Mayor Miller Unveils Ambitious Green Plan
Posted March 23, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto Mayor David Miller rolled out an ambitious plan Friday to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 80 percent over the next four decades.
Miller laid out the framework for his green plan to reduce emissions by six percent in the city by 2012, 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
The plan, called Change is in the Air: Toronto’s Commitment to an Environmentally Sustainable Future, also calls for a 20 percent reduction in smog-causing pollutants by 2012.
This strategy includes 27 actions that residents, businesses and government can take to clear the air, which have been divided into a number of categories, including natural gas; gasoline; diesel; electricity; solid waste; comprehensive actions and an adaptation strategy. Here are some highlights:
- Retrofit 50 percent of single family homes and small businesses by 2020
- Mandatory green building standards for new buildings, including businesses and residences, by no later than 2012
- Annual parking or motor vehicle registration fee to fund retrofits and renewable energy
- Cut small engine use by 50 percent by 2020
- Require all large food retailers to indicate the food kilometres (shipping distance) for 10 commonly used types of produce by 2012
- Convert all City fleet that runs on diesel, including Agencies, Boards and Commissions, to biodiesel (B50 in summer, B20 in winter) by 2015
- Eliminate use of incandescent bulbs in all City-owned buildings, including Agencies, Boards and Commissions, by 2012
- Aggressively expand deep lake water cooling to meet 90 percent of space cooling needs (to replace air conditioning) along the waterfront and in the downtown core by 2020
- Meet 25 percent of energy demand in the Toronto urban area from renewable sources by 2020
“The exciting thing for me about this framework is that it’s real,” Miller said.
“We know the kind of actions outlined in here work . We also know that Torontonians very much want to do the right thing.”
The mayor did not outline how much this ambitious plan will cost or how it will be funded. The city’s budget will be released Monday and Miller said it would be difficult not to raise property taxes to fund projects.
The city will hold consultations beginning in April in which citizens can learn more about this plan and provide their suggestions.
Some are prepared to pay more taxes to make Toronto a greener place to live.
“I think we have to,” Chris Stonelap said outside City Hall Friday.
To read the city’s entire plan, click here (.pdf file).
