STRATEGY 2
Engage Elected Officials
Collaborate with a political champion and engage council
Council support is critical for implementation, as it provides direction, inspiration and impetus for local government staff, and the community, to prioritize community energy planning. Communities that take the time to engage with a political champion and council on an ongoing basis may be better positioned to move forward on implementation. Early engagement can help to surface key questions, considerations and possible challenges and can guide the CEP implementation team to focus on the aspects of the plan that matter most to the community.
Consider the following when engaging with political champions and elected officials, including when to engage them, why to engage them and how to engage them.
Collaborating with Political Champions
Who to engage | When to engage them |
|
|
Why engage them | How to engage them and what to focus on |
|
|
Building Widespread Support from Elected Officials
Who to engage | When to engage them |
|
|
Why engage them | How to engage them and what to focus on |
|
|
Case Studies
Case Study 2
Measuring the Widespread Economic Benefits in the City of London, Ontario
The City of London, Ontario has conducted an economic analysis to measure various economic impacts and potential benefits of implementing their Community Energy Action Plan (CEAP). The analyses, conducted in-house, demonstrate community-wide energy spending, the proportion of energy spending leaving the local economy and the potential to recirculate energy spending based on the implementation of their plan.
The approach undertaken and resources are available here:
- Energy spending analysis
- Video supporting energy spending analysis: Turning energy data into energy dollars
- The City of London has also produced infographics based on the analyses, available here
Case Study 3
Measuring Green Jobs in Durham Region, Ontario
The Region of Durham Community Climate Change Local Action Plan highlights the estimated environmental, economic and social impacts of implementation. The plan is available
Case Study 4
Measuring the Impacts of Sustainable Communities on Local Retail Sales New York City, New York
The New York City Department of Transportation created a methodology for measuring the economic impacts of improved streetscapes and active transportation infrastructure on retail sales. The study is available here: New York City Department of Transportation (December 2013). The Economic Benefits of Sustainable Streets. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/dot-economic-benefits-of-sustainable-streets.pdf
Case Study 5
Framing the Value Proposition, Edmonton, Alberta
The City of Edmonton, Alberta (population 812,000) adopted Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy in April 2015 and a corresponding City Policy C585 in August 2015.78 The Strategy, which represents a renewal and upgrade of their 2001 plan, was approved unanimously by City Council. Based on extensive citizen consultation, the strategy includes twelve strategic courses of action and an eight-year action plan with more than 150 tactics.
There is a lesson to be learned in how Edmonton’s Sustainable Development Department communicated the need for the strategy. First, it was framed as a risk management strategy designed to protect Edmonton’s quality-of life from climate and energy risks. Secondly, it provided a compelling economic business case involving ten community-scale programs (for advancing energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy uptake) that would deliver a net public benefit of $3.3 billion over 20 years.
Case Study 21
Integrated Financial Planning in the City of Coquitlam, British Columbia
Coquitlam’s award-winning integrated financial planning framework is comprised of three separate but complementary planning processes. These processes result in a set of integrated plans that support the overall vision and mission of the City and align activities and resources to achieve the strategic goals and annual business plan priorities set by Council.
- Council’s Strategic Plan – aspirational, future-looking plan, updated every four years following the municipal election. It articulates the vision, mission, values and broad strategic goals.
Progress of the plan is monitored through an annual review of key performance measures and accomplishments - Business Plan – translates the
high level strategic goals into annual business plan work items and priorities, established by Council. A set of performance measures are reviewed annually to monitorsuccess of the business plan - Financial Plan – provides the resourcing strategy to support the strategic and business plans. Updated annually, it is a five-year plan that includes both operating and capital components
Evaluation of achievements informs the next cycle of planning. For example, the City’s performance is reviewed every four months with a Trimester Report to Council. It includes an update on the progress of the work items under the Business Plan priorities and a review of operating and capital budget variances, labour vacancies, economic indicators including construction and development activities, and major spending during the trimester. The intent of the report is to view the City’s activities and progress balanced with the status of the City’s financial and human resources.
In this model, it is important that staff responsible for developing and implementing the CEP ensure that its goals and actions are reflected in Council’s (strategic) plan and that these goals and actions maintain a high profile throughout the budgeting/financial plan process.
See the Strategic Plan here: City of Coquitlam (2012). 2012-2015 Strategic Plan. http://www.coquitlam.ca/docs/