Faced with the climate emergency, the province’s cities are joining together in a race to reduce their carbon footprint. They will be supported in a municipal decarbonization journey just launched by the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ). The first challenge is to tackle pollution emitted by buildings and vehicles.
“The new mayors are increasingly sensitive to the environment. We are not starting from zero,” summarizes the president of the UMQ and mayor of Varennes, Martin Damphousse, as he opens the doors of his town hall. A heritage building whose energy tightness leaves something to be desired, he admits.
The first cohort of the Course brings together nearly ten municipalities, small and large, including Varennes. Around ten others wish to join the second wave of decarbonization, scheduled for the end of summer 2024, indicates the UMQ.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
The head of the sustainable development division at the City of Varennes, Mathieu Vallée, and the mayor of Varennes, Martin Damphousse
On the ground, a team of experts is already supporting municipal decision-makers. There is regulatory legal advice. Formations. Support. Grouped purchases to save money, particularly when purchasing electric vehicles.
For example, municipalities can start insulating their pipes or go bold by replacing oil heating appliances.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
The City of Varennes has a fleet of 18 electric vehicles. She is preparing to acquire a 100% electric first responder fire truck. It will be the only municipality in the country, with Toronto, to have this type of vehicle.
The UMQ also encourages cities to turn to electric vehicles, to encourage carpooling, and to install public charging stations. Training in “eco-driving” will be offered.
To Gaspésie
In Carleton-sur-Mer, a Gaspésie municipality of 4,081 citizens, elected officials adopted the 2024-2030 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan on February 12. In this region, climate change is hitting hard. There is coastal erosion, submersion and the puzzle of preserving seawoods.
“We don’t yet offer composting here. It is estimated that 60% of our polluting emissions come from landfilling waste. We have a municipal campsite visited by 3000 people in summer. That gives you an idea of the scale of the challenge. With the municipalities of the Avignon-Bonaventure intermunicipal waste management authority [RGMRAB]we have a biogas capture project,” explains Mayor Maxime Lapointe, reached by telephone.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF CARLETON-SUR-MER
The mayor of Carleton-sur-Mer, Maxime Lapointe
He says that a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory carried out in 2019 revealed that 42.6% of emissions by energy source came from the use of propane. The most polluting buildings are the arena and municipal garages. On the vehicle side, the fleet included nine gasoline vehicles and ten vehicles and machinery still running on diesel at the time of the inventory.
“We continue to replace with the upcoming acquisition of a fifth electric vehicle, this time for the maintenance of our campsite. We want to reduce the frequency of lawn mowing and review snow removal routes. For the municipal garage, we have a project to convert to electricity. We also want smart thermostats, install LED bulbs, etc. There is a lot to achieve, it takes money. We hope to benefit from grouped purchases,” adds Mayor Maxime Lapointe.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF CARLETON-SUR-MER
Carleton-sur-Mer has acquired an electric truck (Ford Etransit) and is waiting for a new van (F150 Lightning pro). These two vehicles replace gasoline vehicles.
Reduction in energy surpluses
Normand Mousseau is professor of physics and scientific director at the Trottier Energy Institute, an organization bringing together experts on these issues. He emphasizes that urban consumption was among the recommendations 10 years ago when the Commission on Quebec’s energy issues was held.
The biophysics expert recalls that Hydro-Québec warned the municipality of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, at the end of January, of the drop in its energy surplus. And the possible consequences of the adoption of a regulation aimed at banning natural gas surrounding the construction of a large residential district.
Small municipalities are at the limit of what they can do. We absolutely need a group of experts, not just to give directions or to impose energy sources. It takes a team. For example, there are several options other than natural gas for buildings. We can open the way to geothermal energy, a sort of heat pump capturing heat from the ground instead of the air.
Normand Mousseau, professor of physics and scientific director at the Trottier Energy Institute
In Varennes, a town on the South Shore of nearly 21,000 citizens, the head of the sustainable development division, Mathieu Vallée, will be at the heart of the decarbonization journey. As a matter of urgency, $250,000 was released last summer to save a portion of the cycle path which threatened to be swallowed up by the rising river. Because of river traffic.
The municipality is concerned about preserving its coasts, in addition to ensuring that its carbon footprint is reduced. There is the energy efficiency of the aquatic complex to review, of the municipal garage. The “net zero” municipal library, with its solar panels and geothermal energy, is already the municipal pride, explains Mr. Vallée.
“Our largest source of GHGs comes from our industrial park [Novoparc]. In the long term, we would like to create an energy loop to recover heat from our servers. We can think of companies established in our territory, for example Google servers; many industries emit heat. We are studying how we could generate income from it. Ensure the authorship of an innovative system. »
The UMQ collaborates with various partners to manage the Municipal Decarbonization Journey, including the government of Quebec, Hydro-Québec, IVEO (sustainable mobility solutions) and Énergir (formerly Gaz Métro).
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