As a companion to the previous Context for #Sooke Climate Action post, I've assembled this reference library of links from local and regional levels primarily, but also with highlights from provincial, federal, United Nations and non-governmental sources. All are related, directly or indirectly, to climate action. (i.e., a bit of a stretch, but I've mentioned local green spaces, sports leagues and playing fields since each contributes to personal and community health ~ an unappreciated, intangible but essential contribution as argued effectively here; "When it comes to achieving a healthy planet for healthy people, we believe human health must become a leading indicator for environmental progress," writes the two UN-affiliated authors, who certainly are adept at  "big-tenting" a critical issue that affects us all.)

There are many valid and substantial reasons to talk proud about past and current community action,  which I've documented to a degree below (yes, I've missed much, including everything prior to 2008 or so, and will happily receive tips for additions).

Also highlighted is the solid, ongoing, and accelerating work from the District of Sooke and the Capital Regional District; the missing link, especially in municipal operations, is some kind of GHG measurement tool with baseline starting points by which to weigh decisions and chart progress. (Saanich, with its dedicated staff and enviable $2-million-plus annual climate action budget, and Maple Ridge reports out annually on a full spectrum of local government measurables, community carbon included.) 

I'll add that it's reassuring to be reminded that our emergency professionals have our back in the event of calamity, whether that be climate-change's or Cascadia's fault.  Now it's all of our turns to step up, acknowledge and meet the crisis head-on by dramatically reducing our personal carbon footprints in this turnaround decade and beyond (as per former Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC Director Seth Klein's urgent yet practical call to engage in A Good War.) 


"The District of Sooke is a BC Climate Action Community, consistent with the objectives of the Strategic Plan and District Council’s commitment to demonstrate leadership in climate action. As a signatory to the Climate Action Charter since 2008, Sooke has demonstrated its commitment to work with the Province and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to act on climate change and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in municipal operations and the community. This commitment was reaffirmed in April 2019 when the District passed a climate emergency declaration." (from the preface of the Parks & Trails Master Plan, 2020) 

~ Sooke Official Community Plan (2010, pp. 27-42 re: land use policy, energy/climate, food security & quality of life)
~ CRD Regional Growth Strategy + PDF
~ Sooke Sustainable Development Strategy (2008)
~ Sooke Town Centre Plan (2009) 
~ DOS library of Plans and Reports
~ Sooke 2016 Census Profile 

~ Otter Point OCP (2014)
~ Shirley & Jordan River OCP (2018)
~ East Sooke OCP (2018)

~ District of Sooke Climate Action website page 

~ Sooke Climate Action Committee: "The purpose of the Climate Action Committee is to provide advice to Council and recommend policies that will assist the District to achieve a reduction in all carbon emissions by 40-50%, both corporately and in the community, by 2030."
~ Sooke Community Economic Development Committee: "The purpose of the Select Committee on Community Economic Development is to provide recommendations to Council regarding community economic development initiatives that focus on building fairer and stronger local economies, tackling poverty and homelessness, and investing in sustainable communities (Canadian Community Economic Development Network definition)."
~ Sooke Land Use and Development Committee:  "The purpose of the Select Committee on Land Use and Development is to provide recommendations to Council regarding land use policies and development procedures, with focus given to the implementation of statutory plans/local area plans/master plans, housing policy, sustainable development practices, environmental policy, harbour improvement, farmland protection, and maintaining compatibility of building bylaw regulations and the zoning bylaw.

~ Sooke Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP, 2014)

~ Sooke Climate Emergency Declaration (passed unanimously by council on April 8, 2019; Sooke was the 162nd local government in the world to pass an emergency declaration; the first was the Melbourne, Australia suburb of Darebin on Dec. 5, 2016; as of Feb. 19 this year, 1,890 jurisdictions representing 826 million people have declared emergencies.) 

~ OCP Interim Engagement Summary (Feb. 2021, one of eight themes heard from the public in the Official Community Plan review so far is "the need to develop the OCP through the lenses of compassion and climate action.")
​
​~ CRD Climate Change website page
​~ CRD Climate Emergency Declaration (Feb. 2019)
~ Climate Change Annual Report (2019)   
~ Climate Change Strategies (2017, planned for review in 2021) + PDF 
​~ CRD Climate Projections for the Capital Region (2017 PDF report ... in brief: drier summers marked by extended droughts combined with wetter winters featuring heavy storm events) 

~ Sooke is a member of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC)
- Territorial Analysis and Survey of Local Government Priorities for Climate Action (PDF, Sept. 2020) 
- Climate Action Goals (PDF draft report, Dec. 2020; for discussion and potential adoption at AVICC conference in May, 2021) 

~ AVICC, in turn, is a member of the Union of BC Municipalities 
- UBCM Climate Action Recommendations for a Low-Carbon Future (2020) + PDF 
~ Gas Tax Agreement (important Community Works Fund source for local government infrastructure) 
~ Local government funding programs 
~ UBCM 2020 Resolutions Book (see transportation, land use and environmental items throughout, including pp. 72-29, pg. 103 and pp. 129-140 ... Province of BC response T/C) 
~ Provincial Responses to UBCM Climate Change Resolutions - 2019 (see pp. 147-166)  
~ Nelson Councillor Brittny Anderson's report on climate and forest resolutions at UBCM's 2020 convention 
~ Vancouver Sun: "Climate At Top of the Agenda at UBCM 2019 Conference" 

~ UBCM, in turn, is a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities 
- FCM Climate and Sustainability overview 
- Green Municipal Fund 

~ Near-definitive list: Funding opportunities for local government climate action programs
(via Society for Ecological Restoration, Western Canada Branch)  

~ Government of British Columbia: ~ CleanBC (2018) + PDF 
Regarding local governments, CleanBC states "they will play a critical role in areas such as developing new clean energy sources, supporting active and cleaner transportation options and helping B.C. transition to zero waste. Their ongoing efforts to make communities more compact, complete and energy-efficient are essential to this strategy’s success. B.C. local governments are leaders on climate action, managing their corporate and community wide GHG emissions and creating clean, compact, more energy efficient communities." 

~ Government of Canada 
- Canada's Climate Plan (Dec. 2020) + PDF 
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms + Charter Guide 
- Environment and Climate Change Canada + Funding programs + Current funding opportunities 
- Bill C-12: An act respecting transparency and accountability in Canada’s efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050 (third reading: June 22, 2021) + Feedback from Ecojustice, The Financial Post, The Toronto Star and The David Suzuki Foundation. 
 
~ International 
- The Paris Agreement (2015) 
- "The Paris Agreement Five Years On" ~ The Guardian (Dec. 2020) 
- UN Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action 
- UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2019) 
- UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity (2020) 
- UN Making Peace With Nature (2021)
- UN Declaration of Human Rights (1948) 
- UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) 
​
- Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature + resource library 

District of Sooke 
​DOS achieves carbon-neutral municipal operations in 2015, earning Level 3 (highest) recognition from UBCM

Proposed Sooke framework for "green lens" on municipal processes and decision-making (March, 2021)  
(i.e., The Low Carbon Resilience model for local governments developed by the Integrated Climate Action for BC Communities Initiative (ICABI) based out of Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Environment.) 
​
Mitigation, Prevention, Preparedness, Response, Recovery 
~ CRD Regional Emergency Management (tsunami, earthquakes, wildfires, severe weather, flooding and storm surges, landslides, infectious disease, HAZMAT incidents) 
~ A Guide to Emergency Preparedness in the Capital Region
~ Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030 
~ Modernizing BC's Emergency Management Legislation (PDF, 2020) 

~ Sub-Regional: "The Sooke Emergency Program is considered the responsible emergency management organization by the municipality. It is responsible for the planning, mitigation, response and recovery from any emergency or disaster that happens within its jurisdiction. The volunteer Emergency Support Services (ESS) group (28 members), hosts Open Houses throughout the year to educate the public on emergency preparedness and participates in the Great BC Shakeout (third Thursday each October) at all Sooke elementary schools. The Sooke Emergency Radio Group (SERG) members provide amateur emergency radio communications during an emergency." - District of Sooke 2019 Annual Report

~ Sooke Fire Rescue Department
~ Sooke Fire and Emergency Program Facebook page + Twitter 
~ Sooke Emergency Plan
~ Sooke Emergency Response and Business Continuity Plan (2014)
~ Sooke Emergency Operations Centre (District staff and community volunteers are trained to assist emergency professionals in the EOC command structure) 
~ EOC staff working with T'Sou-ke First Nation on shared guidance and support 
~ EOC at Level One readiness throughout COVID pandemic 

~ Public Alert Notification System (PANS) - sign up for direct notification of tsunami, wildfire or evacuation notice

~ Sooke Emergency Support Services (250 642-5422) 
- "Community Engagement team offers free emergency preparedness sessions to community groups, families, businesses, stratas, etc. to build a resilient community"   
- Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program (NEPP) presentations available to a minimum group of six neighbours interested in forming a POD (group) to plan, prepare for and share resources during emergencies. 

