TORONTO — City staff on Wednesday presented a pair of staff-suggested measures that would rejig the timetables for shifting Toronto’s transportation fleet to more electric vehicles as part of the city’s target to become a carbon neutral city by 2050.
Toronto would convert one of its 12,000-strong streetcars into hydrogen-powered vehicles that would run on electricity and hydrogen, and it would call for the building of 60 charging stations across the city for electric cars by 2020, the city reported.
Toronto would like the province to set aside up to 1,800 charging stations for electric vehicles in Ontario, which would help with filling the parking spots of future fleet vehicles, the city said.
The city is seeking to clarify these moving pieces ahead of finalizing an overall city plan for driving its climate goals by June 30, and is in talks with the province’s transportation agency, Ontario Power Generation, about the details.
“This, we believe, will take us up to our 2020 time frame,” Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat said of the recommendations, which she said would reduce the time it would take to transition.
This, we believe, will take us up to our 2020 time frame. — Jennifer Keesmaat, city chief planner
All city government vehicles are required to run on electricity under the province’s Green Energy Act, which takes effect in 2020. The city is working with the province’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to find ways to tap into the newly installed charging stations.
But Ontario Power Generation, which is currently in the process of establishing its own long-term electricity supply plans, said in a statement Wednesday that it could not give additional details on the project.
“Ontario Power Generation is the Ministry of Transportation’s exclusive utilities provider in Ontario, and the Ministry of Transportation is not prepared to disclose specific details of any commitments or work being undertaken to provide Ontario passengers with energy options while maintaining the critical reliability of Ontario’s supply system,” the utility said.
The city was also looking to accelerate plans to reduce Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions by changing the rules for the carbon credits it has to sell at a regional carbon market for government-owned buildings.
Currently, those credits go to projects such as making buildings more energy efficient, but an overhaul of the system could potentially allow the city to apply the credits to more pressing needs, the city said.
“Given that the change in the cap and trade system is expected to add significant value to existing emission credits, creating real value for improving the sustainability of municipal property,” Toronto offered to sell new greenhouse gas permits once they are ready for sale.
The city is asking the province’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to review the cap-and-trade program in June to gauge the potential impact on carbon credits and assess an upgrade to the city’s systems.