Reducing emissions for public sector organizations
Last updated on April 16, 2025B.C.’s public sector organizations (PSOs) are taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions from their operations and to achieve the government’s carbon neutral commitment.
Clean fleets
CleanBC, B.C.’s climate change strategy, establishes the Province’s pathway to a more prosperous, balanced, and sustainable future. Within CleanBC, government made two commitments related to public sector fleets:
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions will be 40 percent below 2010 levels by 2030
- Provincial government ministries will have 10 percent of light duty vehicle purchases be zero emission vehicles (ZEV), where an available ZEV meets operational needs
Efforts to transition the public sector fleet support the overall government plan for all new cars sold in B.C. to be ZEVs by 2040. Because vehicles are operational for up to 10 years, transitioning public sector fleet to ZEVs now will be critical to meeting the commitments.
Learn more about ZEVs and transitioning your fleet below.
Incentives and rebates
- Go Electric Fleets - Post-secondary institutions, school districts and health authorities can access an additional $1 million in electric vehicle (EV) charging rebates
- Government of Canada iZEV program
- BC Hydro - Incentives for EVs and chargers
Resources
- Electrifying Public and Private Fleets - This report summarizes webinar discussions commissioned and convened by the International Zero Emission Vehicle Alliance. Links to additional resources included
- ZEVs Available in B.C. (PDF, 106KB) - Produced by the Climate Action Secretariat to list the capabilities of the ZEVs available in B.C.
- Plug In BC
- Plugshare.com
- Emotive BC
Guides
- Fleet Electrification Guide (PDF, 1.1MB) - A practical guide from BC Hydro to developing a fleet electrification plan in B.C.
- Government of Canada best practices guide on shifting to cleaner fleets (PDF, 757KB)
- Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) Guide to Fleet Electrification (PDF, 5.5MB) - A guide to best practices for fleet electrification produced by the Centre for Sustainable energy in California
- CEATI International Canadian EV Infrastructure Deployment Guidelines (PDF, 2.6MB) - Sponsored by BC Hydro
- Basic Guide to Electric Vehicles (PDF, 494KB) - Produced and shared by government ministries to provide detailed information on EV operations and technologies for staff who will be driving ZEVs
- Considerations for Public-Sector Electric Vehicle Charging Station Deployment (PDF, 769KB) - Produced by the Climate Action Secretariat in consultation with Natural Resources Canada and BC Hydro
Corporate supply arrangement for electric vehicle charging stations
A corporate supply arrangement has been established to streamline public procurement of electric vehicle charging stations. This arrangement allows the provincial public sector, First Nations and local governments to purchase electric vehicle charging stations directly from suppliers, often with favourable pricing. It covers either supply and/or installation of the charging station.
Learn more about the public sector organizations and vendors eligible to use this supply arrangement.
Read Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Buyer Resources (PDF, 350KB) or email the Procurement Services Branch for more information.
Low carbon building materials
PSOs are encouraged to promote the use of low carbon and renewable building materials in the design and construction of public sector infrastructure.
Building new PSO facilities to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold, or equivalent certification by a green building rating system, helps to assure building owners that their investment in a new facility yields superior performance in a variety of areas including: energy and water efficiency, storm water management, indoor environmental quality and materials usage.
This kind of leadership makes a difference. Approximately 30 percent of all LEED Gold and Platinum building projects registered in Canada since 2007 are located in B.C.
The use of low carbon materials reduces the amount of embodied carbon in infrastructure. Embodied carbon represents the emissions released beginning with extraction or harvesting through to the end of a material’s life cycle.
The Canada Green Building Council has highlighted the use of low carbon building materials, such as wood, wood products and Portland-limestone cement (PLC), as one of four key strategies to achieve a zero carbon building.
- Wood and wood products not only have low embodied carbon, they also store carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere for the life of the product
- During its manufacturing process, PLC produces 10 percent less carbon emissions than regular Portland cement
To learn more about the use of low carbon materials and opportunities to earn LEED credits, please review the following resources:
- Low Carbon Building Materials and LEED v4: A guide for public sector organizations (PDF, 2.1MB) - An overview on how to earn LEED v4 credits using wood, wood products and PLC in new public sector building projects. Created for PSO building owners/lessees, facility managers and executive decision makers
- LEED v4 and Low Carbon Building Materials: A comprehensive guide (PDF, 2.9MB) - Provides a detailed review on how low carbon building materials can be used towards earning LEED v4 credits. Created for building sector professionals
