A 21% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Since 1990 in Saint-Laurent

First Québec municipal entity with over 100,000 residents to complete the final phase of the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program

SAINT-LAURENT, QC, Jan. 9, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - At its first meeting of the year, held on January 8, 2019, Saint-Laurent Council unveiled the results of the Borough's 2017 collective and corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories. Confirmed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) on November 26, the inventories as well as the calculations and analyses were compiled in a report produced by the Borough's Division de l'environnement et de la protection du territoire, with the support of the specialized firm Enviro-accès.

By reaching this final phase, Saint-Laurent is becoming the first municipal entity with a population of over 100,000 in Québec and the first in the Greater Montréal area to have successfully completed the FCM's PCP program. The results are very positive since, from 2009 to 2017, collective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased by about 15%. These emissions include all those generated on Saint-Laurent's territory, including those related to municipal administration, which however represent less than 1% of this total.

Saint-Laurent's performance also compares favourably with that of all of Québec as well as Canada's as a whole in terms of per capita GHG emissions, which stood at 5.4 metric tons for 2017 on Saint-Laurent territory. However, for the same year, this figure rose to 9.6 metric tons for Québec and 19.4 tons in Canada, according to a recent study by the Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques.

In line with the objective of a 30 % reduction for 2020

"From our 2004 environmental transition reflected in various increasingly ambitious plans, to the Plan local de réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre 2016-2020 (2016-2020 local plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions), the measures taken have made it possible to achieve this very encouraging reduction," explained Saint-Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa. "These good results are mainly due to the excellent participation of all parties involved: residents, industrial firms, commercial establishments, institutions, organizations and, of course, our own Administration. These results are all the more remarkable because, at the same time, our population has experienced significant growth and strong residential development. These results motivate us to continue these efforts, which have become even more essential in the face of the climate emergency, in order to achieve the initial objective set by Ville de Montréal for 2020: a 30% reduction compared 2009. Several actions have already been planned, such as renovations in some municipal buildings and the development of the Cavendish-Laurin-Liesse biodiversity corridor. We are also encouraging Saint-Laurent residents to continue their efforts by taking part more and more in the organic waste collection, by using public transit and by reducing their energy consumption."

Innovative measures

Particularly worthy of note among the measures taken in the community component and concerning the entire Saint-Laurent community is the implementation of the organic waste collection in buildings with 8 or fewer dwelling units as well as in a larger number of industrial firms, commercial establishments and institutions (ICI), in addition to the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles and the continued development of bicycle paths. Within the municipal component, measures included, for example, the elimination of fuel oil, the implementation of the organic waste collection and the use of green roofs in municipal buildings as well as the conversion of streetlights to LEDs.  

Particularly reliable results  

The results presented in this report are particularly reliable: The measurement and calculation methods comply with three different standards: those of the Global Protocol For Community - Scale GHG Emissions, those of ISO 14064-1 and lastly, those of the FCM's PCP. Moreover, the Borough was supported by the specialized firm Enviro-accès, which notably awarded it a "Carbo-responsible" certificate for producing the inventories.

About efforts to combat climate change in Saint-Laurent

Saint-Laurent has developed an arsenal of tools to combat climate change:

• GHG emission inventories for 2009, 2010 and 2017
• GHG emission reduction objectives: 30% less by 2020
• A Plan local de réduction des émissions de GES 2016-2020 (local GHG emissions reduction plan for 2016-2020), adopted in August 2017
• 75 commitments to adapt to climate change for 2015-2020

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent

For further information: Source: Marc-Olivier Fritsch, chargé de communications, Direction d'arrondissement, Division des communications et des relations avec les citoyens, 514 855-6000, ext. 4342, [e-mail]; Information: Marc-Olivier Fritsch, Media lines: 438 368-3318 or 514 825-6231

Related Links

http://saintlaurent.ville.montreal.qc.ca/