Ontario is looking for public input on how to encourage and improve cycling safety across the province.
A draft cycling strategy has been released for public feedback until Jan. 29, 2013. It outlines potential improvements to cycling infrastructure, public education and legislation, including:
Creating a provincial cycling network to connect destinations and establish recreational cycling and tourism routes.
Supporting municipalities in the development of local cycling networks, including making cycling infrastructure eligible for funding under the Municipal Infrastructure Strategy.
Running public education campaigns with cycling safety partners such as Share the Road, the Canadian Automobile Association and EnviroCentre.
Updating the Driver’s Handbook to include better guidelines for cycling and sharing the road with other vehicles.
Providing cycling safety and bike maintenance information with any new bike sold.
Consulting with the public, cycling groups and municipalities on possible amendments to the Highway Traffic Act to support cycling.
This morning a number of local businesses were brought together by a joint initiative between the Peterborough Business Advisory Centre and Sustainable Peterborough. The group gathered at the GPA EDC to hear David Whitehouse, Director Corporate & Customer Services/Conservation Officer of Peterborough Utilities and Alex Mortlock from Green Business Peterborough speak about a number of cost saving programs and incentives for small businesses.
Whitehouse spoke to the group on the Small Business Lighting, Retrofit and Peaksaver plus programs.
The Small Business Lighting program provides qualifying businesses up to $1,000 worth of energy efficient lighting and equipment upgrades as well as access to further incentives. PDI supplies, installs, cleans up and recycles – making it easier for the business owner. For more information on eligibility visit the saveONenergy website.
The Retrofit program addresses the capital costs associated with investing and participating in a retrofit program. With the Retrofit program businesses can instal energy efficient measures and earn up to 50% of their project costs. There are a number of financial incentives available to businesses who replace existing equipment and installing new control systems that will improve efficiency of operations.
The program offers three Tracks to conservation,
prescriptive
engineered
custom.
Prescriptive provides you with the ease of selecting from a defined list of end-use measures with a corresponding per/unit incentive, while the engineered track provides a series of preset calculations worksheets that help you estimate reductions in peak demand and/or electricity consumption that apply to the installation of more energy -efficient equipment or solutions.
For those more complex or innovative solutions, not covered in the previously mentioned tracks. there is the custom track. The custom track evaluates demand and energy performance on technology, equipment and system improvements. Incentives are paid after installation and once the savings have been measured and verified.
Whitehouse noted that the benefits of these programs are that the reduce operating costs, energy, increase occupant comfort and productivity and adds value to property or asset. Many retrofits pay for themselves in under 2 years which represents pure profit to the business.
Alex Mortlock, from Peterborough GreenUp spoke to the group about a recent program launched through Peterborough GreenUp and the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce called Green Business Peterborough. The program will recognize businesses that have pledged or have implemented strategies for waste reduction, energy conservation and/or any form of sustainable business practices.
There are a host of incentives for business owners to become part of the Green Business Program:
Recognition on the Green Business Peterborough website
Recognition on the Chamber of Commerce website
Recognition on the Peterborough GreenUp website
Press coverage, promotional events and special recognition
Window decals, certificates and promotional materials for your business
Green Business Peterborough logo to use in your advertising
This session was the first of a number of sessions being held over the next year to promote sustainable business practices. They fulfill a mandate set forward by Sustainable Peterborough’s Plan for Economic Development in that it provides the business community with concrete tools from which to build or transition to sustainable business practices.
Keep coming back to our website for more information on how you can save through energy conservation!
The Peterborough Marina was one of the few marinas in Ontario to receive a Gold 5-Anchor Status rating by Green Leaf through the Clean Marine Eco-Rating Program. The Gold rating, which is effective September 2012 to September 2016, indicates the Peterborough Marina has made a significant commitment to environmental improvement.
Boating Ontario, along with over twenty marine industry professionals from Ontario’s boater and angler associations, formed the Clean Marine Partnership to develop a voluntary program of “Environmental Best Practices” for the marine industry that is recognized as the leader in North America. Since 2001, Boating Ontario member marinas have been enrolling in the Clean Marine Program to ensure that their marinas are following these environmentally sound practices and protecting our waterways for all to enjoy.
