The City of Kamloops has developed a Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP). The final CCAP was adopted at Council on June 29.

The CCAP aims to guide, motivate, and inspire our community to work together to reduce fossil fuel use and transition to a low-carbon future. It outlines a set of strategies and actions, with targets to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 and up to 80% by 2050 (compared to the 2007 baseline).

Addressing our primary sources of GHG emissions - from fossil fuel powered transportation (66%), energy use in buildings (29%) and waste decomposition (5%) - will also benefit our community’s health, economy, environment, and quality of life.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has underscored that in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, global temperature rise must stay below 1.5°C. Local impacts are already being felt, including increasing extreme summer heat waves and droughts, more frequent and intense wildfires, and seasonal flooding.

By working together as a community and with all levels of government, we can minimize our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase our resilience to climate change impacts.

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Policy Options

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The Community Climate Action Plan outlines eight ambitious, longer-term actions, characterized as "Big Moves", and each Big Move contains a number of policy options. Here, we invite you to leave your thoughts and comments on the policy options. We list the overall target and policy options for each Big Move; for detailed context and background for each Big Move, visit our document library. Below, you can leave your comment(s) and/or reply to others within the forum conversations. If you have a question you would like to have answered by the CCAP team, please submit it through the Q&A tab. (We are not monitoring this forum for questions). To let us know your level of support for the policy options, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ClimateActionKamloops please take our survey here. Participation in this forum needs to be respectful and abide by moderation policy of the Let's Talk engagement website.

Big Move #1: Low-Carbon Development

By 2050, 90% of residents can access their daily needs and efficient transit within an easy walk/roll. POLICY OPTIONS: 1A - 10-Minute City Intensify growth in city cores and slow growth in outskirts by planning most new developments in existing neighborhoods  Concentrate, where possible, housing in areas well-served by transit, cycling, and walking networks to make it easier to walk and bike for daily needs 1B - Hidden Housing Solutions Encourage or require new single and semi-detached homes to be ‘secondary suite-ready’ Permit up to two accessory dwelling units per single family home along transit corridors and commercial areas and TRU (e.g. a ground floor suite & a laneway home) 1C - Green New Neighbourhoods Encourage or require higher sustainable development standards for new subdivisions through incentives or regulations (examples below): -Homes built in new neighbourhoods must achieve a higher standard of energy efficiency and/or use a low carbon energy system for space and water heating -Require enhanced protection and/or restoration of healthy ecosystems impacted by the development of new neighborhoods (e.g. green stormwater infrastructure, tree canopy requirements) 1D - Urban Containment Create an urban containment boundary that encompasses existing developed areas of the city (i.e. new development will occur only in previously developed areas of the city)

Big Move #2: Car-Light Community

TARGET: By 2050, 50% of trips in Kamloops to be by active transportation and transit. POLICY OPTIONS: 2A - Low-Emissions Superblocks and Zones Downtown superblock pilot to convert streets into areas that prioritize walking/cycling, greenspace, and/or public gathering Prioritize low-emissions vehicles in certain areas of city 2B - Active Mobility Accelerate the build-out of the cycling and walking network to make it easy, safe, and accessible to walk, cycle, and “roll” Provide incentives for E-bike and cargo-bike purchases, and secure bike parking with access to electricity Support development of micro-hubs that enable low-carbon freight delivery or shared mobility services (e.g., bike sharing, scooter sharing) 2C - Transit and School Bus Service Tune Up Optimize transit service to the community’s land use Increase transit frequency in areas of increased population and employment densities Extend school bus service to cover students who live more than 1.6 km from school (currently 4 km) Implement a walking school bus program for students who live less than 1.6 km from school 2D - City-wide Transportation Demand Management Support the implementation of transportation demand management programs that help people make fewer trips by car and use more sustainable transportation options such as transit, ridesharing, walking, and biking. 2E - Kamloops Car Share Support the development of a city-wide car-share program to reduce the number of privately-owned vehicles operating in the city and encourage more sustainable modes of transportation

