District of Vanderhoof - adopted a community energy plan; CAEE community

During the course of the last 3 years, the District has teamed up with the Ministry of Environment on an air quality project.  Monitors are in place at 2 different locations within the community.  The results have been collected and analyzed and Council is working in an attempt to define what has peaked emissions at various times throughout the years with the goal of eliminating the causes of increased emissions.  One of the stated goals and objectives of Council is to investigate the banning of outdoor furnaces and other such woodburning appliances that are contributing to air pollution.  In addition, a climate change study has been completed in Vanderhoof called "Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Forest-Based Communities Assessing Adaptive Capacity: A Case Study for Vanderhoof, BC".

Council has recently adopted a 'Community Energy Plan'. We participated in our community 'Trade Show' this past May and made information available on the CEP along with brochures and a questionnaire.  People were invited to partcipate in an on-line ecological footprint quiz designed to raise awareness of the impact each of us has on the planet.  Public meetings will be held to outline the plan and to encourage our residents to think 'greener' and become more aware of how all of us can achieve energy efficiences in a myriad of ways.

Members of the business community, developers, home builders, energy experts and planners were asked to sit on the Energy Committee to formulate a plan for the future.  The mission of the CEP is to "encourage energy efficiency in all sectors throughout the community and to incorporate energy and greenhouse gas considerations into all aspects of municipal decision making".  The plan was adopted by Council last month.

We are excited about this plan and the committee has agreed to continue on to participate in the community dialogue sessions.

Attached are Council resolutions and a copy of the District of Vanderhoof Community Energy Plan.