Thursday, March 28, 2024

Saanich opens Electric Mobility Strategy survey as next step in climate plan

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The District of Saanich is asking residents for feedback as it moves forward with its 2020 Climate Plan with a new Electric Mobility Strategy.

The public are invited to provide their thoughts through an online survey that outlines the draft of the strategy, including questions on Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, e-bikes and supports for businesses to adopt EV technology.

Responses will be used to finalize the Electric Mobility Strategy when it is presented to Saanich Council later in 2020.

The District of Saanich has set a goal of becoming a 100 per cent renewable energy community and cutting emissions in half by 2030, and to net zero by 2050—a goal shared by the federal government.

“As our residents may know, Saanich has made great progress on electric mobility and this ambitious strategy will see us well into the future,” said Mayor Fred Haynes.

“By following these proposed actions, we can be bold, ambitious and courageous, leading by example and driving closer to our net zero goal for 2050.”

The District says that transportation accounts for the majority of emissions in Saanich.

The Strategy calls for an expansion of the District’s public EV charging network, adding 20 new Level 2 charging stations at six municipal facilities and four Saanich parks in 2021.

New stations would be built with funding support from the Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program.

In 2019 Saanich replaced 10 hybrid cars and one pickup truck in its municipal fleet with fully electric vehicles. The District says that this transition saves them 8,700 litres of gasoline a year.

Lower maintenance costs on the vehicles also save between $10,000 to $15,000 over their lifespan.

Residents interested in offering their feedback on the Electric Mobility Strategy can find the survey and draft plan online at saanich.ca/climateplan.

The survey is open until September 27, 2020.

Tim Ford
Tim Ford
Digital staff writer with Victoria Buzz

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