Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) 2050

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Consultation has concluded

Aerial view of Fraser River and City of New Westminster


Project Update, October 2022: At their regular meeting on October 3, 2022, Council adopted the City’s new Community Energy and Emissions Plan. Thank you for your participation in the creation of this Plan, which will guide the City’s emission reduction action as we work towards eliminating net emissions by 2050.

Click here for the complete Plan, and here for the report to Council presenting the Plan and describing the feedback on the draft.

Scroll down, or click here, to read summaries of what we heard through previous community engagement, and how participants’ priorities are reflected in the Plan.

The City anticipates moving into implementing the Plan in the winter of 2022/2023.

Project Overview

Recognizing the importance of addressing climate change, New Westminster City Council adopted a Climate Emergency Declaration in 2019, committing the City to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the community to 45% by 2030, 65% by 2040, and 100% by 2050. In response to the climate emergency, the City established its Seven Bold Steps, which is guiding the process of moving the community towards a zero-carbon future by 2050.

The City is now developing its new Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) 2050 that will show the path for reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions throughout the community over the next 30 years.

The CEEP 2050 is intended to become the primary or overarching document for the community’s energy and emissions planning, and it will directly support the implementation of the Seven Bold Steps through the identification of energy and emission reduction opportunities, actions, and strategies. The plan will inform decision-making related to land use planning, waste management, sustainable transportation, and energy infrastructure and utility systems for the City.


Draft CEEP

The draft Community Energy and Emission Plan provides a roadmap to approach net zero by 2050, and is a call to action for the City and the broader community.

Jump to the sections described below that are most of interest to you, or review the complete CEEP here.

Part 1 – Defining the Challenge: includes an exploration of the climate challenge we are facing, and the particular impacts and emissions in New Westminster.

Part 2 – CEEP Actions: is organized into five key action areas, including targets for each area, and 55 specific implementation actions. The five action areas are:

  • Transportation – supporting sustainable transportation such as biking, eMicromobility (e-bikes, etc.), and electric vehicles;
  • Buildings – retrofitting existing buildings and requiring new buildings to be built to high energy efficiency standards that helps reduce emissions;
  • Energy – supporting energy conservation, district energy, and renewable energy;
  • Waste and circular economy – reducing waste and embracing circular economy principles, which involves reusing, sharing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials for as long as possible; and
  • Natural areas and green infrastructure – preserving and enhancing natural areas and the urban tree canopy, and increasing the use of green infrastructure.

Click here for examples of some actions included in the plan!

The biggest opportunities for GHG reduction are in the transportation and buildings sectors. Recommended actions in these areas look to ensure we reduce energy demand first, improve efficiency, and ultimately switch fuel sources to low carbon sources. This approach will help increase the resiliency of our electricity grid and make us better prepared to withstand the effects of climate change.

Implementation of the CEEP will need to include flexibility, to ensure the City can adapt and pivot as new action opportunities arise with policy and technological change. Ensuring actions are implemented in an equitable way will also be critical to ensuring the transition to a low-carbon community benefits everyone.


Community Engagement

Thank you to everyone who participated and provided input throughout this process. The City conducted a variety of engagement activities from October 2021 to February 2022 to gather input on the CEEP development.

Your feedback and perspectives, combined with research and science, have helped shape a comprehensive, updated made-in-New West draft CEEP that will guide the City towards a low carbon, resilient, and equitable future. Click here to read more about the previous rounds of community engagement and key findings.

The City also gathered community input on the draft document, through July and August 2022, and is now finalizing the plan before bringing it to Council for consideration of adoption in fall 2022.



Project Update, October 2022: At their regular meeting on October 3, 2022, Council adopted the City’s new Community Energy and Emissions Plan. Thank you for your participation in the creation of this Plan, which will guide the City’s emission reduction action as we work towards eliminating net emissions by 2050.

Click here for the complete Plan, and here for the report to Council presenting the Plan and describing the feedback on the draft.

Scroll down, or click here, to read summaries of what we heard through previous community engagement, and how participants’ priorities are reflected in the Plan.

The City anticipates moving into implementing the Plan in the winter of 2022/2023.

Project Overview

Recognizing the importance of addressing climate change, New Westminster City Council adopted a Climate Emergency Declaration in 2019, committing the City to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the community to 45% by 2030, 65% by 2040, and 100% by 2050. In response to the climate emergency, the City established its Seven Bold Steps, which is guiding the process of moving the community towards a zero-carbon future by 2050.

The City is now developing its new Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) 2050 that will show the path for reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions throughout the community over the next 30 years.

The CEEP 2050 is intended to become the primary or overarching document for the community’s energy and emissions planning, and it will directly support the implementation of the Seven Bold Steps through the identification of energy and emission reduction opportunities, actions, and strategies. The plan will inform decision-making related to land use planning, waste management, sustainable transportation, and energy infrastructure and utility systems for the City.


