City council approves $19-billion LEC plan in principle

Saskatoon city council took the next step in solidifying the Low Emissions Community (LEC) Plan on Monday, passing a recommendation to begin developing strategies for initiatives in the plan.

The proposed $19-billion plan is eyeing a 15-per-cent decrease in carbon emissions by 2023, with an ultimate goal of an 80-per-cent decrease by 2050.

Councillors Cynthia Block, Sarina Gersher, Hillary Gough, Zach Jeffries, Mairin Loewen and Ann Iwanchuk and Mayor Charlie Clark voted in favour of moving forward with the principles of the climate action plan.

The vote opens the doorway to more in-depth consultations with business leaders and homeowners on what areas of the plan have public support, and which do not.

The LEC plan includes 40 action items to achieve the goals. These include initiatives to electrify the city’s fleet of vehicles and to retrofit city buildings to make them more energy efficient. But the suggestions also include a possible cap on the amount of electricity any new home or business could consume, and mandating solar panels on all new construction in the city.

City staff noted on Monday evening the $19-billion price tag includes all potential spending by the city, businesses and homeowners over the 30-year life of the plan to enact all of the initiatives. The actual cost to city hall would be approximately $6.1 billion.

The plan’s authors estimate that if all of the 40 action items were implemented over 30 years, the city as a whole could end up saving $33 billion in costs associated with federal carbon tax payments, lower maintenance and fuel and electricity bills.

Councillors Troy Davies, Randy Donauer, Bev Dubois and Darren Hill voted against moving forward with the document as a guiding force in the city’s climate policy.

Clark said the LEC plan is not only creating advances in Saskatoon, but also making the city a leader in tackling climate change.

“Cities are on the front lines when it comes to a lot of these issues,” he said after the meeting. “As the largest city in Saskatchewan, we have a chance to show leadership in preparing this.”

Throughout Monday’s meeting a number of concerned citizens, representatives from organizations, as well as experts in the climate change field addressed council and delivered their opinions on the LEC plan.

There were concerns over the city’s urgency, the future of the climate as a whole, health of residents and the overall price tag of the plan.

Most of the public speakers voiced support for the plan, including Saskatoon Home Builder’s Association CEO Chris Guerette — though she did express some doubts about mandated building code changes included in the action items.

In voting against endorsement of the plan, Dubois questioned the wording of the new recommendations. She said she didn’t feel as though there was a clear indication of some of its financial implications.

Another councillor who voiced their displeasure was Donauer. He said in moving on with consultations, it was a “council endorsement of the plan.” He added he wasn’t comfortable in relying on city hall forecasts 30 years into the future regarding the plan’s costs.

Clark said he understands that many people have questions about the 30-year plan. He hopes the next step will begin to answer questions, and help people understand more about the 40 action items suggested in the LEC plan.

Clark emphasized that more drastic options, which include mandating change in the private and residential sectors, may never be approved by future city councils.

“In my view, the backlash comes largely because people I don’t think quite understand what’s coming,” he said.

“We need to have very clear, practical, smart conversations about the real implications of this, the costs of not doing it, and that the city is not going about trying to force changes on the way people live.”

Additionally, council voted 6-5 to have the opportunity to consider including spending on the LEC plan action items in upcoming budget talks.