Big Move #3: Zero-Emissions Transportation

TARGET: By 2050, 85% of kilometres driven by Kamloops registered passenger vehicle owners to be by zero-emissions vehicles. Click here to review a summary of the Big Moves. POLICY OPTIONS: 3A - Zero-Emissions Vehicle Strategy for Light-Duty Vehicles Advocate for stronger zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandates from provincial/federal governments Develop a public charging network and require EV charging in new developments Encourage EV adoption through incentives and outreach Develop zero-emission zones and ZEV priority parking Encourage EV car-share, taxi, and ride hailing 3B - Enhanced ZEV Strategy for Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles Support BC Transit’s Low Carbon Fleet Program which aims to replace diesel buses with electric or renewable natural gas buses Support a transition to zero-emissions school buses Explore introducing a fee for commercial loading/parking that is discounted for zero-emissions vehicles

Big Move #4: Zero-Carbon Homes & Buildings

TARGET: By 2030, all new and replacement heating and hot water systems to be zero emissions. POLICY OPTIONS: 4A - New Buildings - Community-Wide Set targets for zero-carbon new buildings and encourage low-carbon new buildings with existing tools (e.g. Step Code) Advocate to the Province for stronger zero-carbon building regulations Incentives for energy efficiency and low-carbon buildings (e.g. municipal top-up towards provincial/utility incentives) Explore incentives for energy efficient building materials and embodied carbon requirements 4B - Existing Buildings - Community-Wide Support an ambitious program to retrofit existing buildings, focusing on health, climate resilience and greenhouse gas emissions reduction Explore incentives, financing and marketing opportunities to encourage retrofits of existing buildings; leverage available grant funding whenever possible 4C - Thompson Rivers University Electrification Learn from TRU’s aggressive carbon reduction program for buildings (i.e. all new buildings to use clean energy for space and water heating; convert existing buildings by 2030) Explore opportunity to leverage for local industry capacity-building

Big Move #5: Zero-Waste/Circular Economy

TARGET: Kamloops to be a zero-waste community by 2040. POLICY OPTIONS: 5A - Zero-Waste Research and Innovation Centre Create a zero-waste research and innovation centre Support businesses for materials reuse, products as a service, upcycling, and more 5B - Local Organics Collection and Processing Capture all organic waste for beneficial end use Investigate producing biofuel from local organics for city uses (e.g. for fleet vehicles or heating civic facilities) Explore the feasibility of increasing landfill gas capture rates for beneficial end use (e.g. for fleet vehicles or generating electricity) 5C - Waste Diversion Reduce and/or divert 90% of paper, yard and wood waste from entering the landfill by 2032 Explore strategies and opportunities to reduce single-use items and plastics Implement requirements for waste diversion and materials reuse from construction and demolition sites Integrate waste systems with local energy production

Big Move #6: Renewable Energy

TARGET: This Big Move is ongoing and does not have a specific target. POLICY OPTIONS: 6A - Neighbourhood Scale Energy Explore community and neighbourhood-scale renewable energy systems and storage for long-term energy security and flexibility Support research and development opportunities with academia, energy companies, business, institutions, and the community 6B - Green Industrial Park 2.0 Position Kamloops as a research, technology, and manufacturing hub for BC’s low-carbon transition Explore flexible grid options for resilient and efficient systems that can cost-effectively handle increased loads from electric vehicles and building electrification

Big Move #7: Zero-Carbon Civic Operations

TARGET: The City of Kamloops to reduce carbon emissions from municipal operations by 40% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. POLICY OPTIONS: 7A - Zero-Carbon Civic Operations Conduct corporate energy and emissions assessment to strategically phase out fossil fuel use in buildings and fleet Support employee climate actions (e.g., green commuting, workplace EV charging) 7B - Finance and Implementation Incorporate “climate lens” in all City department work plans, in capital and operating budgets Establish internal carbon price Track and report progress Staff resources for coordination and new programs Measure, monitor, and publicly report progress 7C - Communication and Engagement Communications and marketing plan Creative community engagement

Big Move #8: Healthy Urban Ecosystem

TARGET: Increase Kamloops’ urban forest canopy cover to 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2050 to enhance our forests’ carbon storage capacity and support biodiversity. POLICY OPTIONS: 8A - Urban Forests for Climate Cooling Monitor tree protection regulations on private and public lands Expand urban tree canopy targets to include private land Develop native plant standards for public and private land Ensure access to public green space with trees and shade 8B - Protect and Heal Nature Develop local carbon offsetting program linked with biodiversity and conservation Develop City and regional biodiversity corridors and ecosystem strategy 8C - Green Infrastructure Integrate green technologies and natural vegetation (e.g. rain gardens) with infrastructure upgrades on public land