Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 12

110 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 Community Hub, which will be located on the existing site of the W.J. Henderson Recreation Centre in Amherstview. “We’re looking at replacing aging infrastructure in the aquatics facility and addressing some accessibility limitations that exist, as well as doing some mechanical upgrades that will result in significant greenhouse gas reductions for the facility,” says Jenna Campbell, Loyalist Township’s Manager of Engineering and Environmental Services. “We have done some modeling work and we believe that we can reduce energy savings upwards of 40 percent by employing various technologies. The plan is to design this to exceed existing energy standards and consider future climate risks.” The goal is to eventually move the township’s administrative center to the community hub, so that it can operate at net zero. “We realize reducing greenhouse gas emissions are a global issue and one little township can’t do a lot, but Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Partners for Climate Change program in 2017, and has been steadily working ever since to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The township has plans to reduce its corporate greenhouse gas emissions 49 percent from 2016 levels by 2031. They hope to reduce community emissions by 25 percent in that same timeframe. Loyalist Township has also recently completed a Climate Action Plan which looks at mitigation and adaptation needs over the next several years. The plan will address changes they expect to experience in the community due to climate change. Part of that plan includes introducing one of Canada’s first fully electric ferries providing service the community of Amherst Island. The township will begin operating the fully electric-powered ferry, Amherst Islander II, in spring of 2022. To further help achieve their goal, Loyalist is in the design stages of creating a Sustainable