Strategic Driver - Climate Crisis & Environmental Stewardship & Protection

Art and Culture Grants

• Natural world learning opportunities exist at some of these facilities.

Courtenay Flats Drainage

• Climate change and sea level rise will have a significant impact on this service.
• Opportunities for improved connectivity between Dyke Slough and the estuary will be considered in project planning work.

Denman Island and Hornby Island High Speed Internet

• While digital technologies consume energy which generates greenhouse gas emissions, the provision of high-speed internet access to rural communities can realize reduced travel-related emissions due to increased opportunities for telecommuting, teleconsultations and other means to avoid or reduce travel.

Economic Development - Denman and Hornby Island

• This function supports the Hornby bus which helps to reduce greenhouse gases on the island as well as initiating conversations with bus transportation of Denman Island. 

Feasibility

• Climate impacts and environmental protection are often significant drivers in the creation of new services in the electoral areas.

Garbage Collection - Royston

•  Recycle BC ensures materials are managed in accordance to the recycling regulations established by the Province.
• Roadside refuse and recycling collection reduces the amount of vehicle traffic travelling to the landfill or a recycling depot.

Heritage Conservation

• The CVRD is committed to reducing our impact on the environment and accelerating our actions to adapt and respond to climate change impacts.
• Cultural heritage conservation initiatives can be related to environmental stewardship and protection (e.g. conservation of a cultural heritage landscape, restoration versus replacement of a built heritage feature). 

Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP)

• The climate crisis has significant implications for water management (flooding, drought, water quality). This is a significant driver for all planning projects within this service.

Parks - Baynes Sound, B and C

• Parks protect sensitive environments, critical habitats and native biodiversity.
• Parks provide important ecosystem services such as carbon storage and stormwater management.
• The preservation of natural systems is one of the simplest and most effective tools we can use to help combat climate change.

Parks - Denman and Hornby Island

• Parks protect sensitive environments and the Hornby roadside trail network and the Denman Cross Island trail support active transportation choices on the islands.

Planning, GIS, Bylaw Compliance

• Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy.
• Environmental development permit area review. 
• Continued participation in the BC Stewardship Centre’s Green Shores Local Government Working Group. 

Refuse Disposal - Denman Island

• The facility provides a variety of local recycling options to the community thereby reducing waste to the landfill.

Refuse Disposal - Hornby Island

• The facility provides a variety of recycling and diversion options to the community and supports tourism through green activities such as the free store.

Rural Community Grants

• These services provide unconditional grants to numerous non-profit and charitable organizations throughout the Comox Valley with a variety of mandates including serving vulnerable populations, environmental stewardship, youth, etc.

Streetlighting

• The LED streetlight program implemented by BC Hydro will reduce community greenhouse gas emissions.

Weed Control

• Control of invasive plant species helps to maintain native plant biodiversity and supporting comfort stations protects public health and safety.

CV Emergency Program

• The social fabric of our communities and the health and wellbeing of citizens depend on solid and sustainable community partnerships. In this case, many of these programs that provide search and rescue services rely on volunteers. 

CV Tourism Service

• This function supports a free electric vehicle charging station at the Visitor Centre.

Exhibition Grounds

• The CVEG offers venues for local food sales.
• The CVEG provides a buffer to protect the river with green fields.

Recreation Complexes

• Arena 1/CVSC pool heat reclaims upgrade, 11 per cent return on energy savings costs for the facility.

Recreation Grants

• Some programming supports outdoor education.

Track and Field

• The synthetic turf field has greatly reduced the quantity of water required to maintain the field compared to the former all-weather/sand field.

Regional Growth Strategy

• The CVRD is committed to reducing our impact on the environment and accelerating our actions to adapt and respond 
  to climate change impacts.
• The RGS monitoring tool (RGS Hub) will assist in tracking progress on corporate and community GHG emissions reductions, help identify policy gaps and identify opportunities for regional collaboration on mitigation.
• Rebate and granting projects involve significant public outreach and education opportunities and the opportunity 
  to create tangible reductions in household level GHG emissions. 

CV Sewerage Services

• The primary driver for replacement of the conveyance system is to decommission the forcemain along Willemar Bluffs to eliminate the risk of failure of this section of pipeline and associated major environmental impact.
• All new infrastructure will be designed for resilience to projected impacts of sea level rise and climate change.

King Coho Wastewater

• Capital improvements completed in 2022 have resulted in improved effluent quality.

CV Transit

• The provision of an affordable and effective public transit system will make it more feasible for residents to reduce their dependence on the private automobile.
• On-road transportation is the community’s largest source of greenhouse gas emission.

BCOB

• The driver for the new production wells project is to increase capacity for the system, especially in summer months, where climate models predict longer and drier summers for the region. 
• The BCOB system is fully metered and utilizes a tiered conservation based rate structure to help minimize water consumption and impact on the Oyster River watershed.

CV Water Local Service Areas

• The Comox Valley system is fully metered and utilizes a tiered conservation based rate structure to help minimize consumption impacts on the watershed.

CV Water System

• All rural connections are now metered with a conservation rate structure, and Courtenay and Comox are both well on their way to having all commercial and some residential connections metered. Water conservation is a priority for all partners.
• Implementation of the WPP will continue in 2022.

Water- Denman Island

• The water treatment upgrades will be designed to be resilient to climate change and minimize environmental impact.

Water - Royston

• The Royston water system is fully metered and utilizes a tiered conservation based rate structure to help minimize consumption impacts on the watershed.

Water - Union Bay

• The UB system is fully metered and utilizes a tiered conservation based rate structure to help minimize water consumption and impact on the Oyster River watershed.