Greener Collingwood
Greener Collingwood Corporate Climate Change Action Plan
The Town of Collingwood recognizes that it plays a role in maintaining a healthy environment and a sustainable future. Collingwood Council unanimously declared a Climate Crisis in October 2019 to demonstrate the Town’s commitment to protecting the community, economy, and ecosystems from the effects of climate change.
Climatic changes can result in a variety of unintended consequences based on location. In Collingwood, risks could include, but are not limited to, human health concerns, social equity risks, biodiversity loss, increased presence of invasive species, reduced water quality, increased natural disasters, economic challenges, and infrastructure damage.
In response to Collingwood’s Climate Crisis declaration, the Town joined The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program, which outlines a five milestone framework to guide municipalities through acknowledging and reducing emissions produced from corporate operations and community sources.
To date, the Town of Collingwood has achieved recognition for Corporate and Community Milestone 1.
- Corporate Milestone 1 illustrated that in 2019, the Town of Collingwood produced approximately 3,370 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) from corporate operations.
- Community Milestone 1 illustrated that in 2019 community emissions were estimated to be 207,218 tCO2e.
The Greener Collingwood Corporate Climate Change Action Plan serves as the framework for the Town to follow to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions and will be submitted to PCP program administrators to satisfy the requirements of Corporate Milestones 2 and 3.
The Greener Collingwood Corporate Climate Change Action Plan aims to achieve the following 3 goals to address the Town’s corporate responsibility and dedication to mitigating climate change:
- Integrate climate change and sustainability into the Town of Collingwood's corporate culture,
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum of 30% below 2019 levels by 2030, and
- become a corporate and municipal leader in sustainability initiatives and greenhouse gas reduction measures in the region.
The Corporate Climate Action Plan is divided into 5 categories with 19 actions to help integrate climate change considerations into decision-making.
As part of the Town’s commitment to combat climate change, a Community Climate Action Plan will also be created through a collaborative approach with key stakeholders and residents.
Read the full: Greener Collingwood Corporate Climate Change Action Plan
Engage with us: Engage Collingwood page coming soon
The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program is a national network of over 500 municipalities with the shared goal of acting against climate change and reducing local greenhouse gas (GHH) emissions. The PCP program provides a five-milestone framework, to guide municipalities through the creation, implementation, and monitoring of local climate action to acheive corporate and community GHG reduction targets.
Corporate Milestone 1: Create a Baseline GHG Inventory
The restults of the corporate GHG emissions inventory estimate that 3,370 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents) were produced from corporate operations in 2019.
Corporate Milestone 2: Set a Corporate Reduction Target 
As part of the adoption of the Corporate Climate Action Plan, Collingwood Council approved the GHG reduction target of: Reduce corporate GHG emissions by a minimum of 30% below 2019 levels by 2030.
Corporate Milestone 3: Create a Corporate Climate Action Plan
On April 17, 2023, Collingwood Council adopted the Greener Collingwood Climate Change Action Plan which outlines 19 actions that the Town should take to reduce corproate GHG emissions and reach the 2030 goal.
Community Milestone 1: Create a Baseline GHG Inventory
The results of the community GHG emissions inventory estimate that in 2019, Collingwood produced 207,218 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents).
Community Milestone 2: Set a Community Reduction Target
Town staff are working with Council and community stakeholders to set a Community GHG reduction target.
Corporate Milestone 3: Create a Corporate Climate Action Plan
Community engagement and consultation are important aspects in the creation of any Community Plan to ensure programs and initiatives are successfully implemented and reflect resident priorities and interests.
Public and stakeholder engagement opportunities will be scheduled prior to the release of the Community Plan to ensure a diverse range of voices and opinions are considered. The outcomes of community and stakeholder discussions will be used to inform the recommendations and programs included in the Community Climate Action Plan, to enable and encourage residents to elect more sustainable decisions.
The Town of Collingwood values the urban forest and its contribution to the liveability of our community. In addition to the environmental, social, aesthetic and economic benefits of the urban forest, the Town recognizes the importance trees have on health, quality of life, tourism, recreation and green infrastructure. The Town is committed to sustainable management of the urban forest as well as supporting community action and stewardship to maintain, renew and enhance this natural resource for future generations.