~ Sooke has tapped the UBCM's Community Emergency Preparedness Fund repeatedly in recent years for evacuation route planning, new equipment and modernization of the Emergency Operations Centre. ​
~ UBCM funding stream updates 

Wildfires
~ FireSmart program prioritized as BC prepares to deal with potential local impacts of the "fifth season." 
~ FireSmart Canada
~ FireSmart Begins At Home (PDF guides to home prep, landscaping and home development) 
~ Last Minute Wildfire Check List (infographic) 
~ "Sooke Fire Rescue Gears Up For Wildfire Season" - Sooke News Mirror, May 2020 
~ Sooke Wildfire Protection Plan (from the archive, 2011) 
~ Annual Training Exercise: Wildland Fire at Erinan Estates (2018; full-scale exercise involving multiple fire departments, the RCMP and the evacuation of 117 residents to a reception centre at EMCS)  
~ Tree Canada: Wildfire and the Urban/Rural Interface

Sea-level rise/tsunami
~ CRD Seawater rise and inundation mapping 
~ Sooke Floodplain Regulation Bylaw (adopted 2020) 
~ Tsunami Awareness  
~ Staff training via Royal Roads University MA In Disaster and Emergency Management program
~ Tsunami Community Awareness Report: Kaltasin/Sooke (RRU study) 
~ "Tsunami Warning: How Well Did We Respond?" (Times Colonist, Jan. 23, 2018) 

Oil Spills
~ Sooke liaison with Western Canada Marine Response Corp. and the Canadian Coast Guard

Air Quality
~ Burning Bylaw 292 now under review 
~ BC Venting Index 
~ Burning Issue (from this blog)  

~ Sooke Fire "doing our part" (greener vehicles, air-quality monitoring, four full-time employees with e-bikes, six members driving hybrid/EV vehicles; request for an on-site rapid charger at Fire Hall #1) 

Mutual Aid
~ CRD Fire Services: Juan De Fuca 
~ Otter Point Fire Department 

~ Rotary Club of Sooke donates Disaster Aid Canada kits to the Sooke Emergency Program 
~ Black Press "Be Ready" Emergency Guide ​
​~ CRD Emergency Preparedness for Pets guide 
~ CRD Seasonal Readiness Planning sessions each spring 


Planning Department
~ Official Community Plan development in association with the OCP Advisory Committee,  DIALOG consultants and its sub-contractors: Sustainability Solutions Group, Colliers International, WATT Consulting Group and Licker Geospatial Consulting.  + DIALOG's Community Wellbeing Framework 

~ "Sustainability Solutions Group will review the CRD’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Study that includes Sooke’s emissions profile, community input from the OCP engagement process, and industry best practices, to provide recommendations for climate mitigation and adaptation. SSG can do a high level GHG calculation (not modelling) that will help inform target setting and low-carbon actions determination, which will be based on Sooke’s GHG emissions inventory and experience working in comparable municipalities. This will be used as a guide for target setting and policy development."  (The CRD intends to release 2020 GHG figures for Greater Victoria by year's end, and will then consider reporting back every two years thereafter so that communities can measure their own progress.)  

~ OCPs are to be implemented through the following: land use designation; development permits; plans/studies; zoning bylaws; committee recommendations; stand-alone policies; and input from external groups. 

~ OCP engagement to explore three growth scenarios: i) sprawling; ii) town centre density; iii) town centre density + select other neighbourhoods with commercial nodes (as per 2010 OCP) 

~ New Zoning Bylaw is a legislated requirement following adoption of a new OCP + best-practice advice 

~ Revamp pending for District's Subdivision and Development Standards bylaw

~ Sooke will join other municipalities (Esquimalt example) in launching a website Development Tracker as a one-stop guide to the locations and density of new residential and commercial permit approvals. 

Planning: Building Department 
~ Sooke's newly adopted (Feb. 8, 2021) Building Bylaw No. 780 initiates the BC Energy Step Code in Sooke at Step 3 immediately through 2027 for "simple" buildings (homes, offices and shops three storeys or less and no bigger than 600 sq. m); and Step 2 for "complex" buildings (larger commercial and residential structures).  Simple buildings must qualify at Step 4 in 2027 and Step 5 in 2032; complex buildings follow suit with Step 3 (2027) and Step 4 (2032).  This is a relatively bold leap compared to other BC communities, 90+ of which have yet to adopt the code at all; early adopters came in at lower steps. Our schedule is now aligned with Province of BC recommendations. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs prepared this report on how GHG emissions will be impacted by the Step Code. 

~ Sooke's new "Land Use and Development Committee would be an ideal opportunity for considering how additional climate action goals could be included in the land use process. Further consideration will need to be given to the appropriateness of including such matters in a Building Bylaw versus a Zoning Bylaw, or other applicable bylaws." (Jan. 25, 2021 staff report)

~ Town Centre Revitalization Bylaw: Development Cost Charge reductions (50% and more) for "Green Projects" with  LEED® - Silver, Gold or Platinum certification or Built Green® Canada - Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification."   

~ "Sooke's Innovative Town Centre Takes Shape" (BC Climate Action Toolklt, 2010)

Operations 
~ The 2020 Transportation Master Plan, like the companion Parks & Trails Master Plan, is a de facto climate action document whose hierarchy of user needs begins with pedestrians, mobility vehicle users, cyclists and public transit riders before turning its attention to a future "complete streets" network for local motorists.  The two master plans are a major aspect of the District's "green lens." 

~ From this blog courtesy Director of Operations Jeff Carter: What's Next for Sooke's Evolving Road, Sidewalk and Roundabout Network 

~ "Green Lens" initiatives include: Active transportation; electric vehicle charging infrastructure; bike lanes, sidewalks, multi-use paths; bio-swales and rainwater gardens; storm detention ponds; warm LED street lighting to ahere to Dark Sky principles; collaboration with BC Transit on new rider hubs and stops; urban forest development (parkland, trails and trees); use whenever possible of local resources and recycled materials. 

~ 2021 Capital Projects to be executed with Engineering and Parks & Environmental Services: Little River Pedestrian Crossing Design; multi-court sports box in Sunriver; Bluff Staircase rebuild and Sooke Potholes parking lot improvements (both grant pending); dog park in the Ponds Corridor; boardwalk repairs; John Phillips Memorial and Town Centre parks plans; park asset repairs; and essential gear/tools for parks employees. 

~ DOS waste management planning (2021) will include investigation of a yard-waste depot, seasonal residential yard waste pick-up options and local drop-off opportunities for hazardous materials (paints, toxins) that can't be recycled locally and would otherwise require a trip to the Hartland Landfill. ​

~ Sooke's municipal-works service provider Victoria Contracting is called in periodically to clean up (at an extra cost to the District) large-item, building material and other waste items (sometimes potentially hazardous) dumped by who knows who in remote corners of the District. 

~ Future road network includes bike lanes and sidewalks, e.g. the following menu for the grant-pending makeover of Otter Point Rd. north to Wadams Way ... 
- 430m of 2.0m wide concrete sidewalk. 
- 720m of 1.8m wide bike lane with green grit bike lane markings
- 3 new crosswalks at key locations include wheelchair-friendly sidewalk letdowns
- 115m of grass boulevard separating the sidewalk from the roadway
- Relocation of street signs and utility pole guy wires
- 60 linear meters of retaining wall complete with handrail where necessary
- Drainage works including 10x catch basins and 8x 1050mm manholes
- Ornamental street lighting including 20 lights, and underground conduit
- One 17m^3 concrete bus shelter pad
- Regrading and paving of entire corridor

~ Environmental assessment & tree management reports as prelude to future development of Sooke's Lot A public lands 

~ Sooke's evolving EV Charger Station program + CRD EV and E-Bike Infrastructure Backgrounder

Operations: Wastewater Treatment
~ Sooke Sewer System: "Secondary sewage treatment removes 97% of suspended solids and high levels of other contaminants, providing significant environmental benefits to Sooke" (as proven by the video of the outflow into the Strait of Juan de Fuca) + improved efficiency with new centrifuge + solids shipped to Hartland Landfill 

~ Sooke was the first community in BC to complete an integrated Sanitary and Rainwater Liquid Waste Management Plan (2012).

- $6m grant request (pp. 153-159) now pending for 50% expansion of the West Coast Rd. treatment plant.  

~ LWMP due for review in 2021; feasibility studies planned for expansion priorities identified in the current plan, namely east across the Sooke River to Kaltasin and into Whiffin Spit so as to improve/protect environment health of the Sooke Harbour and basin. (A municipal sewer for T’Sou-ke First Nation IR2 in conjunction with Whiffin Spit North was identified as a priority by the 2014-18 council.) 

~ New trail corridors can be economically created when paired with mainline sewer installation  

Operations: Parks & Environmental Services
Maintain parks and trails, ornamental areas, boardwalk and piers, playgrounds, transit shelters, washrooms, hazardous vegetation, street trees, benches, boat launch and irrigation. 

~ The 2020 Parks & Trails Master Plan emphasizes, among much else, trail connectivity to schools and the town centre, and improved oceanfront access. 

~ The Stickleback Urban Trail is the first of three designated routes around town planned by Parks in association with the JDF Community Trails Society. The Sun Run Trail (connecting Poirier and Journey Middle schools to Sunriver via a bridge across DeMamiel Creek, aka Little River) and the Sea Walk Trail (linking the Town Centre with the Rotary Pier and Ed Mcgregor Park) will follow.

~ John Phillips Memorial Park master plan public engagement now underway. Planning for dog park in the Ponds Park corridor. 

​~ Caution Nature page. Ongoing funding support and staff collaboration with Wild Wise Sooke Society on multiple initiatives, including bear awareness education, cougar and wolf initiatives, rodenticide alternatives and the Purple Martin nesting box program. 

~ Draft Tree Management Bylaw and public engagement report (pp. 11-274) presented in Dec. 2020; council (minutes pg. 10/11) has directed staff to "develop a purpose-based engagement strategy for tree management." (Sooke PocketNews coverage of first phase discussion of tree protection bylaw discussion, spring 2019) 

~ Urban tree inventory included with the District's GIS mapping system (photographs, caliper size, species name) 

~ Sooke has employed an irrigation specialist and public spaces are designed with native plants (i.e., the town centre boulevard); xeriscaping principles reduce water use while maintaining plant health. 