Draft CEEP

The draft Community Energy and Emission Plan provides a roadmap to approach net zero by 2050, and is a call to action for the City and the broader community.

Jump to the sections described below that are most of interest to you, or review the complete CEEP here.

Part 1 – Defining the Challenge: includes an exploration of the climate challenge we are facing, and the particular impacts and emissions in New Westminster.

Part 2 – CEEP Actions: is organized into five key action areas, including targets for each area, and 55 specific implementation actions. The five action areas are:

  • Transportation – supporting sustainable transportation such as biking, eMicromobility (e-bikes, etc.), and electric vehicles;
  • Buildings – retrofitting existing buildings and requiring new buildings to be built to high energy efficiency standards that helps reduce emissions;
  • Energy – supporting energy conservation, district energy, and renewable energy;
  • Waste and circular economy – reducing waste and embracing circular economy principles, which involves reusing, sharing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials for as long as possible; and
  • Natural areas and green infrastructure – preserving and enhancing natural areas and the urban tree canopy, and increasing the use of green infrastructure.

Click here for examples of some actions included in the plan!

The biggest opportunities for GHG reduction are in the transportation and buildings sectors. Recommended actions in these areas look to ensure we reduce energy demand first, improve efficiency, and ultimately switch fuel sources to low carbon sources. This approach will help increase the resiliency of our electricity grid and make us better prepared to withstand the effects of climate change.

Implementation of the CEEP will need to include flexibility, to ensure the City can adapt and pivot as new action opportunities arise with policy and technological change. Ensuring actions are implemented in an equitable way will also be critical to ensuring the transition to a low-carbon community benefits everyone.


Community Engagement

Thank you to everyone who participated and provided input throughout this process. The City conducted a variety of engagement activities from October 2021 to February 2022 to gather input on the CEEP development.

Your feedback and perspectives, combined with research and science, have helped shape a comprehensive, updated made-in-New West draft CEEP that will guide the City towards a low carbon, resilient, and equitable future. Click here to read more about the previous rounds of community engagement and key findings.

The City also gathered community input on the draft document, through July and August 2022, and is now finalizing the plan before bringing it to Council for consideration of adoption in fall 2022.


Consultation has concluded

  • Community Feedback on the Draft Plan: Summer 2022

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    City staff promoted the draft CEEP and the opportunity to comment on it at pop-up engagement events in July and August 2022. Climate Action staff were part of a City booth at the New Westminster Farmers Market on July 21, where they let attendees know about the draft plan and gathered ideas for community action. Market-goers brought up a wide range of action areas, from building retrofits, to biking, e-biking and e-scootering, to reducing consumption of single-use plastics and packaging.

    The draft CEEP was posted on the Be Heard New West project page on July 14, and an online discussion forum and ideas board were open from July 14 to August 14. These opportunities to provide feedback on the draft were promoted through the Be Heard e-newsletter, social media, the City’s What’s Happening page, the CityPage e-newsletter, CityPage advertising in the Record newspaper, and an ad in the New West Anchor newsletter.

    The discussion forum generated community dialogue, with 61 comments. Five residents posted on the ideas board. Two residents emailed the Climate Action team directly. Feedback conveyed a shared sense of urgency regarding climate action amongst participating residents. Discussion included the following:

    • Support for rapidly completing an active transportation network that makes cycling and walking safer and more convenient, including by building out temporary improvements in the short term;
    • Interest in building retrofits but concern about the cost to owners, as well as potential tenant displacement;
    • Concern about through traffic, and related emissions and air quality impacts;
    • Interest in more diverse land uses being permitted in neighbourhoods, including commercial uses and a wider range of missing middle housing;
    • Support for significantly more tree planting on public lands, and increasing naturalized park areas;
    • An interest in prohibiting new natural gas hookups immediately; many commenters were concerned about emissions and environmental impacts of gas branded as renewable natural gas, with one participant suggesting residents be provided fuel source choice.


    The draft plan was also circulated to industry representatives and other organizations who participated in workshops earlier on in the plan development. The following feedback was received:

    • Fraser Health provided a letter supporting the direction of the draft plan, and suggesting ways to strengthen the health lens; and
    • An energy-efficiency engineer provided extensive commentary on building retrofit opportunities, expressing support for the direction of the plan and the particular emphasis on retrofitting multi-unit residential buildings, which have not typically been the focus of rebates and incentives to date.


  • Community feedback reflected in the plan

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    Thanks again for your feedback throughout our previous engagement phases! The table below provides a high level summary of what we heard from the community, and how that feedback is reflected through corresponding actions in the CEEP.

    Click here to read more about the community consultation conducted and key findings.

    If you would like to review the complete CEEP, please click here and remember to share your feedback on the plan through our discussion forum.