In addition to the Canopy Collingwood program, which provides financial incentives to purchase trees and set up pollinator gardens, the following work to preserve and augment the local tree canopy is currently underway, pursuant to the August 2022 update report to Council:
- Targeted update to the Urban Design Manual
- Targeted update to the Development Engineering Design Standards
- Comprehensive update (or complete re-write) to the Tree Regulation Bylaw No. 2012-084
- Creation of a site alteration bylaw
- Public consultation on those updated tools
- Implementation of the tree inventory monitoring system
Other helpful links related to our tree canopy:
- What is the Town of Collingwood doing about publicly owned trees? This includes information about the Emerald Ash Borer, tree maintenance on Town-owned lands, and the Tree Dedication Program
- Tree Pruning & Removal
- Application for Tree Destruction and/or Cutting
Collingwood is traversed by four major watercourses – Silver Creek, Black Ash Creek, Pretty River, and Batteaux River. These beautiful and valuable natural resources provide recreation for local residents and provides habitat for wildlife. Healthy rivers keep our harbour clean, helps build local economies and helps boost tourism in Collingwood. Our rivers are also essential green infrastructure for containing rain and snowmelt, diluting sewage effluent, and they also offer flood protection to the urban areas of our town.
Learn more about this project: https://www.collingwood.ca/streams
In efforts to promote water conservation and limit the stress on the Town’s filtration plant during the high-peak days of summer, the Town of Collingwood has implemented a Water By-Law (2016-66, the 2016 revised Water By-Law) which speaks to outdoor water use (Section 9) and the Outdoor Water Use Restrictions for odd/even numbered addresses for outdoor watering.
Please be mindful that outdoor water use (lawn watering, etc) is permitted from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. If your street address (house number) is an even number, you can water on even-numbered calendar days. Odd street address numbers (house numbers) can water on odd calendar days.
Collecting rainwater is a great way to create an alternative water supply and keep the bills down. Rain barrels can be placed at the end of the downspout from your roof to collect rainwater to be used to wash your car or water your lawn and garden. Rainwater is better for your plants and for the environment.
Town of Collingwood residents can purchase rain barrels at Town Hall. A maximum of two (2) rain barrels can be purchased per resident. The cost is $45.00 including tax and delivery.
Installation:
You can have a rain barrel next to your foundation, but the overflow hose should be directed at least six (6) feet away from any foundation. In the fall, rain barrels should be disconnected.
A building permit is not required for a rain barrel.
The Broader Public Sector (BPS) plays an important role in helping Ontario meet its conservation targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under Ontario Regulation 507/18 (Broader Public Sector: Energy Reporting and Conservation and Demand Management Plans), made under the Electricity Act (1998), BPS organizations are required to:
- Report annually to the Ministry of Energy, on their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and publish the reports on their websites;
- Develop a five-year conservation and demand management plan and publish the plan on their websites.
The Town of Collingwood submitted the 5-year update to its Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan to the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. This plan was approved by Council on June 10, 2019, as per RES 206-2019. This plan summarizes the Town's annual energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for its facilities. It also describes previous, current, and proposed measures for conserving and otherwise reducing the amount of energy consumed by operations, and for managing the Town's demand for energy. It includes a forecast of the expected results of current and proposed energy savings measures.
The Town of Collingwood has met the challenges of monitoring and reporting of its energy consumption, as required by Ontario Regulation 507/18, and is driven to improve the energy efficiency of our operations due to rising energy costs, energy security, and environmental concerns.
Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan 2019-2024 (PDF)
The next update to the Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan will be required by July 1, 2024.
The Town of Collingwood reports on the energy consumed by its facilities on an annual basis, which is a requirement as per Ontario Regulation 507/18 under the Electricity Act.
Annual Energy Reports
The Town of Collingwood recognizes many internal corporate efforts toward environmental sustainability and is taking action on new corporate initiatives like recycling, composting, and reducing single use plastics. To leverage these efforts and encourage expansion of actions and understanding, an internal corproate "Greener Collingwood" group has been formed to implement consistent and sustainable practices across the corporation.
The Town of Collingwood owns and operates four plug-in hybrid vehicles as part of its efforts to lower energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas production.
The purchase was made possible through the town’s current fleet vehicle replacement policy. The policy requires analysis of life-cycle fuel cost for light vehicles and includes incentives for hybrids. It ensures that consideration is given to more fuel-efficient vehicles and encourages hybrid vehicles where possible.
The vehicles purchased are plug-in hybrids that have a range of approximately 40 km on one charge. They can be charged from a regular 120 volt receptacle or by Level 2 or Level 3 electrical vehicle charging stations. When required, the gasoline engine will operate to charge the battery, propel the vehicle, or both at the same time. They also utilize regenerative braking to capture the kinetic energy of the vehicle and further charge the battery.