~ Invasive species removal in collaboration with the Greater Victoria Green Team and the Juan de Fuca Trails Society 

~ Removal of derelict vessels from Sooke Harbour and basin in collaboration with the CRD and the Dead Boats Society.  

~ Projects completed in collaboration with the Engineering department in recent years include the oceanfront access staircases at Cains Park and at the foot of Murray Road accessing the Rotary Pier; installation of washrooms and three-tier (adult, child, dog) water fountains at Whiffin Spit and John Phillip Memorial Park; improvements to kayak launch spot on Kaltasin; and more.

~ Movies in the parks: Sooke Starlight Cinema (2011-2013)

~ Sooke International Triathlon (2007-12)  + RIP + let's start this up again once Hwy #14 improvements are complete 

Operations: Natural Asset Planning and Watershed Management 
~ Rainwater Management Plans have been developed for four watersheds (Ella Stream, Nott Brook, Throup Stream and Wright Road Creek) with the goals of "preserving environmental quality, conservation of natural resources and integration of land uses and development in accordance with community plans."  

~ Natural Asset Management Planning: Several years ago, the DOS was one of the local governments that met with staff from the Town of Gibsons to learn how the environment -- soil, air, water, flora, fauna -- generously provides us with free essential services, i.e. drinking water, erosion control, air purification. Caring for, mapping and managing our trees, rivers, ponds, intertidal zones and green spaces should therefore be a wholly logical priority for local governments. Gibsons is a recognized leader in this developing field, and several DOS staff are training in this new speciality.  "Natural Capital" is the term for the estimated monetary value of natural assets (see the District of West Vancouver analysis: "(West Van's) grasslands, forests, foreshore and waterways should be valued at between $1.14 and $3.2 billion, according to a preliminary inventory presented to council by Susan Todd of Solstice Sustainability Works.") 
 
Council
~ Demonstrate environmental leadership: see Sooke Climate Action Context from this blog

~ Sooke Climate Energy & Emissions Plan approved by council in Oct. 2014. Priorities identified at that time: 
i) Promotion of home retrofits & demand-side management programs;
ii) Improved walking infrastructure;
iii) Organics diversion from Hartland;
iv) Urban containment (i.e., less sprawl, more OCP-directed town centre development)

 ~ District of Sooke council is among the Vancouver Island councils that have accepted the District of Highlands' 2019 Municipal Survivor Climate Change Challenge.

~ Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw No. 734, adopted in June, 2019 but in limbo pending provincial legislation
~ Climate Action Committee report on Retail Plastic Polluting in the Community (Christina Schlattner & Catherine Keogan; received for information, Nov. 14, 2020) 
​~ Clean BC: Plastic Action Plan submissions 


T'Sou-ke/Sooke Community Action
​~ Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society + new Jack Brooks Hatchery (Gov. of BC press release) 
​~ Charters River Salmon Interpretive Centre 

~ Sooke's Finn and Chloe Unger on the Declaration of the Right to a Healthy Environment (the BlueDot initiative passed by DOS council in February, 2015 as a relatively early adopter to a document now signed by more than 300 municipalities across Canada). 

T'Sou-ke First Nation
"The word T'Sou-ke (tsa-awk) is the name of the stickleback fish (found in the estuary of the Sooke basin) in the SENĆOŦEN language of the T'Sou-ke Nation. The anglicized name of T'Sou-ke is Sooke." (from signage for the Stickleback Urban Trail). 

~ T'Sou-ke Solar City
~ Towards Total Transition: The Tyee, 2018
~ Trailblazer: T'Sou-ke First Nation Solar and Greenhouse Initiatives (KAIROS Canada) 
~ T'Sou-ke Indigenous Housing Solutions Lab: IISAAK OLAM Foundation (2021) 
​~ T'Sou-ke Health and Community Centre (construction begins in 2022)  
~ T’Sou-ke Centre for Sustainability Housing Innovation (skills training in the creation of energy efficient housing for BC indigenous communities)
~ Transport Canada's Maritime Awareness Situational Analysis Initiative is a monitoring and data-collection partnership with coastal First Nations, T'Sou-ke and Pacheedaht included. The T'Sou-ke station will monitor maritime traffic, identify sensitive habitats, track orca and salmon populations, document weather, tides and currents, and chart marine hazards and navigational aides. 
~ Oceans Networks Canada and the T'Sou-ke are collaborating on water-quality monitoring in the basin, which is currently home to 4 million oysters following nearly a decade of aquaculture development. The T'Sou-ke wish to again harvest clams, oysters and crab.
~ T'Sou-ke vision of a 100-year managed forest agreement with TimberWest in the Sooke Hills. Chief Planes notes that elders have always spoken of the need to "enhance the forest environment every year"
~ Memorandum of Understanding with the District of Sooke first drawn up in 2007 (updated since; the current council has met with its T'Sou-ke counterparts four times since 2019 with alternating visits hosted by each local government)
~ Sooke Truth for Reconciliation Group (founded 2018 by Edith and Victor Newman, Margaret Critchlow, and the late Linda Bristol; monthly meetings on T'Sou-ke territory with guest speakers) 

Strait of Juan de Fuca
~ Sooke is the first/only BC municipality to vote, via electoral plebicite, for a ban on increased oil-tanker traffic (2014)
~ Traditional Marine Knowledge, Use & Study Report: The Proposed Kinder Morgan Pipeline Project (2015) ​
~ National Energy Board Hearings (Jan. 2016; includes final arguments from the T'Sou-ke Nation) 

Sooke School District #62
~ EMCS ECO Academy set to launch in fall 2021 
~ Nature Kindergarten: Learning Outside the Box 
~ Food gardens at John Muir Elementary and Edward Milne Community School (the latter was the 2019 winner of Farm to School BC's Pollinator Award)
~ TASK program creating a Gen Next #Sooke work force 
~ Beach clean-ups by the EMCS Society's Youth For Sooke team
~ Makerspace at EMCS 
~ Youth for Sooke 
~ Youth for Change students fundraise for EV station at Edward Milne Community School, 2016/17
~ Youth for Change group revitalized by EMCS leadership students in spring 2019
~ SD #62 Carbon Neutral Report 

Community Economic Development
~ Sooke Chamber of Commerce
~ Sooke Lions Club Sookerama trade show 
~ Urbanics Consulting: Sooke Economic Analysis (Dec., 2019, see pp. 13-69)
~ Economic Development Strategy Session (2002, see minutes pp. 11-15) 
~ Five Principles of Community Economic Development (SFU) 
~ Business Case: Zero Waste and the Circular Economy (Province of BC) 

Transition Sooke
~ Transition Sooke (founded 2009, first meeting on summer solstice at T'Sou-ke band hall)
​~ TS Events Archive 2009-2021 (reskilling workshops, film nights, all-candidates debates, community open-space forums; speaker presentations include Anna Maria Perado, Rachel Lamb, Guy Dauncey, Dahr Jamail, Sarah Cox, Trevor Hancock, Starhawk, Mary Wynne Ashford, Eric Doherty, Steve Unger, Kai Nagata, David Anderson, Thierry Vrain and Nitya Harris) 
~ Transition Sooke Climate Emergency Action Teams (2019 to present) 
~ Report from the 2019 TS Community Action Workshop
~ TS Pesticide Education Group (founded 2016)
~ TS Ecohome Tours (2016/17/18)
~ Sooke Slow Food Cycle (2011/12) 

Zero Waste Sooke 
~ Zero Waste Sooke (founded 2015, a working group of Transition Sooke)
~ Five (to date) Sooke Repair Cafes 
~ Sooke Region Community Clean-Ups 2018/19 
~ Sooke Region Earth Day Celebration (April 22, 2018; presented in association with the Sooke Fall Fair, Creatively United for the Planet and Transition Sooke)  
~ Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) campaign; signage at Village Foods, Western Foods, Home Hardware and Pharmasave
~ Report from the Talk Trash community summit (Earth Day initiative; April, 2016)
~ Delegations to Sooke council (2017, 2018) have sought creation of a checkout bag bylaw (passed in May 2019) and installation of water fountains at Whiffin Spit and John Phillips Memorial Park (2020). A third ask remains outstanding apart from District exploration of a yard-waste depot: "RESOURCE RECOVERY CENTRE: "DOS is encouraged to take a lead role in exploring a public/private partnership that will ensure Sooke residents have access to a full-service resource recovery centre that might also include a compost facility, yard-waste depot and related, job-creating micro-businesses.”

