Editor's note: The original version of this story incorrectly identified Blake Rogers as sustainability coordinator based on the City of Whitehorse's Sept. 2 agenda for the Development Services Committee. In fact, the agenda is outdated. Rogers is the city's program manager of sustainability services.
The City of Whitehorse is considering adopting its first ever climate action plan.
The final draft of the climate action plan looks at how the city can reduce carbon emissions as well as prepare for a changing climate. It was presented in front of council on an unseasonably warm Sept. 2 standing committee meeting.
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The City of Whitehorse declared a climate emergency in 2019 and is now considering a climate action plan for 2025 to 2030.
Blake Rogers, a program manager for the city's sustainability services department, called the plan "an inch deep and a mile wide."
"It's a very broad-based plan which covers a lot of different ground," Rogers said. "Understandably, there would be a lot of different perspectives on those different pieces."
The City of Whitehorse declared a climate emergency in 2019 and is now considering a climate action plan for 2025 to 2030.
The plan is made up of seven areas where the City has control and influence in preparing for climate change. The areas include transportation, emergency management, buildings and infrastructure, community education and engagement, waste and materials, corporate leadership, and natural assets and greenspaces.
Each component proposes goals, such as the city working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles within city limits.
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The plan then presents strategies to achieve those goals. For example, when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, the plan pitches making public transit and active transportation more accessible.
The plan then offers actions associated with those strategies, like improving transit service for the Whistle Bend-Porter Creek-Second Avenue corridor, as well as looking at developing a separated bike trail from Whistle Bend to Marwell/Industrial. Each policy goal comes with a cost estimate, as well as an estimate of the level of resources needed.
This pattern continues for all of the focus areas associated with the plan.
Councillors praised the plan, which will be up for formal adoption at next week's council meeting.
Mayor Kirk Cameron raised issue with what he said was the "passing reference" to the landslide issues at the escarpment along Robert Service Way.
"I don't see a full assessment, if you will, around all of the vulnerabilities that we potentially could be facing in the city of Whitehorse," Cameron said.
Planning and sustainability manager Mélodie Simard said that type of assessment is very much part of the plan, under the focus area of emergency management.
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She said the city is working on completing an assessment of all critical city infrastructure to help prioritize certain infrastructure in the context of climate change-related risk.
Coun. Lenore Morris celebrated the plan, but said she didn't see many examples of "carrots and sticks."
Rogers said the finer details are still to be determined. However, he said that there are designated departments for each action contained within the plan, and the plan does make these departments obliged to follow through.
The plan will come back to council for official adoption on Sept. 8.
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