Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 12

126 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 turn this community into something even more special than it already is!” As a rural township, Wellesley is forward- thinking from an environmental perspective. They have solar panels installed on many of the municipal buildings, including arenas, community centers, and municipal administration building. All street and arena lighting was converted to LED. They declared a climate emergency and are working with Sustainable Waterloo Region to actively reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Rik Louwagie, Chief Administrative Officer, acknowledges, “Sustainable Waterloo is a very strong partner. They provide us with expertise and assistance in figuring out how we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and what we can do to better the environment as well.” They have introduced a special tax levy to help add to the tree canopy in the township and for two years have provided more than 1,200 Rik Louwagie, Chief Administrative Officer