Resources
Come meet and learn from others working in local government and public sector climate action at the Climate Leadership Symposium: Public Sector and Local Government Action October 18-19, 2023 in Kamloops.
On this page:
- Funding information
- Emissions reduction initiatives
- Climate risk management for the health sector
- Offsetting
- Annual Public Sector Climate Leadership Symposium
Funding information
Municipal Asset Management Program
This program offers training and funding, and enables knowledge sharing to help communities across Canada make informed infrastructure investment decisions based on sound asset management practices.
Federal Funding, Grants and Incentives
The Federal Government of Canada manages several funding, grants and incentive programs to encourage research, development and demonstration of energy and related solutions in Canada.
Emission reduction initiatives in the public sector
Guidelines for Environmentally Responsible Procurement
These procurement guidelines are designed to encourage ministries to consider environmentally responsible products and services as part of their purchasing decisions.
Low Carbon Building Materials
Learn about the use of low carbon building materials in public sector buildings and the opportunity to earn LEED v4 credits.
Electric Vehicle Charging Station Corporate Supply Arrangement
Information on a corporate supply arrangement that allows the provincial public sector, First Nations, and local governments to purchase vehicle charging stations directly from suppliers, often with favourable pricing.
Alternatives to Business Travel
Information on how videoconferencing and other workstation tools can significantly cut travel and overtime costs, transit time and emissions.
NRCan Dollars to Sense Energy Management Workshops
Information on how improved energy management and good up-front planning and design of new buildings can reduce infrastructure-related greenhouse gases–which make up three-quarters of the public sector’s overall emissions.
Climate risk management for the health sector
Climate Impacts on Health Fact Sheets
A series of fact sheets examining climate impacts and adaptation opportunities in the health sector:
- Overview (PDF, 1MB)
- Facilities (PDF, 803KB)
- Communities (PDF, 1.2MB)
- Public Health (PDF, 1.2MB)
- Front-Line Health Care (PDF, 967KB)
Reports and tools
Moving towards Climate Resilient Health Facilities for Vancouver Coastal Health (PDF, 7.3MB)
This report seeks to understand how climate change will pose a risk to health facility operations in order to ensure high levels of care, minimize cascading impacts on health services, and control operational over-runs.
Canadian Coalition of Green Healthcare
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care enables the health care sector to lead the integration of environmentally responsible practices into the delivery of health care.
Government of Canada: Climate Change and Public Health Fact Sheets
The Public Health Agency aims to help Canadians understand how the environment can impact health, and how we can all work together to protect ourselves, our families and our communities.
Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Health Care Facilities Toolkit
This web-based toolkit includes a Best Practices document, vulnerability assessment framework for medical facilities and additional resources that encourage practical steps for building resilience.
Green Infrastructure and Health Guide
The Willamette Partnership and Oregon Public Health Institute built the Green Infrastructure and Health Guide to help local government, communities, and health care organizations connect green infrastructure and public health in new ways.
Infrastructure Canada’s Climate Lens
The Climate Lens has two components: the greenhouse gas mitigation assessment, which will measure the anticipated emissions impact of an infrastructure project, and the climate change resilience assessment, which will employ a risk management approach to anticipate, prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from a climate change related disruption or impact.
B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Technical Circular T04/19 (PDF, 407KB)
This Technical Circular provides direction to the transportation community to consider future climate in highway infrastructure.
Offsetting
Offsetting is a key component of B.C.’s Carbon Neutral Government program.
By investing in B.C.-based offset projects, public sector organizations offset their remaining greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon neutral.
At the same time, offsetting advances green technologies, supports clean job growth and stimulates the economy. For example, offset projects improve forest management and sequester carbon, which provide a new mechanism to protect biodiversity and contribute to a conservation economy in B.C. communities.
Find out more about B.C.’s offset portfolio.
Annual Public Sector Climate Leadership Symposium
A wide range of information and real-world experience in reducing emissions and adapting to climate change.
