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The Task

You and your team must critically think about an approach York Region, and specifically

the energy group within the Environmental Services Department, must take to move

York Region towards its aspirational goal of zero emissions by 2051. Think of your task

as determining what components an ideal long-term Energy Conservation and Demand

Management Plan for York Region might entail. Note that these plans are specific to

greenhouse gas emissions produced by York Region operations, and not community

emissions a resident household may produce.

The approach should address a number of questions the judges might have for you,

including:

- What specific idea(s) or policy recommendation(s) are you proposing?

- Who might be affected by your approach, both internally and externally?

- Can the approach realistically get York Region closer to zero emissions by 2051?

- What sorts of risks or considerations are involved in implementing your ideas?

- How might risks or affects to stakeholders be minimized?

- Is your approach innovative?

While the information contained in this case study provides some of the basic context of

energy usage and programs at York Region, we first and foremost encourage you to

think creatively. It is important to consider the feasibility of your ideas and potential

financial or stakeholder impacts, but don’t feel constrained by these factors, or the need

to focus on one area of operations (e.g. buildings, fleet). Your ideas for an overall

approach should provide policy recommendations that are innovative, have worked well

in other municipalities, apply to the geographical and climate context of York Region,

and be based on proven outcomes.

Basic Rules

Teams are required to create a PowerPoint slide deck of no more than 10 slides, with

one additional allowed as a title slide. 20 minutes will be given by the judges in the first

round on competition day for teams to present their slide decks, with an additional 10

minutes given for questions. Each team in the first round will present in a room to a

panel of judges. The top two teams from the first round will compete in the lightning

round, giving the same 20 minute presentation (no changes to the slides are allowed) in

front of all participants and the final judging team.

Teams are permitted to submit questions about this case study to the organizing team

via email to Jonathan.Magill@york.ca by Wednesday February 24, 2016 at 12 p.m. The

organizing team will then select and provide answers to all team coaches by Thursday

February 25, 2016 at 12 p.m. Slide decks are due via email in PowerPoint format to

Jonathan.Magill@york.ca no later than 8 p.m. on Monday February 29, 2016.

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Judges

Judges will include a selection of individuals representing various areas of the

Corporation including:

- Community and Health Services

- Environmental Services

- Office of the Chief Administrative Officer

- Transportation Services

- York Regional Police

Evaluation

Presentations from each team will be evaluated by a panel of judges based on the

following criteria:

Evaluation Component

Description For Full Points TOTAL /50

Clarity of Idea Ideas are thoughtful, strongly grounded in evidence, and are conveyed in a clear and concise manner.

Excellent and easily understood narrative provided to help explain policy recommendations and ideas as part of overall approach.

/15

Feasibility Ideas appropriate on Regional scale, could be adopted with relative ease and have strong link to Regional objectives.

Approach is excellent in considering reality of fiscal constraints, risk, potential Regional partners and the impact to internal and external stakeholders.

/10

Creativity Ideas go beyond traditional rules, patterns, relationships, etc. to show imagination and originality.

Presentation and content show excellent degree of innovative thinking, ability to think in new and creative ways, and present compelling alternative service methods.

/15

Presentation Strong presentation with cohesive arguments, flow and good transitions between presenters leaving a positive impression on the judges.

Slides are clean looking with simple language, no punctuation or grammatical errors and a clear beginning, middle and end. Images and graphics tell a convincing story.

/10

Five minute and one minute warnings will be given by the judges.

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York Region at a Glance

The Regional Municipality of York, referred to as York Region, is a growing municipality

made up of nine local municipalities that together total almost 1.2 million residents. By

2041, York Region is estimated to have a population of 1.8 million residents. Currently,

York Region is the third largest municipality in Ontario and the seventh largest in

Canada. It is home to the second largest business centre in Ontario, after Toronto, and

one of the largest Information and Communications Technology clusters in Canada.

Ontario’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe has set a target of 900,000

jobs by 2041 for York Region.

In 2016, York Region had a budget of $2.8 billion, $783 million of which was capital

costs. The 2016 capital plan of $783 million represents the first year of a 10-year capital

plan totaling $6.1 billion. These investments support the goal of building and

maintaining the right portfolio of infrastructure including roads, bridges, water and

wastewater systems, which is critical to ensuring the Region’s growing communities

benefit from safe, reliable and efficient services. The day-to-day operating activities of

York Region are central to the excellent quality of life enjoyed by its residents. York

Region is directly responsible for policing, public health, paramedic, social and

community services, arterial roads and bridges and public transit. It delivers drinking

water to local municipal systems and conveys wastewater from them, and shares in

responsibility for solid waste management, forestry and community planning.