    Summary of Feedback
    What we Heard

    		 Outlined in the Plan
    Support for building energy efficiency retrofits, including electrifying buildings by using heat pumps.

    One of the major actions included in the draft is a commitment from the City to increase the supports and programs for energy retrofits for existing residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial buildings, including:

    • Prioritizing addressing the unique retrofit needs of multi-unit residential buildings, especially rental buildings;
    • Focus on the least efficient building stock (pre-1980);
    • Adapting retrofit strategies to work with heritage and character buildings;
    • Exploring innovative financing mechanisms and tools to support retrofits (e.g. on-bill financing, green revolving load funds, or Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing (PACE)); and
    • Collecting and analysing energy and spatial data of existing buildings to identify priority building archetypes and optimal strategies to support energy retrofits.
    Support for more locally-generated renewable energy, such as community solar gardens or solar panels on buildings.

    The draft plan includes the following actions:

    • Explore how to encourage cost effective, on-site renewable energy generation in new and existing buildings through incentives and policy tools, such as preferential net-metering rates.
    • Explore opportunities to expand urban solar gardens that enable community members to invest in solar projects.
    • Explore opportunities to encourage on-site waste heat recovery systems in buildings with a net positive internal rate of return.
    Support for enhancing active transportation infrastructure, such as protected bike lanes and secured bike parking at high-frequency destinations to encourage bike trips.

    The draft plan includes the following actions:

    • Prioritize sustainable transportation action implementation from the Master Transportation Plan, including:
      • rapidly completing a network of active transportation infrastructure;
    • Implement the eMobility Strategy. Ensure EV and eMicromobility (e-bikes, etc.) adoption is accelerated by:
      • Incorporating an eMicromobility lens into planning and policies, enhancing e-bike accessibility, and improving access to secure public and private e-bike parking;
    • Collaborate with Metro Vancouver and TransLink to implement the Regional Greenway and Major Bikeway Networks within New Westminster.
    Greater support for making transit more convenient, affordable and accessible, than for encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

    The plan emphasizes the need to reduce overall energy demand (consistent with taking transit and active transportation), in addition to switching fuel sources, in order to avoid overwhelming the grid. The draft plan includes both actions around transit and electric vehicles, such as:

    • Continue to implement the Official Community Plan, including:
      • pursuing complete communities with transit-supportive densities and land use mixes; and
      • enabling transit-oriented development in the Downtown and at SkyTrain station areas.
    • Advocate for and support implementation of TransLink’s regional Transport 2050 plan, including:
      • expanding frequent transit service, and improving service along the Major Transit Network (development of rapid bus along 8th Street, and capacity relief measures on the Expo SkyTrain line); and
      • improving affordability, accessibility, and safety of transit and active transportation for all community members.
    • Implement the eMobility Strategy. Ensure EV and eMicromobility (e-bikes, etc.) adoption is accelerated by:
      • enabling residents to choose EVs by supporting access to charging at home, work, and in public spaces, and supporting EV affordability; and
      • proactively managing electricity grid impacts of charging.
    Design City programs and incentives to better reach equity-denied groups with financial and structural barriers (e.g. renters are not able to retrofit their buildings/ apartments and are impacted by decisions made by building owners).
    		 Ensuring that the transition to a low carbon future is equitable is a key focus of the CEEP. A tangible way this comes up in the plan is the focus on developing programs and incentives to retrofit multi-unit residential buildings. The Climate Equity section states that “implementation of the CEEP must ensure that equity-denied groups benefit from the transition to a low-carbon society and are meaningfully involved in decision-making that informs this transition”.


  • What We Heard: Community Engagement

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    Community members and industry representatives were engaged from October 2021 to February 2022 to provide input on climate action initiatives that would support the City's climate emergency targets. Click here to view the engagement summary drafted by the project consultant, Sustainability Solutions Group.

    Engagement Included:

    • a community survey,
    • an ideas board,
    • an online workshop with equity-denied community members and organizations,
    • consultation with the City's Environment and Climate Advisory Committee,
    • direct outreach with targeted industry professionals and researchers, and
    • a workshop with building and development industry representatives, community climate activists and organizations, and others.

    Summary of Feedback

    • Support for building energy efficiency retrofits, including electrifying buildings by using heat pumps.
    • Support for more locally-generated renewable energy, such as community solar gardens or solar panels on buildings.
    • Support for enhancing active transportation infrastructure, such as protected bike lanes and secured bike parking at high-frequency destinations to encourage bike trips.
    • Greater support for making transit more convenient, affordable and accessible, than for encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
    • Design City programs and incentives to better reach equity-denied groups with financial and structural barriers (e.g. renters are not able to retrofit their buildings/ apartments and are impacted by decisions made by building owners).
    • Reducing electricity rates for low-income populations would help address energy poverty.