Environmental Sustainability

We will integrate greenspaces and parks throughout our community, and conserve and enhance natural areas by:

• Protecting environmental features and maintaining green corridors to connect natural areas
• Acquiring and protecting parkland to enhance outdoor recreational activities
• Adding to our trail network to enable residents to connect to natural spaces

Action Plan 2023-2026

Manage our natural environment to adapt to a changing climate, in the context of our urban development, through developing and implementing the following:

• Urban Forest Management Plan
• Land Acquisition Plan including Parkway lands
• Oakville Harbours Plan

We will minimize the impact that the town has on climate change by:

• Incorporating climate mitigation and adaptation planning into policy, operational procedures, and risk management across all department areas
• Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and conserving energy across municipal facilities and operations
• Supporting community energy efficiency and GHG emission reduction initiatives

Action Plan 2023-2026

Mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage in the community and the corporation, to enhance climate action through the following:

• Continuing to implement the Corporate Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan towards achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2050 for all corporate activities
• Reviewing and updating the Community Energy Plan in partnership with community stakeholders
• Climate Action and Sustainability Policy Review
• Evaluating and exploring opportunities for district energy
• Promoting home energy retrofits through education and outreach, and support energy efficiency opportunities for renovations and new builds

We will identify and manage environmental risks and build resiliency in our infrastructure and services by:

• Understanding potential vulnerabilities and ensuring resiliency of natural and built assets in the face of more frequent and severe extreme weather events
• Promoting environmental stewardship to protect resources and natural areas from effects of climate change

Action Plan 2023-2026

Minimize the effect of climate impacts related to our corporate operations, to address the climate emergency through the following:

• Aligning with recommendations from the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures
• Developing and implementing Corporate Climate Resiliency Plans
• Technological optimizations to reduce power and waste
• Rainwater Management Plan

Community resilience in partnership with faith and community organizations