Session 1
Overview of CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 and Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy (PDF, 991KB)
Presenter: Burke van Drimmelen
Session 2
CNG Program Update: Emissions Reporting/Methodology (PDF, 889KB)
Presenters: Burke van Drimmelen, Natasha Staffeldt-Jost, David Gill, and Krysia Matthews
Session 3
Climate Ready Requirements (PDF, 3.5MB)
Presenters: Penny Martyn and Colin Mingus
CleanBC Government Fleet Program (PDF, 1MB)
Presenters: Christine French and Trevor Wehrle
Electric School Buses (PDF, 1.3MB)
Presenters: Pete Sabo, Mary Zuccaro, and Tracy Mowat
Geo Exchange System Upgrades (PDF, 1.1MB)
Presenters: Patrick McCarron, Rick Nelson, and Andrew Stringer
Session 4
Existing Building Strategy (PDF, 860KB)
Facilitator: Burke van Drimmelen
Zero Emissions Fleet (PDF, 886KB)
Facilitator: Natasha Staffeldt-Jost
Climate Resilience Framework (PDF, 931KB)
Facilitator: Devon Carter
Plenary Session 1
CleanBC Commitments: Emissions Reduction and Climate Preparedness (PDF, 2.3MB)
Presenters: Chris Koski and Tina Neale - Climate Action Secretariat
Plenary Session 2
Buildings, Fleet and Adaptation Policy Options (PDF, 8.4MB)
Presenters: Erik Kaye, Julia Berry and Natasha Staffeldt-Jost - Climate Action Secretariat
Plenary Session 3
Clean Government Reporting Tool (PDF, 2.3MB)
Presenters: Darryn Yakelashek, Climate Action Secretariat and Trina Kennedy - Natural Resources Canada
Plenary Session 4
Designing for Future Climate (PDF, 2.2MB)
Presenters: Kari Tyler and Trevor Murdock - Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium
Mobilizing Building Adaptation and Resilience (PDF, 2.5MB)
Presenter: Wilma Leung - BC Housing
Designing Climate Resilient Buildings (PDF, 2.9MB)
Presenter: Ralph Wells - University of British Columbia
Plenary Session 5
Moving Toward Climate Resilience (PDF, 5.3MB)
Presenter: Angie Woo - Fraser Health Authority
HealthADAPT Climate Change and Health Adaptation (PDF, 705KB)
Presenter: Craig Brown - Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
Mapping Spatial Patterns in Vulnerability to Climate Change Related Health Hazards (PDF, 2MB)
Presenter: Dr. James Lu - Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
Interior Health’s Approach to a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Tanja Stockman - Interior Health Authority
Breakout Sessions
Passive House on Campus (PDF, 9.5MB)
Presenter: Dr. David Claus - University of Northern British Columbia
Buildings in Healthcare (PDF, 2.7MB)
Presenter: Alex Hutton - Provincial Health Services Authority
Greening Building Operations (PDF, 2MB)
Presenter: Ryan Galloway - Interior Health
Main Session 2 - Part 1
Presenters: Joey Dabell, Clay Howey and Kelly Carmichael - British Columbia Institute of Technology
Fleet Electrification: Infrastructure and Policy (PDF, 2MB)
Presenter: Evan Dacey - City of Vancouver
Life Cycle Analysis: Electric and ICE Vehicles (PDF, 1.9MB)
Presenter: Balpreet Kukreja - City of Vancouver
Main Session 2 - Part 2
Tales from the Trenches: Fleet Electrification (PDF, 4MB)
Presenters: Jason Scultety - BC Hydro (Best Practices for EV Planning and Infrastructure), Patrick Breuer - Fraser Basin Council (Fleet Electrification Business Case), and Stef Jones - Ministry of Citizens’ Services (Electric Vehicle Charging Stations)
Breakout Sessions
Climate Data for Energy Efficient Buildings (PDF, 1.8MB)
Presenters: Kari Tyler and Trevor Murdock - Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium
Greening Your School (District) (PDF, 1.8MB)
Presenter: Luke Smeaton - School District 44
Castles and Cathedrals (Greening Our School) (PDF, 1.3MB)
Presenter: Maria Bremner - Royal Roads University
