Climate Action Charter Not Tied to Grants

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C. -  Concerns raised that  Municipalities  could expect Provincial funding to be tied to success of  greenhouse gas reduction targets would appear to be  unfounded, but  just n case,  the legislation that is in question will be passed to the  City Staff and Financial  Services to see if there are any links possible  connections.

The Ministry of Community Services announcement indicated that once Bill 27 (Local Government Green Communities Statutes Amendment Act, 2008) comes into force, local governments will be required to include greenhouse gas emission targets, policies and actions in their Official Community Plans.

Local governments will also be able to use development permits to promote energy and water conservation and the reduction of greenhouse gases, and encourage alternative transportation options for off-street parking. In addition, mandatory and discretional Development Cost Charges will be created to encourage compact higher densitydevelopment.

The Ministry of Community Services announcement referred to the Climate Action Charter as part of the announcement on Bill 27. The Climate Action Charter commits interested local governments, theProvince BC and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to work together to find ways to tackle the challenges posed by climate change, pledging to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, but there  is nothing that legally binds the City to the Charter.

City staff say the charter  clearly states : “This Charter is not intended to be legally binding or impose legal obligations on any Party and will have no legal effect.”

Still, in sending the material back to City Staff the  Mayor Colin Kinsley asked  staff to "Look for any of those land mines that might be  attached to that legislation."  Staff have also agreed to  have some stakeholder consultation as there are some  construction requirements that should be  discussed with  local builders.

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