Disaster

Federation of Canadian Municipalities gives 2020 Sustainable Community Award to Campbell River

Campbell River was given yet another award. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Sustainable Communities Award recognizes the most innovative environmental initiatives in Canadian cities and communities of all sizes. There were nine winners this year. Campbell River was chosen because of the manner its Sea Level Rise Action Plan addresses Climate Change impacts.

Campbell River’s Sea Level Rise Action Plan

According to a news release on the FCM website:

“The City of Campbell River’s recently adopted Sea Level Rise Action Plan puts in motion a series of interventions to protect the community and the surrounding ecosystems from the impacts of rising sea levels. The City worked extensively with the community to create a plan that prioritizes protection of the shoreline, community infrastructure and other assets, and emphasizes building capacity through education.”

Sea levels are expected to rise half a metre by 2050 and up to a metre by 2100. This could presents a significant challenge to the city’s downtown area, which already experiences flooding when extreme weather events coincide with high tide.  

As Mayor Andy Adams explains, the city’s response ” … put Campbell River among the leaders working to plan for sea level rise and the anticipated effects on our community.”

Other Sustainable Community Award Winners

As regards the other winners, the press release lists:

  • Asset Management: City of Vernon, BC – for completing “a detailed assessment of their drainage infrastructure to identify stormwater drains needing maintenance or replacement to protect the City from future flooding.”
  • Brownfields: City of Montreal, QC – for developing “an innovative approach to collect and treat contaminants at Pointe-Saint-Charles industrial park that were migrating into the Saint Lawrence River.” 
  • Energy: Town of Raymond, AB – for installing “a series of solar PV systems on their municipal buildings, including their town hall, aquatic centre, fire hall, arena and more.” These arrays have the capacity to  “produce 1300 MWh of renewable electricity annually, meeting 100% of the electricity needs of the Town’s operations.”
  • Neighbourhoods: City of Edmonton, AB – for developing a carbon neutral “community on former municipal airport land that will house up to 30,000 residents.”
  • Transportation – co-winner: Region of Waterloo, ON – for its new ION Light Rail Transit system, which served over over 300,000 passengers during its first 11 days.
  • Transportation – co-winner: Town of Cochrane, AB – for an “on-demand local transit program (COLT) provides stop-to-stop transit service for community members, while addressing issues like affordability, inclusion and accessibility. The new program expands easy access to transit stops to over 90% of the Town’s population.”
  • Waste: Town of Canmore, AB – for “a creative and collaborative approach to neighbourhood composting that diverts more than 800 kg of food waste per day from the landfill.”
  • Water: Corporation of Loyalist Township, ON  – for creating “a constructed wetland to lower the pH of their wastewater disinfection lagoons, helping to treat wastewater with natural biological processes and the use of native vegetation. 
  • Visionary Award: Regional Districts of Central Kootenay, East Kootenay, and Kootenay Boundary, BC   – for “creates a network of more than 50 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in small communities in the Kootenays region of BC.”

2020 Sustainable Communities Conference.

The winners “will each deliver a live, TED-talk-style presentation on their projects at FCM’s virtual Sustainable Communities Conference – held on October 20-22, 2020. Recipients in each category are also eligible for the Inspire Award, given to the most creative and innovative project following the conference.”