~ The iconic, heroic Sifu Koshin Moonfist (aka Broomfist) 
~ Tradition of litter-busting with the Sooke Rotary Club, EMCS students, Zero Waste Sooke & other community groups
~ Regional beach clean-ups by Surfrider Foundation Vancouver Island and Youth For Sooke

Alternative Energy
~ Solar installation: Viridian Energy Co-Operative + Endless Energy & Solar Solutions + independent contractors 
~ T’Sou-ke First Nation, Timberwest and EDP Renewables Canada announce intention (2013) for $750-million in large-scale wind power projects on Vancouver Island's southwest coast.
~ Tidal power: Accumulated Ocean Energy (in collaboration with T’Sou-ke Nation and academic institutions)  

Food Security
~ Sooke Region Food CHI + So You Want to Farm In Sooke? (PDF) 
~ Sooke Farmland Trust Society + links page
~ Sooke Fall Fair Society (founded 1913; "celebrating the "Rural Fair" philosophy. The philosophy embodies: i) Pride in local natural resources; ii) Pride and focus on individual and family endeavors; iii) The integration of young and elderly, able and disabled, participator and spectator; iv) The spirit of volunteerism in which our community has long prided itself; v) The Sooke Fall Fair, in this traditional annual event is a reflection of Sooke’s strong community spirit."
~ Sooke Country Market (relocated with DOS assistance to John Phillips Park in 2020) 
~ Community Gardens at Sunriver and Grace Garden at the Sooke Baptist Church
~ Sooke participation in My FED Farm Garden backyard program, 2020 
~ CR-FAIR Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable + Equity in the Food System  
~ CRD Foodlands Access Program
~ Capital Region Beekeepers' Association
 
Green Building
~ Geothermal heat pumps in select homes at Woodland Creek
~ Built Green Canada Gold standard met by Harbourside Cohousing
~ Green residential builders in the region include Keary Conwright, Frank McKendry, Tony Johnson and David Dare

Outdoors & Active Sooke
~ Saseenos Elementary Nature Kindergarden + it's popular! 
~ SEAPARC + 2015 Strategic Plan + swimming pool opens (2000) + new $3.4 million fitness room (2020) 
~ $1.2 million multi-court spots box planned for Sunriver
~ Sooke Soccer Club + new community/District/CRD-funded $1.5m all-season turf field at Fred Milne Park
(goodbye this)
~ Sooke Minor Fastball Association (new field at Art Morris Park partially funded by DOS and CRD) 
​~ Sooke Minor Hockey 
~ Sooke Bike Club + local trail networks 
​~ Sooke Bike Skills Park at SEAPARC (opened March 2015)
​~ Harbourview + history
~ Galloping Goose Regional Trail (2002 PDF pamphlet)   
~ EMCS Academies - Soccer + Hockey 
~ DeMamiel Creek Golf Course 
~ Sooke Rotary Skate Park
~ STARR (Sooke Trail and Road Runners)  
​~ Sooke Pickleball Group 
~ Guided hikes led the JDF Community Trails Society's Sid and Rosemary Jorna 
​~ Kludahk Outdoors Club 
~ Sooke News Mirror archive of sports stories 

Public Engagement 
~ Awareness Film Night (co-founded in 1994 and operated since by Jo Phillips; socially conscious, climate, food security and activist-oriented documentaries screened at EMCS; Manufacturing Consent first of 200+ films to date.)
​~ Sooke Talks at EMCS 
~ Sooke Region Lifelong Learning

Water
~ Sooke Water Supply Area + map 
​~ CRD Drinking Water page 
~ The Sooke Flowline
~ The Drought of 2001 (CRD report) 

Tourism 
~ Sooke Region Tourism Association 
~ Destination BC: Essential Guide to Sustainable Tourism 

From the Archive: Environmental highlights cited in the 2008 Sooke Sustainability Development Plan
~ Sooke is signatory to BC's Climate Change Action Charter
~ "Interest in linking economic development with public realm considerations i.e., minimization of large-format retail"
~ Galloping Goose Trail 
~ Transit enhancements
~ OCP environmental protection policies
~ Creation of Accessibility Committee + 2008 report 
~ Ongoing multi-jurisdictional discussions
~ Growing knowledge of green building/energy efficiency practices in District's building department
~ Plentiful green space 
~ Wealth of wetlands, marine environments, forests and other areas comprising native vegetation
~ Riparian Area Regulations adopted in 2007
~ District's sewer system and wastewater treatment plant
~ Development of the Liquid Waste Management Plans 
~ Promise of green infrastructure at the then-proposed Nott's Creek development
~ Bio-permeable parking lot at the Sooke Harbour House 
~ Holding ponds and bioswales in new developments 
~ Sooke's independent business spirit (circular economy) 
~ Sooke Farmers Market  
~ Sooke Garden Club 
~ Sooke Region Food CHI's Food Strategy
~ Sooke Fall Fair, Sooke Salmon Enhancement Society, Sooke Community Health Initiative
~ Use of locally sourced food at Sooke restaurants 
~ Local arts and crafts culture capitalizes on Sooke's strengths and character 


Capital Regional District
~ CRD Board of Directors meeting at which Climate Emergency was formally declared (Feb. 2019)
~ CRD Parks & Environment Committee meeting at which a Climate Emergency declaration was first discussed following a motion by Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, Saanich councillor Ned Taylor and Sooke's own Mayor Maja Tait (Jan. 23, 2019) 
~ CRD Regional Parks Strategic Plan: 2011-2021 + parks document library 
~ Ready, Step, Roll Active Transportation Planning for Greater Victoria Schools 
~ GoByBike BC's Greater Victoria Bike to Work and Bike to School campaigns 

BC Transit 
~ BC Transit's Sooke Local Area Service Plan review (2019) 
~ Victoria Regional Transit Commission (Mayor Tait represents Sooke with one of two west shore seats on the commission) 
~ BC Transit Sustainability Impacts (infographic + report on its low-carbon fleet) 
~ "BC Transit Switching Entire Fleet to Electric Buses: Plan includes replacing more than 1,200 existing buses and adding another 350 over the next 10 years." (2019, CBC News) 
~ BC Transit Strategic Plan: 2020-2025 (PDF) 
~ How can we boost ridership on local Sooke routes? A question worth pursuing 

Miscellaneous
~ CBC meteorologist Joanna Wagstaffe's BC In 2050: Degrees of Change podcast series 
~ One Cowichan checklist for municipal climate action 

Home Energy Retrofits 
​~ PACE BC (Property Assessed Clean Energy) 
~ Attorney General David Eby in his June 9, 2021 reply to the District of Sooke call for PACE financing: "The Province is committed to making all buildings, new and existing, more energy efficient and cleaner as part of CleanBC. This includes energy efficiency amendments to the BC Building Code and empowering local governments to regulate carbon emissions from new buildings, home energy labelling at the time of listing, and more financing options such as PACE financing."

​~ Pembina Institute on PACE 
~ Municipal/UBCM campaign led by Courtenay councillor Will Cole-Hamilton + draft resolutions (2021) 
​~ City of Vancouver resolution 2020

Electric Vehicle Mode Shift 
~ Government of BC ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) 2020 Report 
~ BC Remains Leader in EV Sales (CTV News, April, 2021) 
~ Capital Regional District EV Infrastructure Roadmap (July, 2021) 
~ CRD EV & E-Bike Infrastructure Backgrounder (2018) 
~ Transition Salt Spring EV Group Report (June, 2021) 
~ Statistics Canada Automotive Statistics (2020 update)  

• In the third quarter of 2020, 6.2% of total new vehicles registered in Canada were zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs); 89.6% were ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles. (In 2017, ZEV's accounted for 0.4% of new registrations.) 
• Infographic: In BC, 8.4% (15,211) of all new vehicle registrations in 2020 were ZEVs, up from 7.8% a year earlier. Victoria had the highest proportion of new ZEVs (12.9% or 1,222 vehicles) registrations followed by Vancouver (10.9% or 10,594 vehicles.) 

~ "Future EVs - Every Electric Vehicle Coming in the Next Five Years" (Car and Driver, April, 2021) + Current options


Canadian Local Governments 
- Climate Caucus ~ "a non-partisan network of 300+ local elected Canadian climate leaders driving system change to transform our communities in ten years."  + Resource library + Councillor's Handbook 
- Help Cities Lead (Climate Caucus initiative calling for local government authority to set carbon performance standards for new buildings) 
- FCM: National Measures Report (2019 summary of GHG-reduction projects from 400+ Cdn. municipalities)
- FCM: Talking It Though Guide for local government staff
- FCM: Climate Adaptation Maturity Scale  
- ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability Canada) webinar series 
- International Monetary Fund report (May, 2019) ~ "The Canadian government spends $58 billion per year in fossil fuel subsidies to the oil and gas industry. That’s $1,600 per person." 

- ​Carbon Disclosure Project A-List Cities (88 cities worldwide in 2020, Victoria and Saanich included) 

Non-Governmental Organizations
​~ Council of Canadians: Energy and Climate Justice
~ BC Sustainable Energy Association + Tools for Municipal Governments to Achieve Net Zero By 2050 
~ Dogwood Initiative + Climate Campaign 
~ Sierra Club BC + Climate Solutions + Fossil Fuels 
~ Wilderness Committee
~ Climate Justice Victoria 
~ South Island Climate Network (alliance of local climate action teams) 
~ Creatively United for the Planet + video library 
~ ​Greater Victoria 2030 District (major property developers committed to 50% GHG drawdown as established by Santa Fe-based Architecture 2030 in its 2030 Challenge for Planning).
~ Habitat Acquisition Trust + 2020 Annual Report + Protecting Natural Areas in the CRD (PDF)
~ West Coast Environmental Law + The Clean Air Bylaws Guide (PDF) + publications library 
~ TLC (The Land Conservancy of BC) 



~ David Suzuki Foundation 
~ Living Oceans Society + Reports and publications
​~ Pembina Institute + Issue Areas (climate policy, clean energy, green buildings, clean transportation, oil and gas)
~ LeadNow + Current Campaigns 
~ Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
~ Greenpeace Canada
~ Earth Day Canada 
 
~ Climate Action Network (1500+ organizations in 139 countries) 
​- Climate Action Network Canada 

~ The Road to Zero Carbon BC Communities
~ 50 Ways to Bring Urgency to BC Climate Action (Guy Dauncey) 
~ How The Circular Economy Tackles Climate Change (Ellen McArthur Foundation) 
~ A New Climate for Conservation: Nature, Carbon and Climate Change in British Columbia (David Suzuki Foundation) 
~ Climate Leaders Playbook (BC Community Energy Association) 
~ Green Strings: Principles and Conditions for a Green Recovery from COVID-19 in Canada (2020, International Institute for Sustainable Development) 

Carbon Calculators
~ World Wildlife Federation "How Big Is Your Global Footprint" 
~ Global Footprint Network
~ Tree Canada Carbon Calculator  
​~ Natural Resources Canada GHG Equivalencies Calculator 
~ Saanich Carbon Calculator
~ Environmental Protection Agency Household Calculator