In recent years, population growth, higher land costs and changing preferences have

resulted in the building of more compact developments, including condominiums,

especially in the southernmost communities of the Region. Demographic shifts are also

driving this change. This trend, combined with a general increase in population across

the Region, has shifted York Region from being a largely rural and suburban

municipality to an increasingly urban one. This has a number of impacts that, if not

properly managed, can create challenges. Urbanization increases the need for many

existing services and can create demand for new ones, particularly in the areas of

transit, social services, public health, emergency medical services, policing, planning,

governance and customer service. The increased demand often reflects not just greater

volume, but changing needs that are more costly to address. Through the strategic

planning and budgeting processes, York Region determines how best to use its

resources to address them.

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Governance

York Region is a two-tier municipality. This means that the upper-tier municipality (The

Regional Municipality of York) delivers specific services for the lower-tier municipalities.

York Region’s lower-tier municipalities include the Town of Aurora, Town of East

Gwillimbury, Town of Georgina, Township of King, City of Markham, Town of

Newmarket, Town of Richmond Hill, City of Vaughan and the Town of Whitchurch-

Stouffville.

York Region’s upper-tier municipal structure was created to provide high-level services

throughout all municipalities, resulting in cost-effective, quality services that respond to

the needs of our lower-tier municipalities and residents.

York Regional Council holds the power and authority to make decisions on behalf of the

residents of York Region. The 21 member group, with the Chair and CEO as head of

Regional Council, form a collection of elected officials from the nine local municipalities

that represent their constituents in matters of Regional business. The Chief

Administrative Officer (CAO) is the highest authority body within the organization that is

not elected. The office is responsible for directing the Region’s various departments

while providing sound policy advice and overseeing implementation of Council direction.

The head of each department is the Commissioner. The CAO and Commissioners

make up the senior management team.

Below is an organization chart of York Region:

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Teams are encouraged to visit york.ca to learn more about Regional activities, services

and to access resources that may be helpful in forming your ideas and

recommendations.

Regional Planning

Vision 2051 is the long-term vision of the Region, a document detailing how York

Region can create strong, caring and safe communities with sustainability in mind. It

was created in 2011, 40 years after the formation of The Regional Municipality of York.

Vision 2051 is a blueprint for York Region’s future and helps guide decisions, ensuring

we set a course today that aligns with the future outcomes we desire.

Vision 2051 guides the formation of four-year strategic plans that coincide with terms of

Regional Council. The most recent 2015-2019 Strategic Plan has objectives including

ensuring a fiscally prudent and efficient Region, stewardship of the Region’s assets and

strengthening organizational capacity and effectiveness. These priorities guide decision

making when thinking about energy conservation and demand management. You can

find a link to both Vision 2051 and the Region’s 2015-2019 Strategic Plan included at

the end of this document. Linkages to both these documents should be considered

when forming your approach.

Context

York Region faces a number of challenges and opportunities in the delivery of its core

services to residents. Growth and the ability to meet the increasing need for services is

an ongoing focus for staff. Transportation has been a top priority for residents in recent

years that York Region must continually address despite having a diverse mix of both

urban and rural settings. Further, York Region is addressing the availability of affordable

housing, protecting public health, delivering strong environmental services, and creating

the environment to support a robust economy. These all present an opportunity to work

together with partners to prioritize conservation and manage the demand for energy as

the Region moves forward with its priorities.

We know municipalities often require a strong, collaborative relationship with their

provincial partner to together drive positive change forward. In many facets of York

Region’s core services previously noted, the Province sets out standards, regulations

and rules that guide day-to-day operations. This is true for transit, public health, water

and wastewater, and now increasingly in the area of energy consumption and reducing

its contribution to climate change.

Ontario Regulation 397/11, announced as part of the Green Energy Act, 2009, is a good

example of Ontario’s focus on energy conservation and demand management. The

regulation requires public agencies (including municipalities) report annually to the

Ministry of Energy on their energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It sets

out rules stating municipalities shall prepare, publish and make available to the public

energy conservation and demand management (CDM) plans. The plan must summarize

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annual energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for its operations.

