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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 1, 2009 City n¢~ Minutes/Meeting Summary Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee i i December 1, 2009 PI ~KERING 2:30 pm Main Committee Room Attendees: Mayor Dave Ryan Doug Dickerson, City Councillor, Ward 2 (Chair) David Pickles, City Councillor, Ward 3 Tom Melymuk, Director, Office of Sustainability Neil Carroll, Director, Planning & Development Lynn Winterstein, Manager, Marketing & Business Development Catherine Rose, Manager, Policy Grant McGregor, Principal Planner - Policy Ron Taylor, Coordinator, City Development Chantal Whitaker, Coordinator, Sustainability Jack McGinnis - Durham Sustain Ability Marla Shim, Executive Assistant, Council (Recording Secretary) Guests: Terry Green, Durham Sustain Ability John Stillich, SUDA Absent: Jennifer O'Connell, City Councillor, Ward 1 (Vice-Chair) Item / Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items? Ref # (summary of discussion) Status (include deadline as a ro hate 1. Welcome & Introductions Councillor Dickerson welcomed everyone to the meeting. 2. Partners for Climate Protection Update T. Melymuk introduced T. Green of Durham Sustain Ability who provided a PowerPoint presentation on Partners for Climate Protection (PCP). This included an update on the City's cooperate and community energy and greenhouse gas targets and progress to date. • Pickering has completed milestones 1, 2 and 3 and with the preparation of this update, will be in a position to complete milestones 4 and 5 in 2010 • Mayor Ryan raised the question regarding Pickering having an opportunity to obtain carbon credits • Councillor Pickles advised that under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, the Province can acquire carbon credits and suggested that Pickering look at a Page 1 CORP0228-2/02 similar program • Councillor Dickerson suggested that a press release be L. Winterstein to look issued to highlight residential achievements and into difference in mentioned the need for further action by IC&I sector. population vs. new However, it must first be confirmed if the difference is business. due to business growth or lack of population growth. • Recommended Corporate Actions for consideration: o Acquire energy management software C. Whitaker to (automated monitoring, verifying and reporting contact OE&S staff to system for energy and GHG) such as York review York Region's Region's Energy and Environmental EEMS software Management System (EEMS) program to find out if o Designate responsibility for energy/greenhouse it would be gas emissions coordination function appropriate for o Conduct full energy audits on key community Pickering. facilities o Prioritize and fast-track Recreation Complex projects from previous energy audit o Conduct sustainability assessment of light duty fleet vehicles, fleet management software, and fleet procurement and corporate policies o Develop detailed PCP submission report that meets requirements of PCP milestones 4 and 5 for corporate operations • Councillor Dickerson requested that staff prepare a report for Council once PCP update report is complete Staff to prepare a • Mayor Ryan requested that where applicable, the key Report to Council. recommendations be included in the 2010 budget 2. Sustainable 'Development - SUDA J. Stillich, Sustainable Urban Development Association (SUDA) provided a presentation on sustainability development. Key points in his presentation included: • 20th century building practices will not work - failure to achieve sustainability will mean unnecessary hardship for people • Sustainable urban development is highly compact, yet family friendly and highly energy efficient • In a sustainable urban environment, anyone who wishes to, can conveniently access all daily destinations, including employment, by means other than personal automobile • This, in turn, means that commerce needs to survive and. prosper in environments where active Page 2 CORP0228-2/02 1 transportation and transit are the principal means of access, which in turn means that housing must be much more dense than in today's suburbs • This in turn, means a wide variety of compact residential forms need to be provided, including attached homes and apartment-style housing • Sustainability also means that these environments must be profitable for land developers to build • Findings from a SUDA based survey indicate half or more of respondents said living in a townhouse would be 'acceptable' or 'may be acceptable'. o Half or more said a condominium apartment suitably sized would be 'acceptable' or `may be acceptable'. o 68% said being able to walk to daily destinations is 'very important' or `must have'. o 34% said energy prices would affect their choice of housing. o 68% would pay more taxes for better public transit • Do not assume that people want to live in three-storey townhouses with little or no land. Need to build more interesting models with: larger backyards, mixed retail and residential and make more child friendly N. Carroll commented on the legislative limitations as far as what municipalities can require from developers. Councillor Dickerson thanked J. Stillich for providing members with such a detailed presentation. He noted that 99% of the suggestions are in keeping with Pickering's objective. 3 Sustainable Pickering Corporate Policy/Procedures C. Whitaker advised that even though the City delivers. education campaigns to staff to encourage them to modify their behaviour at work (waste free meetings, double-sided Staff to review and printing, not idling or utilizing drive-thrus, etc.), not all staff report back to the comply. While there is a need for ongoing staff education, Committee in 2010 there should also be a corporate sustainability policy/ on a corporate procedure. Pickering would be a leader by doing so, since few sustainability policy. GTA municipalities have taken this step. 4. Measuring Sustainabili Progress Report C. Whitaker reported that at the last meeting, members were updated on the Measuring Sustainability Progress Report. Durham Sustain Ability has collected the baseline data and staff are current) reviewing it. There will be a draft report for Page 3 CORP0228-2/02 the committee to review in early 2010. 5. Sustainabie Contribution Program Detailed discussion ensued on the Community Contribution Program: • It is necessary to treat all potential contributors similarly • There would be a need to include a disclaimer on the website noting that although the donor organizations are providing a contribution to the Sustainable Pickering program, this does not mean the City necessarily sanctions or promotes such organizations as following or. maintaining sustainable business practices. • A community contribution target of $20,000 will be established for 2010 • Sustainable Pickering donors would received a letter from the City for income tax purposes & Sustainable Pickering Da L. Winterstein advised that, as directed at the last committee meeting, staff met to discuss various ideas for the next Sustainable Pickering Day. It was agreed that aligning Sustainable Pickering Day with Earth Hour would be appropriate and would allow for a focus in 2010 on energy conversation. Pickering Town Centre has been tentatively booked for Saturday, March 27, 2010. 7. Next Meeting Tuesday, January 19, 2010. Meeting Adjourned: 5:00 pm Copy: (Acting) City Clerk Page 4 CORP0228-2/02