GHG Emissions (aka Pollution) Counts
~ Canada (2019)
~ British Columbia (latest numbers) 
~ Capital Regional District (2007-2018 report) 
~ CRD Municipal Breakdowns (see pp. 
~ Our World In Data: C02 Emissions
~ Counting "externalized" emissions and reaching true carbon neutrality (via Highlands councillor Ann Baird) 
~ Highlands: Framing Our Carbon Budget 

BC Local Government Green Checklists for Developers 
~ Regional District of Nanaimo Sustainable Development Checklist 
~ City of Langford Green Development Checklist 
~ Saanich Sustainability Guideline Statements
~ Whistler + Courtenay + Vernon +  Surrey + Port Coquitlam  
~ BC Climate Action Tookit: Sustainability Lists 
~ Built Green Canada Checklist 
~ The Green Infrastructure Guide (West Coast Environmental Law Association) 
~ Green Globes Building Certification 

Generation Now & Next  
~ Greta Thunberg's TED Talk with transcript + address to COP24  + Climate Emergency EU
~ Climate Strike Canada 
​~ BC Climate Strike (March, 2019) 
~ Profiles of Canadian Climate Strikers 

Lower-case 's' Spiritual dimensions  
~ James Lovelock's Gaia Theory
~ Animism (the indigenous belief that spirit resides everywhere) + "Animism Is Pretty Reasonable" (The Atlantic) 
~ Transition Town Network: The Inner Transition/Psychology of Change  
~ World Pantheist Movement
~ David Abram: The Alliance For Wild Ethics + The Spell of the Sensuous + Becoming Animal + documentary 
~ Returning the Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer via The Centre for Humans and Nature

~ Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia by Douglas Todd (Ronsdale Press, 2008)  "Many people in Cascadia, also known as the Pacific Northwest, find sacredness in the wild, wet and imposing landscape, which dwarfs humans and their accomplishments and can evoke a sense of humility, awe and gratitude. The people here are among the least likely on the continent to be involved in an active religion. They are secular but spiritual, recognizing that a walk in nature can be a transcendent experience. Spiritual practices in Cascadia are often unstructured, private and experiential. Even organized religion is strongly influenced by the natural world. For instance, the architecture of a Benedictine monastery in Mission, BC echoes a forest canopy of trees and leaves. Christians and others here have been at the forefront of efforts to protect the region's forests, rivers and wildlife, which they consider God's creation."  + archive of Douglas Todd's Vancouver Sun columns 

What can we do? 
~ Can Consumer Change Ward Off the Worst Effects of Climate Change? (Vox) 
~ Environment Canada: Take Climate Action + Home Energy 
~ David Suzuki Foundation: Act At Home
~ Clean Bin Project  + Just Eat It  (films by Vancouver's Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin) 
~ Climate Psychology Alliance + Handbook on Climate Psychology 
~ Why We Procrastinate About Climate Change (The Independent) ~ "Being the right degree of scared is a tricky balance. Tackling climate apathy is a non-negotiable requirement but, if we allow ourselves to constantly feel the high-adrenaline type of fear we’d experience, for example, while witnessing a crime, we may end up being little use in the fight against climate change."

Trees and Forestry 
~ Naturally:Wood BC + links 
~ Ecoforestry Institute Society (in tradition of the late Merv Wilkinson's Wildwood Tree Farm near Ladysmith) 
~ Wilderness Committee: BC Forestry 
~ Sierra Club BC: Forests + Intact Forests, Safe Communities (PDF 2021; "at least nine of 15 climate risks assessed by the province in 2019 — such as increased wildfires, drought and landslides — are influenced by industrial logging."  
~ Sierra Club BC: Clearcut Carbon: A Report On The Future of BC Forests (PDF 2019) 
~ Canadian Value-Added Forest Industries Directory
~ CBC BC: "2021 Could Mark A Turning Point for the Logging of Old-Growth" 
~ Province of BC: A New Future For Old Growth (April, 2020) 
~ UBC Foresty Professor Suzanne Simard's TED Talk on "how trees talk to each other."
~ Canadian Tree Bylaw Survey  
~ Planting Our Future: A BC Tree Toolkit For Communities 

Language Matters: Framing Climate Action 
~ Communicating Climate Change (Eco Canada) 
~ Messaging This Moment: A Handbook for Progressive Communicators (Centre for Community Change, US) 
​~ Yale Program on Climate Change Communication 
​~ The Secret to Talking About Climate Change (4 minute video) 

~ Shandell Houlden's open source reading list for her component of RRU's MA in Climate Action Leadership program 
- Communicating Climate Change: A Practitioner's Guide (Insights from Africa, Asia and Latin America)
- You're Not Going to Believe What I'm About to Tell You - The Oatmeal graphic 
- Global Warming's Six Americas (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication)
- To Fix The Climate, Tell Better Stories  

Green New Deals
​~ Canada's New Green Deal (May, 2019) 
~ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's New Green Deal 
~ Al Gore's Climate Reality Project + "The Green Revolution is Unstoppable"
~ Naomi Klein: This Changes Everything interview (video) 

More on Food Security
~ BC Ministry of Agriculture + Buy BC + Feed BC and the BC Food Hub Network  
~ Minister Popham's 2020 Mandate Letter 
~ BC Agricultural Land Commission + 2019/20 Annual Report (PDF) 
~ Community Food Systems Assessment (2009; BC Provincial Health Services Authority; includes many links)
~ Young Agrarians U-Map 
~ The Future of BC's Food Security Systems (BC Food Security Task Force, 2020) 
​~ BC Provincial Health Services Authority recommendations on obesity reduction
~ Regeneration International: "Why Regenerative Agriculture?"
 
Equity, Health & Wellness
~ BC Healthy Communities' PLAN H Action Guide & Tookits for Local Governments 

Active Parks
​~ Plan H BC: How Do Local Governments Improve Health and Community Well-Being? 
~ BC Recreation and Parks Association: Programming Ideas for Parks Professionals
~ BC Age-Friendly Communities Action Guide 
~ BC Recreation and Parks Association COVID-19 Guide for Restarting Operations
~ Parks People "activating the power of parks" + Canadian City Parks Report 2020 

British Columbia
~ BC Climate Action Toolkit + 
~ Funding for Local Government Climate Action Initiatives 
~ Community Energy Association of BC summarizes CleanBC  
​~ Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives analysis of CleanBC  
~ BC Energy Step Code + its new website
~ BC Ministry of Health: Climate Change Health Impacts
 
Canada
~ Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
~ Canada's Climate Plan
~ "Canada's new climate plan is a big deal. Here's why" (Canadian institute for Climate Choices, Dec. 2020) 
~ "O'Toole pledges detailed Tory climate plan" (CTV, Feb. 11, 2021) 
~ Green Party Canada: Addressing the Climate Emergency 
~ NDP Canada: Protecting Our Air, Land and Water, Securing Our Future
~ Canada Climate Action Tracker 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
~ Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C (final report)
~ The Guardian on the IPCC report 
~ Wikipedia entry 

Zero Waste
​~ Environment Canada: Toward Zero Waste 

Climate Change Proofs 
~ NASA website: Global Climate Change ~ Vital Signs of the Planet (evidence) 
~ The Royal Society - Climate Change Evidence and Causes 
~ Climate Atlas of Canada - Climate Change: The Basics 
~ "The last five years were the hottest ever recorded" ~ National Geographic, Feb. 2019 

Climate Change Skepticism/Denialism 
~ The new wave of "denialists" and "inactivists" ~ Guardian interview witih Michael Mann (Feb. 2021) 
~ Heartland Institute on Climate Change (American think tank for the conservative movement) 
~ Climate Change Denial: Articles from The Guardian  
​~ Skeptical Science: "Getting Skeptical about Climate Change Skepticism"
~ DeSmogBlog: "Clearing the PR Pollution the Clouds Climate Science" 
~ "How to Talk to A Climate Change Denier" 


Extras for further research: 
- Earth Action Climate Scorecard Report (2015)  
- Bigfoot North America
- Community Wood Banks in Northeast US (New York Times)   

(Disclaimer: I've not read all these links. They are gathered here for one-stop, as-need reference in future.) 
​

In brief: Even as the US sunbelt freezes (snowballs aplenty for Senator Inofe), 2020 rates as the second warmest year yet recorded.  Focused on solutions after its latest devastating climate and biodiversity reports, the United Nations has just this week released  Making Peace With Nature: A Scientific Blueprint to Tackle the Climate, Biodiversity and Pollution Emergencies.  

The essential steps for local action were mapped more than a decade ago in the Sooke Sustainability Development Strategy and the current Official Community Plan. This council made climate action a pillar of its four-year Strategic Plan. District staff, committees and consultants are working with the "green lens" that is becoming normalized through long-established informal yet now increasingly formal practice and policy. 

The 2019/20 Climate Action Committee (CAC) produced an impactful, realistic Work Plan adopted by council last fall and now embedded to varying degrees into staff priorities and the five-year budget. Climate action and local multi-level resiliency is also an integral aspect of the District's recommitment to community economic development. Now a new CAC is tasked with delivering recommendations (perhaps focused on citizen action) for what will eventually -- sometime after the new OCP is complete and its directions properly digested -- be Sooke's first bona-fide Climate Adaptation & Mitigation Strategy (aka Climate Action Plan; see Saanich example).

The Official Community Plan review team certainly gets it and so evidently does #Sooke. In directly reflecting public input, "emerging goal #1" for the new OCP is "Green and Net Zero." Adding urgency to themes repeated in previous Sooke planning documents, the aspirational actions read: 

* "Mobilize to address the climate emergency head-on ~ achieve net zero emissions by 2050; 
* "Protect the countryside for habitat and agriculture, while focusing urban growth in the town centre; 
* "Reduce car dependency and offer more transportation choices, with priority given to walking, cycling and transit use; 
* "Create green infrastructure that is both high-performing and delightful; 
* "Support existing and new local businesses, and foster green economic development that respects ecological limits." 

