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Abbotsford’s rise in emissions blamed on chilly winter

More fuel needed to heat rec centres, but cars still make up the largest share of city’s emissions
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Emissions from the City of Abbotsford’s vehicles make up the largest share of the municipality’s emissions. File photo

A chilly November and December helped pushed the City of Abbotsford’s greenhouse gas emissions above the 2015 mark, according to a report delivered to council recently.

The city’s emissions rose slightly, by 0.6 per cent in 2016, but remain below levels recorded between 2012 and 2014.

Municipalities must report on their emissions in order to receive a rebate for the amount of carbon tax paid to the provincial government.

The report from council puts most of the blame for last year’s emission rise on additional heat required at the city’s recreation facilities. The heating of those facilities is the second-largest source of emissions from the city, although the share had fallen each year between 2012 and 2015. After last year’s small increase, they contributed a little more than one-quarter of Abbotsford’s total emissions.

Staff told council that other municipalities also noticed a rise in their heating emissions due to the cold winter.

The largest share of emissions comes from the city’s fleet of 612 vehicles. Abbotsford is considering creating a “green fleet” of vehicles that use cleaner fuel sources, including natural gas and electric energy.

Fleet emissions have risen since 2012, although staff attribute some of that increase to updated reporting methods.

The city achieved Level 2 recognition for its emissions efforts. There are four different levels, with the third recognizing progress that is “accelerating” and the fourth noting “achievement of carbon neutrality.”

Higher levels, however, don’t result in increased rewards through the province’s climate recognitions program.

Still, Coun. Patricia Ross asked how the city could do better.

“We have a history and a culture of innovation and excellence,” she said. “I know we have the ability to step up our game and do a lot better.”

Staff suggested the city’s climate action reserve fund, which allocates money received through the rebate program to emission-reduction projects, could result in Abbotsford achieving Level 3 status next year.