Years in the making, County’s climate action plan adopted by council

By Sharon Harrison
Climate change was a key agenda topic at Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting, with a sobering reality to hear about impacts and effects of what a changing climate will have (and is having) on the County and its residents. But, the message was also a hopeful one.

After a short discussion, council voted to receive and adopt the report on the Prince Edward County Climate Action Plan.

“This plan presents the framework for how the community and the municipality can actually take action against climate change, how we can actually reduce our greenhouse (GHG) emissions, and make positive change,” said Albert Paschkowiak, environmental services and sustainability supervisor.

He explained the draft plan lays out activities that could be undertaken to achieve a reduction in GHG emissions, where it is intended to act as the guiding framework for integrating climate mitigation and adaptation considerations into municipal decision-making, operations, plans, policies, strategies and programs.

“What you see in front of you…it’s a journey, this has been a journey, it’s been a long journey, seven years, starting with the climate emergency declared in 2019. We set out on this plan trying to create a plan that was for the County, by the County.”

As part of the process, he said they came across many of the impacts that climate change is having on the municipality, or will have in the future, where he noted there are quite of number of examples.

They include emergency response and repair costs, infrastructure, long-term capital costs related to that, lost economic and agricultural productivity, and the list goes on and on, he said.

The one thing that’s not here that he said he wants to highlight is simple health impacts with increased extreme weather that impacts the community’s health.

“But it’s not just about impacts, it’s also about the benefits of pro-active action; it’s about what taking action will do for us, can reduce our long-term infrastructure costs, can reduce climate risk and damage, can improve our resilience to the community, can improve our economy, among many other things.”

Councillor John Hirsch called the plan a “master work”, saying, “it’s been years in the making. It’s been an amazing effort”.

“Structurally, what’s important is we have a catalogue of things we should do, and its up to us ultimately over the years to come, to prioritize which ones to do first, which ones when, and that tends to be dependent on funding,” added Hirsch.

Paschkowiak said a long list of action items was generated which includes not only municipal actions, but community action. Beyond these actions, another component is about the implementation, how does it happen, what steps need to be taken, and how does it get put in place.

“We need to be careful about this that we are not just building a plan that doesn’t actually do anything, or doesn’t go anywhere,” he said. “The first step is, just get started, and we already have. Education integration is the next vital step, and that really relies on, not just education to the public, but education to staff members.“

Council also approved a half dozen related items that included updating the climate lens assessment in council reports to include reference to the climate action plan, conducting a climate risk and vulnerability assessment as the initial action, and scheduling quarterly grant reviews for external funding opportunities.

Going forward, staff will report annually to council and the public on progress toward implementing the plan, and as well, staff will bring an increase to the climate reserve fund to the 2027 budget, for consideration.

The plan has been developed in response to the County’s 2019 declaration of a climate emergency (a second year of extreme flooding) and its participation in the partners for climate protection program, which commits the municipality to advancing local climate action.

“Climate change is already affecting daily life in Prince Edward County, and these impacts are expected to intensify in the years ahead,” stated Paschkowiak.

He said, the County has experienced firsthand a range of climate-related events, including flooding and extreme precipitation, drought and low water conditions, extreme heat events, shoreline erosion, severe weather events and weather fluctuations.

“Without proactive efforts to reduce GHG emissions and strengthen community resilience, both the frequency and severity of climate-related impacts are expected to increase,” he said. “This will place additional pressure on municipal infrastructure, public services, natural systems and residents.”

He noted that the County’s geography, economy and rural character make it particularly vulnerable to these changes.

“The local economy relies heavily on agriculture, tourism and natural resources, which are all sectors highly sensitive to changing weather patterns and environmental degradation.”

Paschkowiak explained that from a corporate perspective, key challenges include the de-centralization of municipal operations, the aging infrastructure and the large number of municipally-owned buildings.

At the community level, the County’s dispersed settlement pattern and extensive road network create additional challenges related to connectivity, service delivery and the provision of public transportation, he said.

When it comes to budget consideration, the plan is intended to serve as a guide for departments when identifying and implementing actions.

“While additional contributions to the climate reserve are recommended, the intent is not to create a wave of new expenditures for the County, but rather align these actions into existing corporate projects, leverage available grant funding, and to utilize the climate reserve when needed.”

“This is only successful if we all work together, its only successful if we work together as a community, as a corporation, sharing resources, sharing knowledge, sharing education – we really have to collaborate to make this happen, really its working together,” he added.

The report on the Prince Edward County Climate Change Plan, as well as the 134-page plan, as discussed at the July 23 committee of the whole meeting, can be found on the corresponding agenda item on the County’s website, along with the meeting recording.

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Outlined below shows how the County’s climate efforts have evolved in the following major phases (as provided by Albert Paschkowiak, environmental services and sustainability supervisor):

(1) Climate emergency declaration (May 2019)
Council declared a climate emergency after experiencing severe flooding events in both 2017 and 2019. The declaration recognized climate change as a growing local risk affecting infrastructure, agriculture, shorelines, water management and community resilience.

(2) Joined the partners for climate protection (PCP) program (November 2021)
Council formally joined the national PCP program (administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) Canada). The goal was to move from declarations to a structured implementation framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing climate resilience.

(3) Emissions inventory and target setting (2023–2025)
The County completed PCP milestone (1) above by establishing a greenhouse gas inventory and emissions forecast.

In October 2023, council then adopted:
-A target of reducing municipal (corporate) greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent below 2019 levels by 2033;
-A long-term vision of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050;
-Creation of a climate action plan working group to develop community-wide actions and a municipal green task force for municipal actions (this group recommended a target of 10 percent community emission reductions by 2035).

(4) Climate action plan (2025-present)
Incorporating feedback from the green task force, climate action plan working group, and community consultations, the plan began in 2025 and is being finalized in 2026.