Given the lack of substantial progress to date + the huge GHG cuts required over the next decade, all is prelude to the bold actions and lifestyle shifts required from each of us to ride the tiger and do our best for this and future generations.

The consensus big-three personal revolutions? Revamp our diets. Drive our gas-guzzlers less (or switch to EVs). And install heat pumps in homes and everywhere indoors that people gather. 

Okay, that's the precis, onwards with the long version if you wish ... 

                              
New year, new committee assignments: I've been named council's appointee to the Climate Action Committee (CAC21) in following Cllr. St-Pierre, who is taking his experience as a planner, builder and permaculture farmer to the newly revived Land Use and Development Committee. Cllr. LaJeunesse, meanwhile, is bringing his Sooke-savvy (lifelong variety; read: connected, caring, common sense) vision and expertise to the just-launched Community Economic Development Committee (CED).  

Like the Official Community Plan Advisory and Sooke Program of the Arts memberships, these three select committees are stocked with what we on council rate as top-drawer sets of volunteers keen to share their expertise and contribute meaningfully. I'll be focusing here on the Climate Action Committee in preparation for our Feb. 23 meeting, though it's important to note that council, District staff, the OCP team and these three groups are each mandated, in their respective ways, to maintain a climate perspective. Entirely apt given that "addressing the climate emergency head-on" has emerged as a priority in the OCP review. 

In building on the significant progress of the 2019/20 CAC (details below), the members of CAC21 have been asked to do groundwork as the District begins to prepare its first climate adaptation and mitigation strategy (hereafter referred to, if only by me, as the A&M Strategy) and join the growing number of BC communities with dedicated climate action plans.

The committee is also directed to cross-pollinate ideas and expertise with the CED Committee. From 2022 onward, the latter will be largely responsible for climate action initiatives at the committee level. (The CED Committee's Terms of Reference require it to "identify opportunities and make recommendations on innovative projects to help achieve carbon neutrality" and "provide a local perspective on climate change mitigation and adaptation while considering the balance between economic, environmental and social aspects.")  At the end of this year the CAC will be mothballed once again (as it was in 2016-19) for potential revival at some future date. 

CAC21's raison d'etre is stated in the opening paragraph of its Terms of Reference: "The purpose of the Climate Action Committee is to provide advice to Council and recommend policies that will assist the District to achieve a reduction in all carbon emissions by 40-50%, both corporately and in the community, by 2030." 

The District itself has been carbon neutral in municipal operations for likely five years now. Yet making big cuts at the community level is a hugely ambitious, so far seemingly impossible, goal that nonetheless aligns with targets set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC, as you know, is urgently asking us all to make the 2020s a true turnaround decade in cutting "global net anthropogenic CO2 emissions" and bending the skyrocketing, hockey stick warming curve. 

Here's the wake-up call: In BC, the commonly referenced GHG measurement baseline year is 2007. Between then and 2018, total carbon emissions in the Capital Regional District have dropped a meagre 1.1 percent vs. the stated goal of 33 percent by 2020. 

The more hopeful news is that the CRD carbon load has declined 14% per capita; Greater Victoria's population has grown 15% over the last 12 years, and as the study notes, there's reason to be encouraged by "the efforts by the CRD and local governments to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions."  (Exact municipal breakdowns can be found in this supplemental report. Sooke clocks in at a 0.1% decline in tonnage, a pipsqueak number yet not shamefully so given our population has increased more than 40% ~ 9,699 population in the 2006 census vs. 14,001 in 2017.  Our tC02e  -- tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent -- emissions per capita was 3.3 in 2018, down from 4.5 tonnes 11 years earlier. Which can be translated in layperson's terms as not nearly enough yet it's a start.) 

The CRD is planning to complete another regional and municipal GHG inventory in late fall 2021 that will cover the 2020 year and follow the same GPC Basic + Framework. Thereafter the still provisional intention is to measure every two years ~ exactly what's needed for communities to chart our own respective progress. 

A few key links to set the stage:   
~ Sooke Climate Action website page (frequently updated/refreshed these days)  
~ Capital Regional District Climate Action 
~ GHG definitions: Kid-friendly + Middlebrow + United Nations glossary of climate terms  
~ Sources: Global (infographic) + Canada + BC + Sooke (infographic & chart by emissions type, see pg. 36/37)
~ Ann Baird on the challenge of counting "externalized" emissions and reaching true carbon neutrality
~ The "Carbon Budget" explained  + latest annual global measurements
~ Project Drawdown Table of Solutions
~ Canadian Climate Caucus resource library (definitive one-stop) 
~ Carbon Calculator
~ David Suzuki Foundation on practical actions we each can take 
~ Sooke Sustainable Development Strategy (2008) 

The previous CAC generated a comprehensive Work Plan last year that focused on food security, transportation, land use and education & engagement. Its 53 action items were analyzed and costed out by staff, who in turn have generated a timeline table that covers the next four years and extends out into the future for big-ticket items. Many actions involve dedicated staff time this year and next, in part through work on short-term priorities in the parks and transportation master plans. There is also a range of advocacy work pointed at other levels of government and service providers. Much of the responsibility lies with council (this and future ones) as we strive to keep eyes on the prize while also weighing staff service hours and tax implications against actions recommended in this document, the master plans and, soon enough, the new OCP. 

Bottom line: The Climate Work Plan is a fantastic achievement that hasn't been acknowledged nor fully understood (by me included, I confess) nearly enough.  I also rate the CED Committee's multi-tier resiliency mandate as great news. Proof that the District is pursuing the holistic goal of textbook community economic development: "To create inclusive local economies, develop nourishing livelihood opportunities, build on local resources and capacities, increase community control and ownership, enhance the health of the environment, and encourage community resilience." (per Simon Fraser University's Five Principles of Community Economic Development.)  

Sooke's formal climate adaptation and mitigation strategy will, I trust, be prioritized once the Official Community Plan is complete in 2022. Given that job one of a local government is to keep its citizens safe and secure, the strategy will focus heavily on how the District will manage the likeliest of local climate-change impacts: Wildfires, drought, storm surges, ocean acidification and heavy rains. (Sooke has an Emergency Plan and Chief Mount, in tandem with the Emergency Operations Centre's Matt Barney, the Emergency Support Services team and CRD Emergency Management, is continually improving local preparation for the worst; I'll be creating a link-rich compendium of District climate-ready initiatives and undertakings for posting later this month.) 

This A&M Strategy will ideally also capture the broader community perspective of the Climate Action Plans that have been materializing around BC in recent years. These recognize that we're all impacted and that every last one of us has a role to play in reducing community GHG levels. Examples of finalized Climate Action Plans include Saanich, Ucluelet, North Cowichan, Squamish, Salt Spring Island, Kelowna, Nelson, the Comox Valley, Prince George + the big-league versions in Victoria, Burnaby and the globally recognized superstar in climate action planning, the City of Vancouver.  

Climate planning is also underway in Coquitlam, Campbell River, Kamloops and other communities with solid but now outdated sustainability documents that need to be revisited/rethought for these increasingly perilous times. (For our part, we have the excellent and undervalued 2008 Sooke Sustainability Development Strategy; it's one of my favourite of all Sooke planning documents and literally says it all. To actually heed its recommendations and not regurgitate them in expensive shiny new reports, as good as they are, is a trick we've not yet mastered.) 

The Union of BC Municipalities recognizes that every last BC community needs a modern Climate Action Plan and intends to lobby the province for the necessary funding. This said, the District is now independently getting into the game by assembling a set of contemporary BC climate-action documents as an A&M Strategy starting point for council, staff and all committees. And council is asking CAC21's set of expert volunteers to develop and submit their brightest, most impactful GHG-shrinking recommendations (perhaps, if it be the will the committee, in the form of a rough and ready first draft Climate Action Plan that borrows freely from the Sustainability Strategy and other documents in the District's library).

So bon voyage, best wishes and sincere thanks to (in alpha order) CAC21: 

* Beatrice Gentili-Hittos, a recent University of Victoria graduate (Forest Biology and Environmental Studies) and core organizer with Climate Justice Victoria; 
* Shandell Houlden, Royal Roads University PhD candidate and a skills educator with Thriving Roots Wilderness School;
* Bernie Klassen (Chair), Transition Sooke board member of long standing, Zero Waste Sooke core team member, organizer of the Sooke Repair Cafes and the Green New Deal town hall;  
* Elizabeth Lange, author, academic and specialist in the field of Transformative Learning (and how it might be applied to climate-action behavioural change); 
* Jessica Prieto, UVic grad (Business Commerce and Economics), experience in project management and logistical planning with Nestle Mexico, and now part of the team at ALM Organic Farm and Full Circle Seeds;  
* Anna Russell, a consultant and specialist in public policy development with an interest in GHG drawdown;   
* Cassandra Schostek, a Sooke-based GHG reduction and energy efficiency consultant with the Alberta Energy Regulator;  
* Michael Tacon, co-founder and president of Transition Sooke;  
* Steve Unger (Vice Chair), solar power specialist and practicing regenerative agriculture at InishOge Farm and Field School.

