MAPLETON – In September, Mapleton and Centre Wellington Townships created a new climate change coordinator position and hired former Mapleton councillor Martin Tamlyn to fill the role.
His responsibilities include developing a corporate and community climate action plan and tracing, implementing and reporting energy use and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
In his first report to council as climate change coordinator, Tamlyn recommended that the township approve a 10-year membership with Sustainable Waterloo Region’s impact network for about $3,500 annually and apply to the Green Municipal Fund’s Community Building Retrofit Program, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Pathway Studies.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the top priority of his work, Tamyln said, particularly for municipal vehicles and heating and cooling municipal buildings.
Tamlyn presented a report to Mapleton councillors on Jan. 28 to update them on his work as climate change coordinator and offer recommendations for next steps.
According to his report, the “highest-impact solutions” in Mapleton include protecting ecosystems, increasing forest canopy, reducing methane and nitrous oxide emissions, building soil carbon and implementing energy conservation and efficiency measures for buildings and transportation.
Tamlyn’s report outlines how climate change is increasing the frequency of “severe climate-related weather events that negatively impact” Mapleton residents.
“Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns present many risks to infrastructure, agriculture, public health, ecological systems, water resources and seasonal activities,” it states.
According to the report, while municipalities’ direct greenhouse gas emissions account for between three and eight per cent of community emissions, municipalities control or influence between 40 and 50% of their communities’ emissions.
Municipalities can take “climate action … through energy conservation measures, operational efficiencies, policy development, partnerships, programs and education,” it states.
“Reducing carbon contributes to the global effort to address climate change and helps municipalities save money, reduce risks and improve the communities’ overall well-being and economic prosperity,” the report notes.
“Any of these environmental and sustainable considerations and changes or retrofits or making buildings more air tight etcetera is not only reducing our (ecological) footprint, but we’re also looking at the bottom line of the money we are saving as well,” Tamlyn added.
This is particularly significant at higher-energy intensive facilities including the PMD Arena, Moorefield Community Centre, Mapleton Health Centre, Public Works Operation Centre and the Drayton Roads Garage, he said.
“We’re integrating all our building condition assessments and our replacement schedules and working with [Mapleton public works director Jamie Morgan] and basically creating an energy team in which we look at our priorities and opportunities based on some of the things that we are already going to be doing anyway,” Tamlyn said.
“By putting [climate] considerations in everything we do, we can focus on energy conservation, operational efficiencies, policy development, partnerships and programs in education and ecosystem protection enhancement,” he added.
Recommendations
Tamlyn recommended that Mapleton join Sustainable Waterloo Region’s (SWR) impact network and apply to the Green Municipal Fund’s Community Building Retrofit Program, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Pathway Studies.
Council voted unanimously in favour of both recommendations.
The building retrofit program funds up to $200,000 and up to “80% of the costs associated with conducting energy audits, identifying energy conservation measures and timelines, and integrating climate considerations into municipal operations (planning, procurement, asset management, and budget allocation),” Tamlyn’s report stated.
“Eligible costs also include staffing, energy tracking software and professional services.”
Sustainable Waterloo Region
SWR is a community nonprofit, mostly volunteer-run organization that supports sustainability.
It offers “fantastic data tracking and reporting” software, Tamyln said, which “covers all aspects of transportation, waste and in fact anything that’s really important to us.”
Joining SWR’s impact network comes with access to impact tool software that “helps organizations manage and reduce emissions by providing real-time insights, detailed reports, and graphs,” his report states.
“Municipalities can set and measure targets and make data-driven decisions for sustainability with the support of the Impact Network team,” it continues.
Tamlyn said the County of Wellington uses Energy Cap to track data that would cost Mapleton $4,200 annually to adopt.
SWR impact network membership would cost Mapleton $3,353 annually over its 10-year membership, plus annual consumer price index increases, and “would provide that software, that peer-to-peer support and working with other municipalities in the region,” Tamlyn noted.
“So that’s even cheaper than having the software, which we do need.”
SWR would also support the township through the process of adopting the software.
“Other member benefits include expert coaching, peer-to-peer and other networking opportunities, education and training, reporting and target setting, and community recognition,” Tamlyn’s report stated.
“Membership to the network is purposefully for a 10-year period, emphasizing the commitment to climate action.”
SWR executive director Tova Davidson presented to council during the Jan. 28 meeting and shared that the organization has recently expanded its boundaries to include Wellington County, Perth and Oxford County “because there isn’t somebody like us in your counties.”
In 2023, Davidson said SWR worked with 230 volunteers, 120 businesses, planted more than 1,000 trees, connected with 1,8000 students in schools.
The organization does climate action work with each of Waterloo Region’s eight municipalities.
SWR also helped to create Canada’s first net-positive multi-tennant office building, Davidson said.
She said the adjustments to make the building energy neutral added 5 to 8% to the construction costs, while “the developer/owner makes $250,000 a year more” through excess energy.
“That’s the work we do over and over and over again – try to find the place were we can be more resilient environmentally and economically,” Davidson said.
“SWR is committed to being able to support people to move in the right way – in a way that makes a better future, not just environmentally.”
Councillor Michael Martin said “it’s nice to see that there are organizations that do take the cost of climate action seriously as well, because it can certainly be a money pit with very little return at times.
“So I think when the two go hand in hand it can be a beautiful thing,” he said.
“Sustainability is actually a really good business decision,” Davidson said.
Finance director Patrick Kelly said “there isn’t an existing budget allocation for a membership such as this.
“The 2025 budget includes strictly the staffing costs associated with Martin’s position.”
Membership to SWR would fall under the township’s memberships budget line, Kelly said, “so it would be considered an unbudgeted expense for this year.”
Mapleton’s next steps
Tamlyn said other next steps for Mapleton’s sustainability include:
- developing and adapting a corporate climate action plan;
- identifying and securing climate budget allocation and funding sources;
- facilitating a community-led climate action plan, establishing a natural asset inventory (including forests and wetlands that enhance climate resilience, offer cost-effective green infrastructure and are recommended for regulatory compliance); and
- updating the township’s website to include a climate action page with a vision statement, links to reports, initiatives and funding, a climate action dashboard, best practices and ways to get involved.
