Zero-Carbon Zero (EL-4) beginning July 01, 2024

Zero-Carbon Zero (EL-4) beginning July 01, 2024

Energy Step 3 beginning January 01, 2026.

Zero-Carbon Measure-only (EL-1) until June 30, 2024

Zero-Carbon Measure-only (EL-1) until June 30, 2024

Bylaw No. 7266 – Consolidated Version states that:

i. A minimum of 25% of all off-street vehicle parking spaces within any common parking areas for multiple-family residential, seniors’ congregate housing, and student housing uses, as shown on the Off-Street Parking Plan, shall have shared access to a Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charge Receptacle or more efficient charger. (Bylaw 7266.03)

ii. All remaining off-street vehicle parking spaces within any common parking areas for multiple-family residential, seniors’ congregate housing, and student housing uses, as shown on the Off-Street Parking Plan, shall be provided with an electrical outlet box wired with a separate branch circuit capable of supplying electricity to support the installation of a Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charge Receptacle. (Bylaw 7266.03)

iii. All off-street vehicle parking spaces within a single residential dwelling or dedicated multiple-family dwelling parking space, such as a garage for an individual unit, shall include an electric outlet box wired with a separate branch circuit capable of supplying electricity to support the installation of a Level 1 Electric Vehicle Charge Receptacle. (Bylaw 7266.03)

iv. Five percent (5%) of all required off-street parking spaces within a retail trade and services centre or shopping centre shall have access to a Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charge Receptacle or more efficient charger.

Leverage Nanaimo’s available
resources and authority and work with
community members, organizations,
businesses, and other levels of
government to shift away from fossil
fuels to 100% renewable energy
by 2050 and, by sequestering or
removing carbon, reduce Nanaimo’s
overall community greenhouse gas
emissions to below zero by 2050.

Set and actively work towards interim targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions for 2025, 2030, 2035, and 2040.

Monitor and report on progress annually towards targets and review / update greenhouse gas reduction targets every three years, or more frequently when justified, to ensure they are in line with the recommendations from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and reflect actions from Provincial and Federal Governments.

Accelerate zero carbon and energy efficient building design and practices for all new construction before 2030, and require this for all new construction after 2030.

Support the upgrade of existing buildings so that all buildings achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Develop a framework for evaluating the full life cycle of carbon emissions of buildings, including embodied emissions, while retaining heritage character and value for recognized heritage buildings.

Advocate to the Provincial government for additional power and policy tools to meet the City’s climate goals.

Advocate to the Provincial government for additional power and policy tools to meet the City’s climate goals.

Support, prioritize, and advocate for low carbon energy systems in all new construction.

By 2050, all transportation trips are zero carbon, through active transportation and zero emission vehicle adoption.

By 2050, all transportation trips are zero carbon, through active transportation and zero emission vehicle adoption.

Prioritize walking, rolling, cycling, and transit over other transportation modes to help Nanaimo achieve a zero carbon transportation system.

Improve community capacity and resilience by increasing awareness of climate change; its expected local impacts; and how individuals, businesses, community groups, and others can contribute to mitigation and adaptation.

Support community and neighbourhood level organizations that empower community capacity and resilience to mitigate and adapt to climate change and other hazards.

Working with community partners, develop strategic directions for climate change adaptation.

Prioritize hazardous lands and properties at risk for consideration in the City’s property acquisition strategy, and seek the Province’s support for their acquisition.

Apply a climate change resilience lens when assessing, planning, designing, or retrofitting City owned facilities and infrastructure.

Encourage shoreline naturalization to protect waterfront properties from flooding risk and landslip, while also protecting and restoring habitats.

Increase resilience of community assets and infrastructure against wildfire risk; sea level rise; and increasing intensity, duration, and frequency of extreme weather events.

Discourage development in areas prone to increasing flooding, landslip, or sea level rise due to climate change. Where development does occur, require efforts to mitigate climate change impacts.

Regularly update coastal flooding plans and regulations to encourage public and private development to avoid areas at risk of anticipated sea level rise and to identify where existing development is in areas of potential risk. Where development exists in risk areas, support adaptation measures for its remaining useful life.

Ensure City contingency reserves contain an allowance for City infrastructure recovery from severe weather related events.

Work with community partners to minimize the health impacts of extreme weather on community members.

Incorporate climate resilience into new construction projects and building retrofits.

Support climate change resilience adaptations for new and existing homes

Protect and expand the city’s tree canopy wherever possible to enhance its ecological, climate, and human health benefits, while meeting the objectives of the City’s land use policies.

Encourage street tree planting and other climate resilient landscaping in new and existing neighbourhoods and redevelopment sites.

