The City’s Climate Commitments

Through active participation in the ClimateActionWR collaborative of municipalities and non-profit organizations, Kitchener has committed to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions 50 per cent by 2030, and 80 per cent by 2050.

As a partner in the ClimateActionWR initiative, the City has also endorsed the TransformWR community climate action strategy, which is centred on Six Transformative Changes that must be made by 2050 to address local GHG emissions while building an equitable, prosperous, resilient low-carbon community through the transition off fossil fuels.

A key transformative change in TransformWR is that “by 2050, businesses and homes no longer use fossil fuels for space heating and cooling, and water heating.”

Within Kitchener’s boundaries, approximately one-third of community GHG emissions are the result of natural gas use. Of the natural gas sold by Kitchener Utilities, about 85 per cent is used for heating water and spaces. Most of the remainder goes toward industrial purposes.

So, as part of its endorsement of TransformWR, Council devoted staffing resources toward developing and implementing a business strategy that will support the transition to reduce greenhouse gases.

This work also aligns with the City’s and Kitchener Utilities’ participation in WR Community Energy, a unique collaborative partnership between the three cities, the Region of Waterloo, and local electric and natural gas utilities to support the community’s energy transition.