Each marina is audited by Greenleaf, a third party firm who provides the marina with a detailed report on their compliance with the standards of the Clean Marine Program. Results of this audit are converted to a five point Eco-Rating system, with a low of one, and a high of five green leaf anchors. In 2009, upgraded standards were added to allow additional levels of achievement, to Gold, Diamond and Platinum 5-anchor status.
This information is also available on the City of Peterborough website at www.peterborough.ca
 For further information please contact the undersigned:
Rob Anderson, Recreation Division Coordinator City of Peterborough 500 George Street North Peterborough, Ontario K9H 3R9 705-742-7777 Ext 1833 Toll-free 1-855-738-3755 Ext 1833
The Township of Douro-Dummer today celebrated the installation of new solar panels on the community centre property. These panels will be a source of clean energy and will generate new revenue for the Township.
“Our government is proud to have invested in this innovative project that will generate power and revenue for the Township of Douro-Dummer,” said Dean Del Mastro, Member of Parliament for Peterborough. “We will continue to support local infrastructure priorities as we focus on promoting growth, job creation and economic prosperity here in Ontario and across Canada.”
“Truly an example of working together”, said Douro-Dummer Township Mayor, J. Murray Jones. “Douro-Dummer is a great example of how a small township can benefit in a big way with a little help.”
The Township of Douro-Dummer built a tracker solar system (10 kw) on its community centre property. The clean energy produced will be sold to Hydro One. The system is expected to generate $200,000 to $240,000 in revenue to the municipality over 20 years. Furthermore, the Township is planning to use any surplus money produced by the panels to offset future costs of implementing further energy efficiency initiatives.
The total cost of this $77,066 solar panel project was funded through the Township of Douro-Dummer’s share of its federal Gas Tax Fund allocation.
The Gas Tax Fund provides long-term funding to local governments to help them build and revitalize public infrastructure. In December 2011, the Government of Canada passed legislation to make the Gas Tax Fund a permanent annual investment of $2 billion per year. The Government of Canada, through the Gas Tax Fund alone, provides $746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Ontario. Between 2010 and 2014, the Township of Douro-Dummer will receive $853,256 from Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.
“Canada’s Gas Tax Fund acknowledges that all orders of government must work together to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in our municipalities,” said Russ Powers, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). “Stable and predictable, the Gas Tax Fund supports investment in local priority projects that lead to job creation and economic growth in communities right across Ontario.”
The Government of Canada has engaged provinces, territories, municipalities and key stakeholders in a series of roundtables to guide the development of a new long-term infrastructure plan that will support job creation, economic growth and prosperity. We have heard that we are on the right track: there is a need for strong, sustained investment and we must continue to work together moving forward. To improve infrastructure across Canada and ensure affordability and sustainability over the long term, our new plan will encourage greater use of public-private partnerships. This will help leverage new investments in infrastructure, while respecting Canadian taxpayers’ ability to pay.
For additional information about the Government of Canada’s infrastructure investments in Ontario and to stay up-to-date with Web feeds, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
For additional information, please contact:
Geneviève Sicard Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities 613-991-0700
David Clifford Township of Douro-Dummer 705-652-8392 extension 206
Recognizing the value of a walkable community and the essential role that sidewalks play, the City of Peterborough policy is to provide sidewalks on both sides of all streets. Some streets were developed prior to this policy being in place and as a result, there are no sidewalks on many streets. Every year, new sidewalks are installed in locations where there was no sidewalk previously. In order to provide these new sidewalks where they are most needed, the city developed a Sidewalk Strategic Plan in 2008. The Sidewalk Strategic Plan ranks all missing sidewalks in the city according to a set of criteria to determine which sidewalks are the most important to provide. The criteria are comprehensive and examples include the type of street, how many students are designated walkers in that area, proximity to high density housing and whether it is on a transit route. The focus for provision of new sidewalks is on ones that are a Priority 1 or 2. The Plan only addresses locations where new sidewalks should be provided, not where sidewalks need repair. At this meeting, information will be provided about the purpose of the Sidewalk Strategic Plan, the criteria used to rate sidewalks and the revised sidewalk ratings. The technical aspects of the update have been completed and public input is requested to ensure that the criteria used to rate the sidewalks reflect community values and that missing sidewalks are rated appropriately within the Plan. Â The public meeting is scheduled for: Date: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Time: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., presentation at 5:00 p.m. Location: Simcoe Street Transit Terminal, 190 Simcoe Street, Peterborough