Main Room Session
Policy Engagement (PDF, 1.5MB)
Presenters: Natasha Staffeld-Jost, Erik Kaye and Julia Berry - Climate Action Secretariat
Note: There were no symposia events in calendar year 2018
Introductions
CleanBC and Public Sector Leadership (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Claudia Trudeau
Day 2 Introduction (PDF, 500KB)
Presenter: Claudia Trudeau
Adaptation
Future Climate in B.C. (PDF, 5MB)
Presenter: Kari Tyler - Pacific Climates Impact Consortium
Working Toward a Climate Resilient B.C. (PDF, 1.3MB)
Presenter: Tina Neale
Buildings
EfficiencyBC - Commercial, Institutional and Multi-family (CIM) Buildings (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Andrew Pye
PS Leadership in Buildings (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Deborah Herbert
Fleets
Electrifying Fleets - Plug In BC (PDF, 2.7MB)
Presenter: Pete Thimmaiah
Presenter: Evan Dacey - City of Vancouver
Public Sector Climate Action Commitments
Landscape of B.C.'s Public Sector Climate Action Commitments (PDF, 650KB)
Presenter: Suzanne Spence
Adaptation Deep Dive
Adaptation Deep Dive (PDF, 8MB)
Presenter: Island Health
Building Solutions
Belmont Secondary School Energy Reduction (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Alex Samousevitch
Energy Step Code: Building Beyond the Standard (PDF, 2MB)
Presenter: Dave Ramslie
Energy SMART Buildings (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Bernie Gaudet
FortisBC: Working Together Towards Innovative Energy Solutions (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Jason Wolfe
Carbon Neutral Government Updates
CNG Summary Analytics & SMARTTool Replacement (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Chris Krasowski
Low Carbon Building Materials
Presenter: Derek Newby
ContempraTM Portland Limestone Cement and its use in Lower Carbon Intensity Concrete (PDF, 3MB)
Presenter: Ken Carussca
LEED v4 and Low Carbon Materials (PDF, 5MB)
Presenter: Kaitlyn Gillis
Brock Commons Tallwood House (PDF, 3MB)
Presenter: Angelique Pilon
Collaborating with Local Governments
Collaborating with Local Governments for Climate Change Adaptation (PDF, 8MB)
Presenter: Amanda Broad
Keynote Address: Lessons in Hospital Resilience
Review of North American health care resilience initiatives and programs.
Lessons in Hospital Resilience (PDF, 7.2MB)
Presenter: Robin Guenther
Setting the Stage: Public Sector Climate Action in BC and National Context
Overview of national and provincial commitments to climate action and the role of BC’s public sector.
Public Sector Climate Action in B.C. and National Context (PDF, 4.8MB)
A Mandate for Planning
Planning and managing for energy and environmental performance – using best practices for emission reduction planning.
Management System Approach in Climate Action (PDF, 958KB)
Presenter: Bernie Gaudet
How Are We Going to Develop a 10-year Emissions Reductions Plan? (PDF, 2.3MB)
Presenter: Deanna Fourt
Value of Strategic Energy Management Plans (PDF, 152KB)
Presenter: Jeff Whitson
Key Factors in Achieving Emission Reductions
Insights from PSOs that have significantly reduced operational emissions.
Key Factors in Achieving Emissions Reductions (PDF, 570KB)
Presenter: Suzanne Spence
Key Factors in GHG reduction (PDF, 2.3MB)
Presenter: Mauricio Acosta
School District 23 Sustainability Initiatives (PDF, 3.8MB)
Presenter: Harold Schock
A Culture of Sustainability at the Liquor Distribution Branch (PDF, 2.2MB)
Presenter: David McPhie
The Fifth Key to Success (PDF, 1.1MB)
Presenter: William Demopoulos
Resilient Low-Carbon Facilities
Strategies and tactics to lower the carbon intensity and improve the resilience of public sector facilities.
Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) (PDF, 1.7MB)
Presenter: Blane Grann
Green and Resilient Buildings (PDF, 2.7MB)
Presenter: Thomas Mueller
Building the Future, Net Zero and Net Ready (PDF, 2.7MB)
Presenter: Brittany Coughlin
B.C.’s Energy Step Code
Learn about the new Energy Step Code and B.C.’s transition to net-zero energy buildings.
Energy Step Code, BCs Transition to Net Zero Energy Ready Buildings (PDF, 2.1MB)
Presenter: Zachary May
B.C.’s Fleet Champions Program
Supporting fleet managers in B.C. in their efforts towards electric vehicle uptake.
BCs Fleet Champions Program (PDF, 2.8MB)
Presenter: Charlotte Argue
Now Wow! How?
Group activity to think strategically about climate change impacts and opportunities.
Presenter: Ewa Jackson
Climate Change Adaptation Panel
Hear insights about adaptation planning and risk assessment from Fraser Health, City of Vancouver, and ICLEI Canada.
Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC) (PDF, 1.3MB)
Presenter: Ewa Jackson
City of Vancouver - Preparing for Climate Change (PDF, 2.2MB)
Presenter: Tamsin Mills
Healthcare Service Delivery - Extreme Weather and Climate Stressors (PDF, 724KB)
Presenters: Angie Woo and Jackie Yip
Historical Analytics
Trends and observations from an analysis of SMARTTool data.
CNG Summary Analytics (PDF, 1MB)
Presenter: Orest Maslany
SMARTTool Update
An update on the status of and plans for the SMARTTool refresh as well as an overview of new functionality.
SMARTTool Refresh Update (PDF, 212KB)
Presenter: Orest Maslany
Your Carbon Neutral Government Offsets Portfolio
A brief portfolio overview followed by a presentation detailing how an industrial fuel switching offset project is planned, implemented and quantified.
Your Carbon Neutral Government Offsets Portfolio (PDF, 851KB)
Video (6min): Canfor Fuel Switch Project Profile (from presentation above)
Presenter: Chris Koski
Canfor Fuel Switch Projects (PDF, 4.8MB)
Presenter: Michael Jordan
Presenter: Kari Tyler
Presenter: Monte Paulsen
Presenters: Suzanne Spence and Sol Reeve
Vancouver Island Health Authority: Mitigation is not Enough (PDF, 1.5MB)
Presenter: Deanna Fourt
Linking Adaptation and Emissions Reduction (PDF, 2.1MB)
Presenter: Kari Tyler
Coastal First Nations: Great Bear Rainforest Carbon Offset Project (PDF, 20.3MB)
Presenter: Garry Wouters
Celebrating Public Sector Achievements (PDF, 330KB)
Presenter: Suzanne Spence
University of Victoria (PDF, 1.8MB)
Presenter: David Adams
ICBC Greenhouse Gas Operational Emissions Reductions (PDF, 851KB)
Presenter: Jason Scultety
Climate Adaptation Planning Process at B.C. Housing (PDF, 635KB)
Presenter: Magdalena Szpala
Opening up Adaptation (PDF, 981KB)
Presenters: Kari Tyler and Johanna Wolf
Building Climate Resilience (PDF, 458KB)
Presenters: Kari Tyler and Johanna Wolf
All About Biomass (PDF, 7.7MB)
Presenter: Stephen Bearss
Climate Resilient Buildings Resources - Carbon Neutral Government 2015 (PDF, 163KB)
CNG Symposium Opening Remarks (PDF, 356KB)
Presenter: Dave Ahearonian
Presenter: Gordon Monk - BC Hydro
Geoexchange Systems (PDF, 2.6MB)
Presenter: Jeff Quibell
Presenter: James Gudjonson
Presenter: Ed Knaggs
Verification and Data Process Verification (PDF, 172KB)
Presenter: Deloitte