The City of Saskatoon is looking to implement its first climate budget, a means to calculate how decision-making in the city can help reduce GHG emissions.
Jeanna South is the director of sustainability with the city and said this was the city’s first climate budget. She describes it as a lens that can be used on the next multi-year business plan and budget.
South said other cities like Edmonton and Calgary are looking to have climate be a consideration when it comes to their decision-making process.
“It allows council to better understand the climate impacts of the projects that are being projected,” South said.
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She added that this climate budget will also show foundation projects or add-ons that could lead to GHG emission reductions in the city.
South pointed to projects like city bus replacements, an electric zamboni, water conservation projects around spray pads and paddling pools, as well as efficiency upgrades at Archibald Arena.
She said these projects currently sit as funded for the 2024-25 budget, but they exist as more than just something to reduce emissions.
“Those projects are in the budget because they create greater efficiencies and they also create greater operational resilience.”
Oscar Zapata, an assistant professor with the School of Environmental Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan said he is excited the city is taking on a climate budget.
“Climate change action requires two types of measures; climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation,” Zapata said.
He said this plan falls within the mitigation measures.
Zapata said any plan that tries to address climate change needs to address the transportation sector, adding that Saskatoon residents like to rely on their personal vehicles and more needs to be done to get people to a place where they would prefer to take public transportation.
Zapata said this plan could open the door to collaboration with other organizations or residents of the city.
He pointed to an initiative to bring more native species of plants to green spaces in the city, adding that they could extend this initiative to residents and try to get them to grow native gardens.
“That would contribute to saving water in the city.”
Zapata said there needs to be flexibility with the plan as the goal post can change and evolve.
He noted education was an important piece as well, saying that we should be looking at how Saskatoon residents want to mitigate climate change, how they understand the problem and how they learn about climate change.
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