The City of Quesnel has now hired a Carbon Review Coordinator.
Tanya Turner, the Director of Development Services, explains what this person’s job will be…
“This individual will be responsible for developing a greenhouse gas reduction plan, implementing operational and institutional changes that will ensure long term greenhouse gas emission reductions, and move projects from planning stage to the implementation stage.”
Turner notes that the City has some aggressive goals laid out in the Official Community Plan.
It targets a 33 percent reduction of greenhouse gasses below 2007 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
Mayor Bob Simpson says the timing is right as they are currently reviewing their fleet and the landfill and there are also some new buildings on the horizon.
Simpson says while this person will be focused primarily on corporate greenhouse gas emissions, he says they are hoping they can expand on that…
“One of the things that as a Council, and I’ve raised this with staff, we have to have the community understand that this individual really is technically focused on corporate greenhouse gas emissions, that’s the main focus on this, that we actually take steps with our fleet, we take steps with our buildings, we take steps with our landfill etc to reduce that.”
The cost to the City for this new position over two years is $31,500 and that money will come out of the carbon reserve.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is paying 125 thousand dollars over two years in the form of a grant.
The new person will start on July 1st.