(And full credit where it's due to Cllr. St-Pierre and his estimable 2019/20 colleagues: Roland Alcock, Diane Bernard, Susan Clarke,  Catherine Keogan, Andrew Moore, Eric Nolan, Christina Schlattner, Kyle Topelko and Adrienne Wass) 

This new group will be proceeding with the assistance of yours truly (a voting member yet primarily tasked as the go-between with council), Parks and Environmental Services Supervisor Jessica Boquist and, upon her/his/their arrival in the spring, the District's new Community Economic Development Officer. Unlike me to a degree, both have limited hours to offer. It'll be up to the committee itself to do whatever heavy lifting it can on its own and perhaps (logically) secure working group assistance from any community collaborators they invite. 

The CED Officer's job description cites responsibility for "advancing economic, environmental, and social goals" and the hiring committee is seeking "demonstrated experience in sustainability planning." 

In due course, and as recommended by the previous CAC, I'm confident the District will consider bringing in a climate action specialist of the kind now working in Central Saanich, Saanich, Squamish and many communities that are treating their declared climate emergencies seriously.  Which we clearly are doing, as you'll now learn if indeed you've not nodded off by now ... (I usually find that two kinetic minutes with this snaps me back to attention.) 

Council's Commitment to Environmental Leadership 

in Council's 2019-22 Strategic Plan, Environmental Leadership is one of six "core values and guiding principles"  along with Effective Governance, Community Well-Being and Safety,  Community Vibrancy, Long-Term Thinking and Effective and Consistent Communication. (These values, backed by an action plan, are decidedly not more words on e-paper, incidentally. I could assemble extensive footnoted blog posts demonstrating that Sooke's elected reps, committee members, community groups and local citizens have been addressing all six since incorporation and long before. Everyone has had the best intentions and a wealth of great ideas, yet civic and political priorities in tandem with small-town budgets have resulted in variable progress.)

The Environmental Leadership sub-headings in Council's Strat Plan read:
i) Respond to climate change boldly;
ii) Redefine and implement Sooke Smart Growth;
iii) Become a leader in ecologically sustainable corporate practices.

Goal #2 of the appendix (aka practical actions) is headlined "Demonstrate Leadership in Climate Action" and features 18 bullet points that we on council have since distilled into "now," "next" and "later" categories with the  understanding that we can only do so much given budgets and available staff time over our four years. 

As said above, Council and the District's priority for climate action in 2021 is the A&M Strategy. The Climate Action Committee has been asked to focus on "tangible actions that can be executed in Sooke and which will make positive progress in addressing the climate emergency."  We'll be formally meeting twice this year with the CED Committee. And there's a stated request that CAC21 explore and understand the District's ongoing climate-first efforts. All recommendations are to be rendered unto Caesar by year's end. This still relatively open invitation allows committee members to focus on their passions while remaining in step with the District.  

Sooke CAO Norm McInnis presented the foundational bones for the A&M Strategy to council last month (Jan. 11 agenda, pp. 87 onward). It is based on these four documents: 

1. Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment for British Columbia (a 2019 CleanBC study that identifies wildfires, summer droughts, heavy rains from "atmospheric rivers," storm surges, coastal flooding, wind storms and ocean acidification as the leading emergency threats now through 2050 -- click on each of those links for relatively recent BC evidence.  Personally in my time in Sooke, I think back to this + this + this. Needs saying again that none but the most hardcore denialists remain willfully ignorant; 88 percent of Canadians, in fact, now view man-made climate change as either a major (62%) or minor (26%) crisis -- an "existential" one that deepens unpredictably as the anthropocene and the "sixth extinction" kick in hard.  Cue grief in five-stages as the essential prelude to personal and collective action. I'm now reading Kim Stanley Robinson's recent novel The Ministry for the Future for a harrowing yet hopeful science-based take on what realistically might lie ahead.)  

2. Territorial Analysis of Local Government Priorities for Climate Action (a 2020 report from the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities that documents the many and various climate A&M initiatives being undertaken by the AVICC membership -- 11 regional districts, 89 First Nation governments, and 41 municipalities, Sooke included. More on the report here. Following its release, three Van Isle mayors -- Tofino's Josie Osborne (now BC's Minister of Municipal Affairs), Victoria's Lisa Helps and Duncan's Michelle Staples -- convened an AVICC summit late last year that was attended by 150+ elected officials and local government staff. The just-released result is a draft regional Climate Action Goals plan "that will catalyze climate mitigation and adaptation projects and activities throughout the coastal region." With its ten priorities rooted in social equity and climate justice, It's a frankly amazing #2021 document that logically must be added to the A&M Strategy reference pile as another navigational north star for council, staff and all committees.) 

3. Modernizing BC's Emergency Management Legislation (sparked by the record BC wildlife and flooding seasons in 2017/18, it aligns the province's Emergency Program Act with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The latter was a United Nations initiative in the wake of the 2011 tsunami which so devastated Sendai itself as well as Sooke's friendship city, Natori. Canada and 186 other countries promptly adopted the framework. In 2018, BC was the first Canadian province to follow suit in making what Solicitor General Mike Farnworth termed a "shift from focusing on emergency preparedness and response to recognizing that risk identification and mitigation are key to managing hazards and reducing the impact of events.") 

4. UBCM Special Committee on Climate Action Proposed Recommendations Draft Report (prepared last year under Mayor Tait's watch and featuring six "signature initiatives" that the Union of BC Municipalities intend to push at provincial and federal levels. These focus on buildings (increased emphasis on retrofits of older buildings, workforce training, mass timber); transportation (dramatically expanded EV charging infrastructure at residential, workplace and community levels); waste management (producer stewardship, landfill gas capture, organics diversion); resilience (funding to allow all BC local governments to create A&M plans by 2030); governance (renew the 2008 Climate Action Charter, revitalize the BC Climate Action Toolkit); and social mobilization (spurring household behavioural change through a trial program involving 10 select BC communities staging friendly neighbourhood climate-action competitions -- a more sophisticated version of this Victoria-area example, i imagine. Question to ponder: Might #Sooke be one of these ten?).  

Along with the District's Climate Energy and Emissions Plan, these four docs are effectively the seeds and mulch from which a Sooke climate plan will grow. (Heavens, I know all this is complicated and likely too much for all but the nerdiest, yet this puzzle has many pieces and new, improved ones are being added continually. These reports capture BC's latest, sharpest, most informed governmental thinking, planning and actions.) 

Climate Action Committee 2019/20 Legacy

The previous committee's lasting achievement is its Work Plan, received and endorsed by council 24 hours after the summer solstice last year (June 22 agenda, pp. 69-76). It leads off with two "global goals" that reiterate and seek to formalize current District practices and council's Strat Plan intentions. Here they are as amended later last fall:  

1. "Ensure a 'climate first' approach in all municipal decision-making and planning processes, including the Official Community Plan, and the inclusion of climate expertise on consulting teams" (The first part of this ask seeks to formalize established practices by already "woke" -- hey, first time I've ever used that phrase! --  District staff and the progressive consultants hired for our latest suite of planning documents. As for climate consultancy know-how, that ask was already reflected in a new DOS approach that ensures a diverse spectrum of community interests and expertise is represented on committees. CAO McInnis is now figuring out how to formalize this climate-first approach at the District.) 

2. "Develop a comprehensive Sooke Climate Action Plan which will include mitigation and adaptation strategies" (A restatement and expansion on climate-action objective #1 from council's Strat Plan, now the "next" priority in our latest six-month plan update.) 
 
The CAC20 Work Plan also made a series of recommendations re: food security, transportation, education & engagement, and sustainable development & land use.  Council asked staff to report back with a "how, who, when and how much" analysis. The reply came on Oct. 13 (pp. 105-122; council's discussion is recorded in the minutes here on pp. 66-68). A revised Work Plan was presented two weeks later (Oct. 26; pp. 33 onwards; minutes from that discussion here.) 

October 26 proved to be a significant evening for Sooke's commitment to climate action: Council endorsed the amended global goals; directed the addition of climate action elements to the CED Committee's mandate; and approved "staff’s recommendations provided in the CAC Workplan for inclusion in the 2021-2025 Five-year Financial Plan process." (We also endorsed the final Parks and Transportation Master Plans, two documents packed with climate-first, Sooke Smart Growth initiatives that "can help reduce GHG emissions by replacing vehicular trips with other transportation modes.") 

Here's a point-form summary of CAC20's four Work Plan priority areas to be addressed this year and beyond:  

Food Security
- Collaborate with the T'Sou-ke First Nation (ongoing) 
- Review, adopt and initiate the 2012 Agricultural Plan (Corporate Services & Planning, 2021) 
- Work with the ALC to support development of farm villages (Planning, advocacy, 2021) 
- Identify regulatory barriers to small farm viability (Planning, 2021) 
- Support establishment of a local South Island abattoir (South Island Prosperity Project, 2021) 
- Support formation of a Food Policy Council and the adoption of a Food Charter (Council, 2021) 
- Post-OCP update, create a Food Systems Plan ($50k, for budget consideration in 2023; CEDC and SRCHN)
- Initiate a feasibility study for a Food Hub ($50k, for budget consideration in 2024; CEDC and SRCHN)
- Participate in a regional food strategy (Capital Regional District; ongoing) 

Transportation 
- Pursue grants and advocate for greener local transportation routes and trails (Council, staff; ongoing)
- EV and e-bike incentives promotion + current baseline #Sooke numbers for each mode (Staff, ongoing)
- Charging infrastructure in new buildings, in the commercial core and at Park'n Rides (potential addition to new Zoning Bylaw, 2022; Esquimalt provides a recent example)  
- Fast chargers at municipal facilities (Engineering; $100k, for budget consideration in 2023) 
- Advocacy with BC Transit for implementation of the Sooke Local Area Transit Plan (Council and staff, ongoing) 
- DOS spending on transit infrastructure as per Transportation Master Plan ($200k ongoing)
- Encourage ridesharing programs (Planning, Parks, Communications, 2022) 
- Budgeting for an interconnected network of sidewalks, bike and pedestrian trails leading to the town centre, schools and parks (as identified in both masterplans + a "10-minute walkable" focus of the OCP review; $11.3m, 2021-31) 
- Improved bike ways to Park'n Ride locations ($20m, for budget consideration in period 2025-30, advocacy with MOTI) 
- Secure bike lanes along Hwy #14 on both sides of town (Council & staff advocacy to MOTI, ongoing)
- Effective oversight of transportation priorities within OCP review process (Planning, 2021/22) 
- 10-year update/review of masterplans (Operations, 2031)  

