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. As part of the requirements to achieve 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 on Drayton Valley’s Energy & Emissions Inventory 2015 to 2018, click here!

Energy Survey Completed

An online survey was conducted from April 20th to May 18th, 2020. The objective was 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. Some of the key findings is shared in the “What We Heard” Report available here:

What We Heard – Public Survey Summary

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

Second Milestone Achieved

The Town of Drayton Valley has completed Milestone 2 of the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program. PCP is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing GHG emissions and protecting our climate. Milestone 2 is setting targets to reduce corporate and community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The targets will now enable the Town of Drayton Valley to develop a plan to reduce GHG emissions, improve energy efficiency and track progress toward these objectives over time.

On August 19, 2020, council adopted the following GHG emissions reduction targets:

  *   An 8% reduction below 2015 levels by 2030 for corporate operations.

  *   A 6% reduction below 2015 levels by 2030 for the community.

“Setting these data-driven targets to reduce emissions reflects our commitment to become better stewards for energy and the environment. We are proud to join other Canadian municipalities as leaders in creating a sustainable future” says Councillor Fayrell Wheeler. “We intend to continue moving through the 5 PCP Milestone process to optimize our conservation opportunities to create new revenue streams, support local employment, and spur innovation.”

To establish the emissions reduction targets, the Town of Drayton Valley first collected data on current greenhouse gas emissions and developed a GHG inventory (Milestone 1 of the PCP program). The Town of Drayton Valley also consulted with residents, businesses and other stakeholders in the community to set the targets. The Milestone 1 inventory report and a summary of the community engagement exercise are available on the Town’s website. Community feedback clearly indicates a preference for realistic goals and actions – the targets were chosen to reflect this sentiment.

As a member of the PCP program, the Town of Drayton Valley is among over 400 municipal governments across Canada taking a leadership role and making a significant contribution to reducing Canada’s overall GHG emissions. In 2018, PCP member municipalities voluntarily reported over 160 projects to reduce GHG emissions. These projects represent over 720,000 tonnes in annual GHG reductions — equivalent to taking over the amount of carbon stored in over 340,000 hectares of forest in one year. Along with reducing the impacts of climate change, municipalities saw other community benefits and savings, including $2.88 million in annual cost savings generated by reducing emissions from streetlights and municipally owned vehicles and buildings.

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:

Energy & Emissions Reduction Initiatives

• Waste Reduction Week Breakout Room:

Did you know that 80% of Town of Drayton Valley’s corporate emissions come from our landfill? In October 2020, Drayton Valley hosted an online game to raise awareness on how to divert more waste from the landfill.

Click on the photo below and see if you can solve these puzzles.

• Energy Conservation Tools Kit (E-CENT Kit):

The E-CENT Kit consists of seven tools and a localized guideline to help users better understand how energy is used in their homes. By reducing energy use, users could potentially lower their energy bills, add comfort to their home, and shrink their ecological footprint. This project was made possible by a $2,000 grant from FortisAlberta through their “Save Energy” program.

The E-CENT Kit will be made available to Drayton Valley residents through the library’s regular circulation system. Technical expertise or knowledge on energy is not required to use the Kit! You can check out the kit from the Library, similar to borrowing books, by filling out a form, and paying a refundable deposit of $50. The E-CENT kit will then be lent to you for seven days. For more information, contact the Library at 780-514-2722.

The guideline is at the following link:

The Town continues to find ways to help residents and businesses save energy and reduce costs, and looks forward to the exploration of future programs that will allow the Town to reduce costs and promote energy efficiencies!

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