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This past year has been a critical one for LC3, as the network completed foundational work on multiple fronts and advanced activities on both the local and National levels. The LC3 Network is well and truly launched. Here are the highlights. All seven LC3 Centres officially up and running. The LC3 Network hit a milestone in January 2022, shifting from start-up phase to full implementation following the final transfer of funds to the newest of the seven LC3 Centres. Over 100 community leaders participating in local governance. Local boards and advisory committees have been established, including representatives from municipal government, investing, academia, environmental action, impact analysis, economic development and more. Six shared metrics were established. The LC3 Network co-created and implemented a shared Theory of Change and performance measurement framework to allow apples-to-apples comparison of work outcomes for learning purposes. Along with reviewing GHG impact and jobs benefits, new metrics…

Continue Reading LC3 in 2022 – Celebrating our shift from start-up phase to full implementation

Enable scale-up of low carbon actions and equitable community benefits LC3 TODAY Canada has committed to a target of reducing carbon emissions to 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to achieving net-zero status by 2050. To achieve these challenging targets, immediate action must be taken in our cities – the source of 60% of Canada’s carbon emissions. Hundreds of Canadian municipalities have now declared climate emergencies and created ambitious carbon action plans. Municipal leaders are a driving force for reducing carbon, but we can’t expect them to go it alone. Success will only come when all community partners come together to deploy local solutions. LC3’s Theory of Change (ToC) is meant to illustrate how we will activate urban climate solutions that have the potential to achieve full-scale implementation across Canada, and how we intend to bridge the implementation gap to enable the full-scale deployment of solutions that benefit…

Continue Reading Explainer: LC3 Theory of Change

Priority Municipal Actions to Enable Zero Emission Vehicle Adoption Hundreds of Canadian municipalities have declared a climate emergency, and cities across Canada are looking for new and effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their communities. Effective municipal responses need to address transportation as a leading source of emissions, and sustainable transportation strategies should enable the rapid adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). But how can municipalities leverage their authority and community connections to accelerate ZEV uptake? And which programs and policies should they prioritize? Based on extensive modelling of municipal ZEV strategies coast-to-coast, Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) and the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) co-created this guide with Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors to identify and prioritize the highest-impact municipal actions for electrifying how people, goods and services move around. ➜ View the resource to learn about the six priority actions, how to go about them, why to choose…

Continue Reading The Unique Role of Canadian Cities in Accelerating Zero-Emission Transportation

LC3 Case Studies Context Quebec recently passed legislation and regulatory plans to accelerate school bus electrification by March 2024, with goal to replace 65% of Quebec’s school bus fleet by 2030. Considering Quebec’s school bus electrification rate is currently 1%, this would entail a yearly replacement rate of 570 diesel buses through to 2030, which has raised feasibility concerns from Quebec’s bus operator association FTA (the Fédération des transporteurs par autobus). While few technical implementation risks are thought to exist, financial and behavioural shifts are a major concern to operators and managers who will have to replace entire fleets and business models in a very short amount of time. This is where the Greater Montreal Climate Fund (GMCF) and Propulsion Quebec are offering a solution driven by local climate targets and community priorities. Supporting both climate and social solutions While this project will not directly account for decarbonising all of…

Continue Reading Greater Montreal Climate Fund (GMCF): Propulsion Quebec’s School Bus Electrification Project – A Digital Guide for Operators

LC3 Case Study Setting the Stage In Nova Scotia, climate action and commitments are strong at both the provincial level and at municipal orders of government. Halifax’s climate plan, HalifACT: Acting on Climate Together is considered one of the most ambitious climate plans in Canada. A number of funding programs are available in the Province for climate action, including the long-existing Low Carbon Communities (LCC) program, funding through the cap and trade program, and a newly established Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund which will provide $15M in climate action funding over three years. In addition, there are a number of programs available to support clean transportation, including provincial rebates for new and used electric vehicles and ebikes. HCi3’s Grant Program During the development of HCi3’s first Grant Program, it became clear that the program would need to differentiate from other existing local funding programs. Finding HCi3’s niche proved to be very…

