Town of Oakville successfully completes Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy Showcase Cities pilot in Canada

The Town of Oakville is one of only 25 municipalities across Canada that successfully completed an intensive pilot focusing on local climate action. By participating in this pilot, the town has been recognized as a leader on local climate action both nationally and internationally.

As a result of its climate efforts, the town has received a Mitigation Badge. The Mitigation Badge is awarded to cities that complete an inventory of greenhouse gas usage in their community, set emission targets and have an approved mitigation plan, such as the Community Energy Strategy, unanimously endorsed by Council in February 2020.

In August of 2019, the Town of Oakville was selected to join the first Showcase Cities cohort led by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Canada. As a member of this network, the town received free support to spur climate action at a local level.

GCoM cities around the world have already committed to doing their part to solve the climate crisis. Now they are calling for a green recovery and ensuring that cities are the centrepiece in the effort to grow back greener, healthier and more resilient.

The pilot project combines two leading domestic climate programs, the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program and Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC), with the leading global climate program. This approach builds on over 25 years of experience by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and ICLEI-Local Governments in delivering climate change programs in Canada. 

The Global Covenant of Mayors Canada is a collaboration between FCM, ICLEI, GCoM Secretariat and the International Urban Cooperation Project supported by funding from the European Union.

“The Town of Oakville is pleased to be a part of this unique network of municipalities in order to spur climate action at a local level. We are committed to being leaders in energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change within our community. Collaborating with other municipalities across Canada will not only strengthen our ability to lead climate action, but will also allow us to maximize our overall impact.”

“As a community, we have already embraced our Community Energy Strategy to help us face the climate challenges ahead, and to do better than we have been doing in the past. We need to continue to work collaboratively and take the lead, in order to employ solutions that will tackle climate change for generations to come.”

“Municipalities are leading the way on low-carbon solutions—from building retrofits to green transit fleets. And with municipalities influencing half of Canada’s GHG emissions, scaling up local solutions is key to meeting Canada’s climate targets. We applaud the Town of Oakville for taking direct action to tackle the impacts of climate change and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”

“The Showcase Cities are leaders in Canada. Through their commitment to climate action, they have proven the impact local governments can have in reducing greenhouse gasses and adapting our communities to the impacts of a changing climate.”

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is the national voice of municipal governments, with 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of the Canadian population.

The International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme is part of a long-term strategy by the European Union to foster sustainable urban development in cooperation with both the public and private sectors.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the largest global alliance for climate leadership, uniting a global coalition of over 10,000 cities and local governments. By 2030, GCoM cities and local governments could collectively reduce 1.3 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year. That’s the equivalent of taking 276 million cars off the road.

Backgrounder: GCoM Canada