. In 2017, Council approved changes to the CAEP Terms of Reference [PDF - 173 KB] to better focus and funding towards current environmental priorities and enable outside organizations the ability to receive funding for projects that action the CAEP (similar to the grant in aid process).

See the Climate Action Community Grants webpage for more information. 

Additional Resources

2013 CAEP Documents

CAEP: The Complete Plan Climate Action & Energy Plan (CAEP) [PDF - 6.7 MB] 
CAEP: A Summary Climate Action and Energy Plan (CAEP) Summary [PDF - 602 KB]
CAEP: Executive Summary Climate Action and Energy Plan - Executive Summary [PDF - 1 MB]
CAEP: Terms of Reference CAEP Terms of Reference [PDF - 173 KB]
CAEP: Implementation and Monitoring Framework (2014) Climate Action and Energy Plan (CAEP) Implementation and Monitoring Framework [PDF - 6 MB]
Sign up for CAEP Updates! Climate Action and Energy Plan Newsletter

Questions?

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

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