Drayton Valley Energy & Emissions

PCP Milestone Framework

In 2015, with Council Resolution #217/15, the Town of Drayton Valley (TODV) officially joined the Partners for Climate Protection Program (PCP). The PCP is a national network of over 350 municipalities that have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change. PCP is managed and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.

The PCP program helps municipalities reduce energy use and emissions through a five-step Milestone Framework:

• Milestone 1: Create a Baseline Emissions Inventory and Forecast
• Milestone 2: Set Emissions Reduction Targets
• Milestone 3: Develop a Local Action Plan
• Milestone 4: Implement the Local Action Plan
• Milestone 5: Monitor Progress and Report Results

Moving through these five milestones can save municipalities money, improve air quality, create jobs, and improve local residents’ health.

First Milestone Achieved

In January 2020, the Town of Drayton Valley achieved Milestone 1 of the PCP Milestone Framework. For Milestone 1, the Town was required to create a GHG emissions inventory and a ten-year emissions forecast. The energy and emissions inventory helps the Town to track energy use, emissions and spending as well as gather money-saving information while the forecast enables the Town to measure progress over time.

The Drayton Valley Energy & Emissions Inventory 2015-2018 is available at the following link:

For highlights from the Drayton Valley’s Energy & Emissions Inventory 2015 to 2018, click here!

Energy Survey Completed

An online energy survey was conducted from April 20th to May 18th, 2020 to gather feedback from residents on their priorities for energy stewardship and energy programming in Drayton Valley. The online survey was to be complemented with a host of engagement activities at local events, with educational institutions, with the Chamber of Commerce, senior center, and other local stakeholders. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the online survey becoming the sole engagement instrument applied at this time.

The online survey was built on Google Forms and heavily advertised through the Town’s social media platforms, the local newspapers, and with physical posters at bulletin boards throughout the Town (including grocery stores, medical centers, schools, and others). The Town offered a $50 Chamber Cash prize draw to encourage participation. Unfortunately, the survey garnered only 43 respondents, which makes the results statistically invalid (<1%). However, the feedback provided useful insight into the different opinions of the respondents. The key findings are shared in the “What We Heard” Report available here.

View the full press release on the survey and our winner for the prize draw here!

Second Milestone Achieved

The Town of Drayton Valley was recognized by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) for achieving Milestone 2 of the five-milestone PCP Framework. This milestone is reached by setting GHG emissions reduction targets. Drayton Valley adopted the following targets on August 19, 2020:

• Reduce municipal GHG emissions by 8% reduction below 2015 levels by 2030.
• Reduce community emissions by 6% reduction below 2015 levels by 2030.

Setting these data-driven targets to reduce emissions reflects Drayton Valley’s commitment to become better stewards of energy and the environment.

View the full press release here!

Drayton Valley Adopts Local Energy Stewardship Plan

On December 16, 2020, the Town Council unanimously voted to adopt Drayton Valley’s Local Energy Stewardship Plan for energy conservation and reducing local greenhouse gas emissions.

This Local Energy Stewardship Plan:

• describes the current state of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Drayton Valley;
• predicts future energy requirements; and
• identifies practical opportunities to use energy more efficiently, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage waste.

The plan was created through consultation and collaboration with local and external stakeholders.

The Local Energy Stewardship Plan was submitted to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to achieve the third milestone in recognizing Drayton Valley’s efforts in climate action.

The Local Energy Stewardship Plan is available at the following link:

View the press release recognizing Drayton Valley achieving the third milestone of the PCP framework here!

2020 Energy & Emissions Inventory

To achieve PCP Milestone 4, the Town needs to demonstrate how measures from the Local Energy Stewardship Plan are being implemented.  Consistent reporting ensures that the Town is on-track and progressing towards achieving the emissions reduction goals identified in PCP Milestone 2. The 2020 Energy and Emissions Inventory Report was prepared for Town Council and is available here.

The overall energy use and emissions in Drayton Valley decreased below 2015 levels in 2020 due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place since March 2020. Out of the 16 measures identified in the Local Energy Stewardship Plan, 11 measures are already on-going.

Energy & Emissions Reduction Initiatives

The following table summarizes the Town of Drayton Valley’s PCP journey and Milestone achievements.

The Town has implemented several energy and emissions reduction initiatives to help achieve our climate action targets. Learn more about these initiatives here.

The Town will continue to find ways for saving energy and reducing costs through programming and initiatives tailored to the needs of our residents and businesses.

Would like to share your energy ideas? Email us at energy@draytonvalley.ca