Next year, the District of Squamish will have to invest approximately $40,000 on projects that reduce greenhouse gases or be forced to purchase carbon offsets.Squamish is one of 179 B.C. municipalities to have signed the provincial Climate Action Charter. Signatories committed to have carbon neutral operations by 2012 and annually measure and report on their community's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.Since inking the dotted line in December 2008, the district has received $35,179 in Carbon Tax rebates, a perk for being involved with the charter. But as of this year, the Province will penalize municipalities for their GHG emissions.Rough estimates are that the municipality generates 1,400 to 1,600 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. Next year, the district will have to cough up cash for this year's emissions. The district can purchase carbon offsets from a provincially approved offset provider for $25 per tonne, placing its bill at between $35,000 to $40,000.The district has the option of re-investing that money into municipal service areas, such as energy-efficient building retrofits, fuel switching, household organic waste composting and low-emissions vehicles. The municipality can also look at other projects, as long as the proposal is third-party designed, approved and implemented."Those typically have higher costs," district planner Sabina Foofat said.The carbon offset rate may increase by $5 a year, Coun. Patricia Heintzman warned, and she wants to make sure Squamish is ready for it. In 2008, the district set up a carbon-neutral reserve fund which now sits at $47,819. Although heading in the right direction, Heintzman said the municipality needs to be more pro-active."Ideally I would like to step it up a notch now, because ultimately almost all of these things that reduce your carbon reduce your costs," she said.Squamish could look to Dawson Creek for initiatives, Heintzman said. Last year, the city in northeastern B.C., with a population of 11,583, placed a self-imposed rate on its carbon offsets. For every tonne of GHG pollution, the city pays $100 with $25 purchasing offsets and $75 placed in the Dawson Creek Carbon Fund.The Carbon Fund provides seed money for projects that will reduce the GHG emissions and operating costs, but may not receive money through the municipality's normal budgeting process, Dawson Creek Mayor Mike Bernier said in a statement. In 2010, Dawson Creek's GHG emissions totalled approximately 3,600 tonnes."Investing in green projects in our community is a great way to create and support new jobs in Dawson Creek," he said.Squamish has been retrofitting its facilities to chip away at its GHG pollution, Foofat told council on Feb. 14. Replacing two hot water heaters and storage tanks at the Brennan Park arena shaved 18 metric tonnes of GHGs from the environment. The rink also got a new ammonia chiller, which not only eliminated 17.2 metric tonnes of GHGs but saves the district 6.5 million litres of water a year.Overall, the district cut more than 50 metric tonnes of GHGs from the atmosphere last year. The figures are encouraging, Mayor Rob Kirkham said. Not only is the district saving water, but its also reducing operating costs by incorporating energy-efficient technology, he said.
