Each level of government, as well as private developers
and consultants and community or environmental agencies,
has a role to play in making communities more energy-aware.
The following are some examples of what can be done at
various stages of the planning and development process.
Regional Growth Strategies
| Provincial
Government |
- Provide assistance in interpreting the
energy-related objectives of a regional growth
strategy
- Require explicit consideration of energy
objectives in regions with special energy issues
or constraints
- Identify potentially commercially viable
local and/or renewable energy resources
|
| Local Government
(Municipalities and Regions) |
- Participate on regional stakeholder
committees during the development of regional
standards or strategies
- Identify ways to streamline approval
processes
- Become familiar with energy opportunities and
how they relate to growth management
|
| Developers |
- Include energy-efficiency and energy supply
objectives in Regional Growth Strategies
- Identify municipal and regional facilities
that could be used as energy resources
- Develop regional tax-base sharing agreements
to ensure that competition for development
doesn't undermine good land use decisions
|
| Utilities (Energy and
Transit) |
- Provide technical support to regional
committees on planning options that affect energy
efficiency, energy supply or transit options
- Identify potentially commercially viable
local and/or renewable energy resources
- Participate actively as stakeholders and
strategic partners in developing regional growth
strategies
|
| The Public |
- Encourage local governments to include energy
sustainability goals in official community
plans
- Provide input about energy issues and
options
|
Official Community Plans
| Provincial
Government |
- Develop and distribute tools and methods for
monitoring energy performance
- Provide information, financing and technical
assistance on energy efficiency and supply
options
- Revise the Municipal Act to give local
government explicit authority to undertake
energy-related initiatives
|
| Local Government
(Municipalities and Regions) |
- Include energy-efficiency and energy supply
objectives in Official Community Plans
- Involve energy utilities as strategic
partners in official community planning
processes
|
| Developers |
- Identify ways to streamline approval
processes
- Become familiar with energy
opportunities
- Become familiar with public preferences and
potential market trends
|
| Utilities (Energy and
Transit) |
- Participate on technical advisory committees
to provide advice on energy- and transit-related
issues
- Proactively participate in planning exercises
to influence community development patterns
- Identify community-based service options and
incorporate them into internal strategic and
operational plans (such as Integrated Resource
Plans)
|
| The Public |
- Encourage local governments to include energy
sustainability goals in official community
plans
- Provide input about local energy issues and
options
|
Neighborhood Concept Plans and Subdivision
Design and Approvals
| Provincial
Government |
- Provide training services for subdivision
approval officers, especially in rural areas
- Encourage local governments to adopt
Subdivision Bylaws that reflect good energy
planning principles
- Encourage local governments to involve the
public in evaluating a range of development
options
|
| Local Government
(Municipalities and Regions) |
- Estimate all of the costs and benefits of
alternative neighborhood designs and educate the
public about their choices
- Introduce energy considerations in developer
negotiations for rezoning applications,
subdivision plans and development permits
|
| Developers |
- Work with municipal planners to identify
preferred development standards or design
features that can be practically implemented in
today's marketplace
- Organize and participate in design charrettes
to help visualize design options
|
| Utilities (Energy and
Transit) |
- Provide information brochures to planners and
developers about energy and transit design
alternatives
- Review subdivision plans to proactively flag
service constraints and identify potential design
changes to improve service quality or
cost-effectiveness
|
| The Public |
- Make preferences for alternative neighborhood
designs known to planners and developers
- Participate in design charrettes and other
planning exercises
|
Site Planning and Building Design and
Approvals
| Provincial
Government |
- Develop and promote provincial standards for
building performance ratings
- Establish retrofit guidelines for energy
efficiency
- Demonstrate energy efficiency standards and
on-site energy supply options in provincial
facilities
|
| Local Government
(Municipalities and Regions) |
- Distribute information on energy options and
financing to developers and builders at the
permit counter
- Ensure that individual building and site
designs are consistent with preferred development
standards for the neighborhood
|
| Developers |
- Ensure the design team is aware of
cost-saving or cost-neutral energy options
- Market buildings on the basis of their long
term costs and performance
- Encourage local and provincial governments to
adopt building certification standards
|
| Utilities (Energy and
Transit) |
- Provide technical assistance in developing
building performance standards
- Provide information on design standards and
financing packages for energy-efficiency options,
on-site energy supply options, and on-site
transit facilities
- Inform developers about emerging business
opportunities in independent power
production
|
| The Public |
- Make preferences for energy and
sustainability features known to planners and
developers
- Make purchasing decisions on the basis of
"life cycle costs"
|
Transportation and Infrastructure Planning
and Engineering
| Provincial
Government |
- Require that local governments conduct an
evaluation of all reasonable options (including
demand management) before financing
infrastructure expansion projects
- Link infrastructure financing to performance
targets, including energy-related targets
|
| Local Government
(Municipalities and Regions) |
- Evaluate all reasonable service options
(including demand management) for transportation,
water, liquid and solid waste
- Develop new engineering design standards to
accommodate the needs of alternative
development
- Monitor energy use in municipal facilities
and infrastructure.
|
| Developers |
- Adopt designs and features that recognize and
mitigate infrastructure constraints or costs
- Support development cost charges that reflect
the real cost of service
|
| Utilities (Energy and
Transit) |
- Establish "sliding" development cost charges
for energy hook-ups that reflect the real costs
of different energy sources
- Coordinate corridor/rights-of-way planning
with the municipality or region
- Investigate options for joint metering
(energy/water)
- Provide financing for land use or
transportation options that will reduce the cost
of energy/transit service
|
| The Public |
- Indicate support for reducing the cost of
infrastructure to local politicians, planners and
developers
|
