Maple Ridge, May 8, 2024 – The City of Maple Ridge invites the community to have their say on the City’s Climate Action Plan by taking an online survey by May 31 or attending in-person events until July.
Maple Ridge is committed to developing an innovative, action-oriented Climate Action Plan tailored to the City's unique characteristics and needs. The plan aims to enhance the City’s ability to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change on its residents and businesses, and will identify actions with multiple benefits that not only help the City mitigate and adapt to climate change but also provide Maple Ridge residents with improved infrastructure and services.
“Flooding, extreme heatwaves, and wildfire smoke events are a reality now and underscore the urgency of addressing climate change impacts,” said Mayor Ruimy, "We want to hear from our residents and businesses about how they have been impacted and what actions they are taking to reduce emissions and build resiliency. Your ideas on how the City can support those efforts will help us create a plan that reflects the values and priorities of our community and sets us on a path towards a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable city.”
How to Have Your Say
Public engagement is a vital aspect of Maple Ridge's climate action efforts and will be undertaken in three phases as part of the Climate Action Plan development process.
Maple Ridge residents and businesses can provide their input by taking the online survey at Engage.MapleRidge.ca/ClimateAction by May 31, 2024.
There will also be in-person engagement opportunities at local pop-up events. Dates and locations will be announced on the City’s website, social media channels @YourMapleRidge, and in the local newspaper. Focus groups and workshops will also be held with key stakeholder groups.
The first phase of engagement aims to raise awareness, understand residents’ experiences with climate change impacts, and better understand community priorities for climate mitigation and adaptation actions. The feedback from the first phase will help shape both the City’s Climate Action Plan and its related deliverables, including the Climate and Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment.
Project Timelines
The second phase of engagement is planned for Fall 2024. It will focus on gathering feedback on possible climate mitigation and adaptation actions and identifying any compromises that may be needed if actions are adopted together. The results of phase two will inform the prioritization of the Climate Action Plan goals and provide details relating to specific actions.
The third phase of engagement planned for early 2025 will focus on reporting back on how the input received helped shape the Climate Action Plan.
About the Climate Action Plan
The Maple Ridge Climate Action Plan will:
- identify sources of greenhouse gas emissions and actions to reduce emissions
- examine the risks of climate change impacts and hazards
- include a climate-related multi-hazard risk assessment to better protect the community during flooding and extreme weather emergencies
- identify actions to respond to and adapt to the changing climate and hazards
The City’s Climate Action Plan will also help guide how provincial and federal grants will be used. It will support the City’s goal of reducing emissions by 45% below 2010 levels by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and British Columbia's goal of cutting emissions by 80% below 2007 levels by 2050.
For more information on Maple Ridge's Climate Action Plan and how to participate in the public engagement process, visit Engage.MapleRidge.ca/ClimateAction.
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For further information, contact:
Brian Montgomery, Climate Action and Resiliency Advisor
T 604-467-7457
E BMontgomery@MapleRidge.ca