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.)
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.)
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