Regina executive committee votes in favour of 'ambitious' plan to reach net-zero emissions

The City of Regina’s executive committee voted in favour of an “ambitious” plan to make Regina a net zero, 100 per cent renewable city by 2050.

More than a dozen delegates spoke in favour of the energy and sustainability framework at Thursday’s special executive committee meeting.

The plan is based on a “reduce, improve, switch” principle, which highlights the need to reduce energy and increase efficiency during the city’s transition to renewable energy sources, according to a report from city administration.

The energy and sustainability framework tackles seven big moves:

• Building retrofits
• Clean heating
• Net zero new construction
• Renewable energy generation
• Low-emissions vehicles
• Increase active transportation and transit use
• Cleaning and re-energizing industry

Retrofits will target city facilities to reduce energy consumption. In certain cases, solar panels will be installed in locations such as the Wascana and Maple Leaf Pools and the Regina Police Service Headquarters.

The framework would also launch a residential home retrofit program to make the changes more affordable for homeowners.

Yvette Crane, a member of Regina Energy Transition, told the committee that building retrofits is an easy fix and a good place to start.

“Energy retrofits of buildings and dealing with our heating and our cooling in our buildings in the city has got to be among the top things,” Crane said.

“I also see and talk to a lot of people out there who are ready to do their part and they want to see action.”

According to the city, about 69 per cent of Regina’s greenhouse gas emissions come from energy use in buildings.

The city estimates Regina’s total emissions are 1.7 times higher than the national average and 4.7 times higher than the global average.

SaskPower has a goal to cut power grid emissions in half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050, which the city said would play a big role in its own targets.

“Naturally the grid is improving. It’s getting cleaner everyday,” said Matt Pointer, founder of the Saskatchewan Electric Vehicle Association.

“Every year that passes an electric vehicle gets cleaner in the province of Saskatchewan.”

The framework includes transitioning to alternative fuel buses, switching to electric fleet vehicles and installing charging infrastructure.

The city will also take efforts to increase transit use, walking and cycling to help reduce emissions from transportation, according to the framework.

“I see the active transportation and public transportation as the low hanging fruit right now,” Pointer said.

“If we can electrify transit and get more people riding bikes … that would certainly be a win.”

City administration projects more than $12.5 billion in net financial benefit for the overall community by 2050 and $18 billion by 2100. An $11.5 billion community-wide investment is needed to achieve the benefits, according to a city report.

The framework is expected to create more than 4,000 fulltime equivalent jobs per year through to 2050 as the city transitions to net zero emissions.

City council is expected to vote on the framework at its next meeting on March 30.