Promote, with programs and incentives, the retention and planting of trees on public and private land throughout the city

Enhance ecosystem biodiversity and resilience, and consider climate change, as well as food security, when replacing or planting new trees in public spaces.

Encourage private landowners to retain trees that are not a hazard and to replant or plant new trees that support and enhance the treed character of the city.

Discourage removal of trees purely for view enhancement.

Provide information and education to raise community awareness on the importance of healthy urban trees.

Promote pollinator friendly plants on public and private lands throughout the city.

Seek to avoid activities that result in changes to ecological features such as steep slopes, watercourses, riparian areas, significant trees, and environmentally sensitive lands.

Endeavour to increase, prioritize, and include the planting of fruit and nut trees in public spaces where hard infrastructure and safe transportation will not be impacted by falling fruit

Ensure appropriate restoration where riparian or other environmentally sensitive sites have been altered from their natural state, targeting a net gain of ecological values.

Maintain existing treed areas and expand tree and vegetative cover on steep slope areas for the purpose of controlling erosion, enhancing ecological services, and reducing the visual impacts of development.

As part of development applications, protect private lands with significant environmental, urban tree canopy, natural capital, or recreational value by means of tools such as covenants, ecogifting, or land dedication.

When planning for natural assets and park spaces, find creative solutions that protect ecological assets and functions and allow defined public access and amenities, while balancing watercourse, tree protection, and environmentally sensitive area regulations.

Preserve ecosystem integrity by removing invasive species from natural areas, restoring disturbed ecologically sensitive areas with native and/or appropriate non-invasive vegetation, and through programs and partnerships that support joint stewardship and restoration.

Continue to work with other agencies and interested community groups to study natural assets and biodiversity, and identify opportunities to increase natural values.

Continue to acquire natural areas as parkland and continue to manage existing natural areas, features, and ecosystems within them so they adapt to and evolve with climate change.

Work with other agencies and interested community groups to identify, promote, and implement greenways, including both habitat greenway systems focused on wildlife corridors and recreational greenway systems that allow for limited human activity, which may be combined in appropriate locations.

To protect and enhance natural habitat, improve air quality, support wildlife, and allow for active transportation, continue to create an interconnected greenway network over time that protects and increases habitat connectivity across the city and into the surrounding landscape, including along lake and ocean waterfronts, watercourses, and slopes. Where environmental setbacks and constraints allow, support the development of environmentally sensitive trails, viewing points, and rest areas within greenways.

Review and regularly update City design standards and regulations for public and private development and rainwater management systems, to support resilience to climate change impacts. This will include attention to cumulative water flows and quality at the watershed scale. Objectives include:
» supporting summer base flows in watercourses and limiting instream or bank erosion related to high stormwater flows and volumes, by addressing the extent and scale of rainwater management infrastructure
» maintaining environmental water quality standards by addressing erosion and sediment control and stormwater pollution risks
» managing risks of flooding, including overland flow paths and relationships with sea level rise

Incorporate best management practices for new and existing developments to support watershed health, such as pervious paving, rain gardens, bioswales, deep absorbent soils, green / blue roofs, rainwater capture or detention systems, or other best practices and emerging techniques.

Protect and manage freshwater and saltwater shoreline areas to maintain the best possible hydrological functions.

Work with adjacent jurisdictions including Snuneymuxw First Nation, the Regional District of Nanaimo, and other organizations to collaborate on areas of shared interest for watershed management including drinking water protection through the compliance of the Drinking Water Protection Act and Regulation.

Improve community c oiiuapacity and resilience by increasing awareness of climate change; its expected local impacts; and how individuals, businesses, community groups, and others can contribute to mitigation and adaptation.

2020 CEA Climate and Energy Action Award Nominee

2024 In Oct. 2023, the City of Nanaimo became the first municipality to accelerate implementation of the Zero Carbon Step Code and the upper steps of the BC Energy Step Code. Modeling indicates that, by implementing changes six years ahead of schedule, Nanaimo could avoid up to 3,800 tonnes of GHG emissions by 2030 and up to 24,800 tonnes by 2050.

Ahead of this decision, the City of Nanaimo partnered with the Regional District of Nanaimo, Town of Qualicum Beach, and District of Lantzville to develop a strategy to support energy efficient, low-carbon buildings through technical and policy analysis, and through industry and staff engagement.

2024 Acting for Climate Together (ACT) is a community-based engagement initiative that encourages participants to take action to reduce their carbon footprint and become drivers of change. Participants are awarded for completing climate actions pulled from the ACT tool kit or a “big action” created on their own. Participants attend monthly meetings to share their work, connect and learn from each other and take in presentations from government staff and local climate leaders.