Engagement & Education
- Community out-reach aligned with recommendations in the Community Energy and Emissions Plan + promotion of climate action incentives  (CAO, Parks & Communications, ongoing + $20k budget item in 2022?) 
- "Support, celebrate, highlight and encourage climate action by community groups, citizens and the District." (CAO, Parks, Communications & Sooke Program of the Arts Committee + $10k budget item in 2022?) 
- Support climate leadership and resilience among Sooke youth & include them in consultations (policy, ongoing) 

Development & Land Use
- Encourage switch from oil & gas heating to air-source heat pumps (Building Dept., ongoing) 
- Promote building energy efficient rebate programs (Communications, ongoing) 
- Add the BC Energy Step Code to Sooke's new Building Bylaw (Step 3 starting point for residential and retail buildings less than three storeys, bylaw adopted on Feb. 9)
- Ensure densification only occurs in the Town Centre and areas with necessary infrastructure (OCP, 2021)
- Develop tree management bylaw that recognizes trees as a carbon sink (Parks & Planning, 2021)
- Urban Forest Management Plan (Campbell River example; $50k consultant; for budget consideration in 2022)  
- Valuation tool for ecosystem integrity (aka natural assets management; Gibsons example) (Parks & Planning, 2022) 
- Introduction of permits for land clearing activities (Parks & Planning, 2022) 

The story continues at the Nov. 9 council meeting. Terms of Reference for the new Community Economic Development and Land Use & Development committees were introduced and seats were ensured on each for a member of the "Environmental/Climate Change Community."

As the staff report stated that night: "The CEDC terms of reference now include climate change mitigation and adaptation elements within a triple bottom line (environment, economy and social determinants) approach to community development ... During this review, staff noted that the Climate Action Committee (CAC) member appointments expire on December 1, 2020. Staff request that Council consider the role of the CAC as the committee has been successful in fulfilling its mandate now that the CAC work plan has been adopted by Council and directed for implementation into staff work plans. As Council has directed climate action elements to be incorporated into the terms of reference for the Community Economic Development Committee, this seems timely.

The committee's work has developed a cohesive work plan which will be utilized in upcoming years to address climate-related issues. The CEDC will use the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Special Committee on Climate Action Proposed Recommendations as the framework for mitigation efforts, and the Province of British Columbia Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment as the framework for our adaptation efforts." 

Council decided on Nov. 9 to renew the life of the CAC for one more year, not least so that its members can assist the CEDC in finding its climate-action feet.  It also amended the CEDC's mandate to include the following: 

* Identify opportunities and make recommendations on innovative projects to help achieve carbon neutrality.

* Provide a local perspective on climate change mitigation and adaptation while considering the balance between economic, environmental and social aspects.

* Communicate and develop relationships with organizations beyond the District of Sooke to exchange ideas, experiences, plans and successes.

(Climate action, to repeat, is a necessary part of any CED group worthy of the name. The City of Surrey's Community Climate Action Strategy, for instance, states that climate-first initiatives "will lead to a range of community benefits beyond reduced emissions and energy use, including economic development, community health and wellness, affordability and liveability.")


CAC21: What's Next 

The new committee had its first Zoom meeting last month. Everyone introduced themselves, heard a likely befuddling variation (on my part, at least) of what I've shared above, revealed their respective interests, and began thinking about what they will want to tackle in the short year ahead. Under the guidance of Chair Bernie Klassen, we'll fine-tune the process and our respective roles on Feb. 23. 

One potential direction that particularly excites me is the "education and engagement" component of the CAC Work Plan.  Inspiring Sooke residents to take (further in many cases) personal responsibility for carbon reduction was the "meta focus" of the previous committee. We have educational expertise on this new one that positions CAC21 to deliver some smart, actionable recommendations on how the District can (perhaps in league with community groups) promote accelerated behavioural change. 

Sooke's Community Energy and Emissions Plan features a list of “potential community engagement opportunities” led by steady, ongoing promotion of any current rebate and incentive programs offered by BC Hydro, FortisBC, CleanBC's Better Homes Program, Plug in BC and others. This was the top priority dictated by council when the CEEP was endorsed in 2014. Now the District's newly established Communications department has started to share the latest rebate info again and will continue doing so along with all else it delivers. 

Other CEEP recommended actions (some already ticked off in the CAC Work Plan) include: 
* education for builders (a "green check-list" for new developments) 
* promotion of BC's Wood Stove Exchange and the PowerSmart for Schools programs
* zero waste initiatives (swaps, share sheds, free-store for unwanted goods, backyard composting promotion, yard-waste and building materials depot)
* community energy cooperatives
* secure bike lock-ups and sheltered parking spots
* transit mode-shift promotion (focused on “major employers")
* ride-sharing programs
* EV infrastructure and incentives
* and, in the broadest sense, “long-term deep community engagement (culture change)” 

On that last subject, Item 8.5, pg. 43, reads: "Engage residents in developing and implementing climate solutions through collective, ‘bottom-up,’ informal, organizational and institutional initiatives ... People need information, a realistic assessment of the threat or diagnosis, a sense of personal control over their circumstances, a clear goal, an understanding of the strategies to reach that goal, a sense of support, and frequent feedback that allows them to see that they are moving in the right direction.” (Annual GHG progress reports rather than once per decade would seem essential.) 

There are no end of examples on how to talk climate with the public. I think fondly of Rick's Mercer's One-Tonne Challenge, launched by Paul Martin's government and scrapped unceremoniously upon Stephen Harper's election in 2006. 

Close to hand and fresh right now, our near-neighbour the District of Saanich is lauded for its climate action, especially since partnering with the BC Sustainable Energy Association on the 100% Renewable By 2050 campaign five years ago. In 2020, Saanich released its celebrated Climate Action Plan and has been rolling out citizen engagement tools such as the following: 

- Saanich Residents’ Climate Action Handbook (household guide intended for all ages) "A very very simple tool for the public to be able to use at home, chatting with kids, coffee conversations within your bubble. Online tool takes you to our carbon calculator. Helps identify some actions you can take with support from your municipality while reducing your carbon footprint.” ~ Saanich Sustainability Manager Rebecca Newlove speaking at the recent Local Government Leadership Academy virtual conference   

- Saanich Climate Champions Program (climate declaration signable by residents + photo & video spotlights on citizens doing good things) 

Might we do something similar or entirely our own #Sooke variation on a theme?  "Climate action/emergency preparedness neighbourhood pods" of citizens inspiring each other onwards is one of the fine ideas I heard at our first CAC21 meeting. (thank you Elizabeth Lange, who's part of just such a pod in the Whiffin Spit area.)  Initiatives exactly like that could be part of Sooke's pitch in becoming one of the UBCM's aforementioned social-mobilization trial communities (if and when that proposed program takes fight.)  

Whatever directions CAC21 takes, I hope/trust all work will be assembled into a single document that can go forward to council at year's end -- a substantial, understandably unpolished, yet also bold, creative, best-contemporary-practice draft of the A&M Strategy/Climate Action Plan this community needs.

(Revisiting, updating and repurposing the Sooke Sustainable Development Strategy, which with growing familiarity I now view as one of Sooke's very best planning documents, and borrowing passages freely from others in the District's substantial library of same, might be the most direct and effective way to do this.) 
 
Related Links 
~ District of Sooke Climate Action website page (updated Feb. 2021) 
~ Sooke Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP, 2014)
~ BC Climate Action Charter (2008), to which Sooke and all BC municipalities are signatories
~ Sooke Climate Emergency Declaration (passed unanimously by council on April 8, 2019) 
~ Parks and Trails Master Plan
~ Transportation Master Plan
~ OCP Interim Engagement Summary (Feb. 2021, one of eight themes heard from the public in the Official Community Plan review so far is "the need to develop the OCP through the lenses of compassion and climate action.")
~ "Sooke's Innovative Town Centre Takes Shape" (BC Climate Action Toolklt, 2010)

~ CleanBC (2018)
~ BC Climate Action Toolkit + 
~ Canada's Climate Plan (2020)

~ The Paris Agreement
~ UN Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C (final report)
~ UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity (1m species threatened with extinction)

~ NASA website: Global Climate Change ~ Vital Signs of the Planet (evidence) 
~ The Royal Society - Climate Change Evidence and Causes 
~ Climate Atlas of Canada - Climate Change: The Basics 
~ "The last five years were the hottest ever recorded" ~ National Geographic 

Image below from the Sooke Official Community Plan preliminary Background Research Report, pg. 36. Its next page features a detailed breakdown of all local carbon emissions. 

"As part of the (Sooke) OCP review and update process, our team is seeking opportunities to adopt a ‘climate lens’ throughout both engagement and policy development. Sustainability Solutions Group will review the CRD’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Study that includes Sooke’s emissions profile, community input from the OCP engagement process, and industry best practices, to provide recommendations for climate mitigation and adaptation. SSG can do a high level GHG calculation (not modelling) that will help inform target setting and low-carbon actions determination, which will be based on Sooke’s GHG emissions inventory and experience working in comparable municipalities. This will be used as a guide for target setting and policy development." 

Also from this blog: Climate Changes (May, 2019)