The vehicles will be utilized in the Public Works, Water, By-Law, and Building Departments. It is anticipated that they will operate on the electrical motor for most of their service life as the daily mileage will rarely exceed the 40 km range.
The greening of the Town’s corporate fleet also includes three electric ice resurfacing vehicles for rink maintenance and two bicycles for By-Law road patrols.
The Town of Collingwood currently operates 6 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for public use in the Pine Street parking lot and an additional 4 EV charging stations in the Ste Marie Street parking lot adjacent to the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
Parking is included in the charging cost while an electric vehicle is actively charging.
The Town continues to enforce an Idling Control By-law. This is a measure the Town has taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2022, PRC Facilities purchased and installed REALice in Central Park Arena. REALice is a water de-aerator system which eliminates the need for hot water when building and resurfacing ice between uses. By installing REALice in the arena, the Town is expected to save $2,095 a year in natural gas charges and avoid 8,059 m3 of natural gas usage annually.
The ultimate goal of stormwater management (SWM) is to maintain the health of our streams, lakes, and aquatic life, as well as provide opportunities for human uses of water by mitigating the effects of urban development. Every new development must incorporate SWM into their design. The Town has assumed a number of these SWM facilities. These include quantity and quality SWM ponds, as well as in some applications, oil grit separators (stormceptor). These facilities are inspected and tested regularly. Most are inspected annually however in some cases they are inspected several times a year. A detailed inventory of all inspection, testing, and maintenance is kept on all of the Town owned facilities. It is imperative that the maintenance is kept up on these facilities as it is a requirement of the Ministry of Environment approval as well as it is good for the environment.
The Town of Collingwood has a salt management plan that is currently under review by staff and will be presented to Council sometime later in 2023. The current plan must be reviewed in conjunction with our level of service standards to ensure that we can effectively deliver our winter maintenance services and manage the use of road salt, as outlined in Environment Canada’s Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts. The current plan is very effective, however, opportunities for improvement are being explored.
Georgian Bay Forever The Diversion 2.0 Program and Diverting and capturing microplastics in Collingwood
Volunteer for a FREE filter for your washing machine
Georgian Bay Forever is looking for 300 Collingwood households to volunteer for a FREE washing machine filter.
How do you qualify?
Volunteers must use their washing machine year-round and be connected to Collingwood Town water.
There must be space for the filter unit - which is about the size of a large vertical paper towel dispenser.
Georgian Bay Forever needs some volunteer participation over the course of 2 years, which includes a short survey about laundry habits and emptying the filter every 2-3 weeks in a provided bag that will be picked up for measurement.
If you feel that you qualify, please email brooke.harrison@gbf.org.
Downloadable 2 page PDF on the qualifications if you want to share or print it out by clicking here: Qualifications for Free filter
Our daily choices have a measurable impact on the Environment called a 'Carbon Footprint' - the total amount of greenhouse gasses that are generated by our daily activities. Five key areas impact our footprint - energy, transportation, travel, food & water, and consumption & waste. With your carbon footprint and our community footprint, we can find ways to reduce our emissions and help our planet. As a community we can make change happen together.
How to get started:
- Measure your carbon footprint today
- Act - learn how and choose ways to reduce your carbon footprint
- Impact - all of our lifestyle choices will have a positive impact for ourselves, our community, and the planet.
Join us! We need 400+ households to complete their carbon footprint to measure our overall community footprint. Then the challenge to take individual and collective action to reduce our carbon footprint. By 2030 we need to reduce our footprint by 50% that’s 8% per year. We can do it! Hope abounds when we take action together.
We are already a good part of the way to achieving our 400+ household goal. Individuals and over 28 teams have joined in. Help us get to that number sooner.
Your information is private to you and your household. We collect the summary information for the community footprint. This information will be shared with the Town as they build the Community Climate Action Plan.
Yes, I want to measure my impact and join in our community’s effort for the healthy and sustainable future for all. Measure now.
Questions or for support: contact us at collingwoodcat@gmail.com.
Keeping Collingwood clean and green is everyone’s responsibility. While the Town does its part to keep the community litter-free, your help is needed too! How can you get involved?
- Pickup litter around Town while out on walks to reconnect with nature and get fresh air.
- Report litter and waste that has been dumped in the community by contacting the Town, so that Staff may respond.
- Divert waste from landfills by recycling or composting materials when and where possible. For example, use curbside green and blue bins.
- Reduce waste by giving old items new life instead of throwing them away. For example, using old containers for storage and donating items.
- Prevent waste by stopping it before it's created. For example, choose to buy goods with little/no packaging.