To meet the challenges of climate change, the Town of Innisfil is working on an Integrated Sustainability Master Plan (ISMP). The goal of this plan is to create a cohesive strategy that outlines actions we can take at both corporate and community levels.
The ISMP will identify key goals and actions needed to:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related costs
- Manage energy use and carbon
- Increase climate resilience (i.e. our ability to prepare for and respond to climate events)
- Develop a circular economy (i.e. sharing, reusing, repairing, and recycling existing resources)
- Improve how we use resources and the state of our natural environment
Have your say
We want your feedback on the ISMP. If you're interested in joining future focus groups and being updated throughout the development of this plan, please visit the project page on Get Involved Innisfil.
Pillars of a Sustainable Innisfil
The Integrated Sustainability Master Plan uses three main pathways to guide actions for a "Sustainable Innisfil". These pathways include mitigation, adaptation, and operational sustainability.
| Mitigation |
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Mitigation means reducing energy use and carbon management. Examples are hybrid/electric transportation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. |
| Adaptation |
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Adaptation means adjusting our decisions, behaviours and activities to account for existing or expected changes in climate. Adaptation measures can be taken either before or after we experience the effects of a changing climate. Examples are infrastructure resilience, shoreline protection and community preparedness. |
| Operational sustainability |
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Operational sustainability means reducing waste, using circular and efficient processes, and general environmental preservation. Examples are a single-use plastic ban, environmental preservation, and circular economy practices. |
| Developing the Integrated Sustainability Master Plan |
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From start to finish, developing the ISMP will follow a series of steps. |
| Establishing a baseline |
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In early 2022, we'll map past and current energy use and emissions, assess future climate risk, and identify past and ongoing sustainability actions. |
| Setting direction |
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Throughout 2022, we'll set energy and emissions reduction targets, identify top climate-related risks, and set waste and pollution reduction targets. |
| Action planning |
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In late 2022 and early 2023, we'll develop actions, create related tools and programs, assess costs, create an implementation schedule and reporting system, and draft the ISMP. |
| Adoption |
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In 2024, we'll finalize the ISMP and present for Council's adoption. |
| Implementation and monitoring |
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After the ISMP is approved, we'll implement the action items, report progress, and continuously review and improve processes. |