Continue Reading HCi3: Grant Program, Refining the focus areas

LC3 Case Studies Context In 2021-22 TAF continued its support to municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) to set Green Building Standards to ensure new construction is socially, economically and environmentally responsible. Cities and towns in the GTHA are growing fast and buildings are the number one source of carbon pollution. Requiring new buildings to meet stringent energy performance standards means they will not be increasing the challenge of meeting local emission reduction targets. As a result, Green Development Standards are one of the most powerful climate actions municipalities can take. Supporting both climate and social solutions Buildings built to green standards feature quality doors and windows, water efficient fixtures, good insulation, high-efficiency heating and cooling, and airtightness with good ventilation. These technologies and techniques are readily available now in the marketplace. While cost varies depending on the building type and community-specific Green Development Standards, there is…

Continue Reading TAF: Supporting adoption of Green Development Standards for new buildings

LC3 Case Studies Context The City of Vancouver’s 2016 Zero Emissions Building Plan plotted a path to make almost all new buildings in Vancouver zero-emissions buildings by 2030. Part of the plan included supporting the local building industry with a Centre of Excellence. The Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx) was launched in July 2018 and is Canada’s first Centre of Excellence focused exclusively on decarbonizing the building sector. ZEBx collaborates with governments and the building industry to facilitate knowledge exchange, disseminate information, showcase excellence and grow a community of practice with an aim to accelerate action for effective market transformation, specifically, decarbonization of the building sector. What started as a Centre of Excellence for Vancouver focused on reducing operational emissions in new buildings has now become a Centre of Excellence for B.C. as a whole, including northern communities, focused on reducing operational and embodied emissions in new and existing buildings.…

Continue Reading ZEBx: A dedicated decarbonization hub

LC3 Case Studies Ottawa has committed to an ambitious goal: 90 per cent of all new passenger vehicles purchased in the city being EV by 2030, and growing that to 100 per cent by 2040. Meeting this goal would result in avoiding approximately 600,000 tonnes of CO2e cumulative through 2030 and approximately 1.1 million tonnes of CO2e per year in 2050. The challenge Adoption of EVs to date has been slow, with only 2.6 per cent of new passenger vehicles purchased in 2021 being electric. The good news is, after learning more about EVs and participating in test drives, adoption of the vehicles grows substantially. In fact, according to research by Plug ‘n Drive in Toronto, likelihood to purchase an EV within six moths of a test drive soared by two to three times. The solution EnviroCentre has launched EV Experience, with support from OCAF the Ottawa Community Foundation and…

Continue Reading Ottawa Climate Action Fund (OCAF): Supporting EnviroCentre’s EV Experience to drive electric vehicle adoption

LC3 Case studies Context The building stock accounts for 40-60% of greenhouse gas emissions in Edmonton and Calgary. In order to achieve meaningful emissions reductions and address our current climate crisis, we need to address energy use in our building sector and perform deep energy retrofits of our current building stock, quickly bring retrofit activity to scale. During CIF’s stakeholder engagement process, participants highlighted the fact that to accelerate this change, we need to improve the value case for energy efficiency and demand response technologies, as well as improve data collection and access to private financing. This pilot project will use cutting edge data extrapolation and visualization approaches provided by a data innovation company called Audette. Fifty-three buildings are participating in this first iteration of the Alberta Ecotrust program. Enabling identification and aggregation of commercial building retrofits Commercial building owners need to understand technically and financially how to decarbonize their…

Continue Reading Climate Innovation Fund (CIF): Accelerating Retrofits in Commercial Buildings

A mid-sized white produce truck idles in the streets of Vancouver. Its contents, destined for delivery in grocery stores tomorrow in Calgary, will soon begin to rot, but the highway out of the city has been washed out by a sudden rainstorm. Finlay was tired. He had been on the road since the early hours of the morning and he had planned on a quick turnaround trip. He wonders where he will sleep tonight in this expensive city. It’s not the first time roads have been blocked due to extreme weather, and experts warn this will further increase food prices inland, leaving vulnerable people hungry. Meanwhile, stuck in traffic, the truck engine grumbles, the muffler burps, and exhaust fumes float up to the atmosphere seeding the beginnings of another storm. A deepening gap between rich and poor. Housing affordability. Indigenous reconciliation. Mass global migration and conflict. Embedded racism. Climate change.…

Continue Reading Scaling Up Climate Action Through Multi-Solving