Importantly, it also requires as part of the plan a description of previous, current and

proposed measures for conserving and otherwise reducing the amount of energy

consumed by a municipality. As of 2014, municipalities must make publically available a

five-year plan and must update it every five years. The Government of Ontario has also

made clear that limiting GHG pollution and fighting climate change is a priority. Coal-

fired power has been phased out and more recently, in April 2015, the Province

announced a cap and trade program. The cap and trade program will price carbon by

imposing a ceiling on pollution allowed in the economy. Proposed program design

options for the cap and trade program were released in November of 2015, with the

intention for its first auction of greenhouse gas allowances in 2017. Municipalities like

York Region will be required to find innovative new ways to manage energy

consumption and demand.

Ontario recently announced in the 2015 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review a

new $325 million Green Investment Fund, which will commit money for projects that

fight climate change. York Region continues to evaluate how it can take advantage of

funding opportunities offered by the Province and other public agencies. The

Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), being one of those public agencies,

has the responsibility of ensuring there is enough power to meet Ontario’s energy needs

while planning and securing energy for the future. Its various programs including

SaveONEnergy, Demand Response and Feed-in-Tariff present some examples of

energy efficiency opportunities that municipalities often take advantage of. York Region

receives energy including natural gas and electricity from local energy providers. Many

have programs and incentives similar to that of the IESO providing financial resources

and expertise to support retrofitting and other energy efficiency initiatives.

Energy at York Region

The Environmental Services Department, led by the Commissioner, provide water,

wastewater, forestry and natural heritage and waste management services to residents

of York Region and our local municipalities. The department has staff with expertise in

several areas of engineering, policy development, and policy analysis, to name a few.

Within the department is Corporate Energy Services, a team which provides energy

management services for York Region as a Corporation. This team oversees collection

of energy consumption and usage data, including utility billing, electricity, natural gas

and fuel usage, for the purposes of reporting on both energy usage and greenhouse

gas emissions from Regional operations. Much of the information contained in this case

study was generated and first reported by this team. The team has a diverse skill set,

including engineering expertise, project coordination and planning. The sustainable

building engineers on the team conduct building efficiency audits and implement energy

retrofits on existing buildings while providing advice and input into the design of new

Regional infrastructure. The team also collaborates across the Region to develop a

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corporate-wide strategy to set and meet Regional emission reduction targets. The team

is managed by the Manager, Climate Change and Energy Conservation who provides

leadership and often liaises with many stakeholders in and outside the Corporation.

Moving onto the data, greenhouse gas emissions from Regional operations are linked to

the consumption of energy. Emissions from Regional operations totaled 89,957 tonnes

in 2014, an increase of 29 per cent since 2006. This 2014 figure is roughly equivalent to

annual emissions from 18,000 light passenger vehicles. The increase is in part due to

an increasing population but also to rising costs for electricity and fuels. Energy costs

due to Regional operations totalled $48.8 million in 2014, with the graph below depicting

energy cost trends over the period 2006-2014.

Vehicle fuels represented 56 per cent of the total 2014 Regional expenditure on energy

with electricity second at 37 per cent and natural gas for heating and water use as

relatively small components of total energy cost.

On the other hand, it’s important to consider the sort of operations causing the highest

volume of emissions. The infographic of the page to follow provides a depiction of

Regional emissions per resident in 2014.

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While some departments may appear to have greater opportunity to improve energy

efficiency, opportunities exist in every department to become more efficient. The main

objective is to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions. The graph below provides

more information about the recent trend of corporate greenhouse gas emissions by

operation type from 2006 to 2014. Vehicle fuels account for roughly two-thirds of the

Region’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The remaining greenhouse gas emissions

are driven by electricity and natural gas use at water and wastewater facilities, at

Housing York Inc. (HYI) sites and other facilities operated by York Region.

A number of initiatives are currently underway to mitigate the environmental and cost

impacts from Regional operations. Some of these include generating energy from

waste, supporting urban forestry initiatives which sequester carbon and conducting

energy audits and retrofits. In June 2015, Regional Council approved increased

participation in the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) natural gas buying

group. These efforts give York Region greater capacity to address energy consumption

and to drive a culture of conservation. Behavioural change is another important

consideration not specific to one department that brings with it great potential for

improvement. Further initiatives currently underway are outlined below in two areas that

are of particular significance given their contribution to Regional emissions and energy

costs.

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Buildings

York Region has numerous programs and initiatives already aimed to address building

energy efficiency. You can see from the above graph that buildings make up a

considerable percentage of all corporate emissions.

In 2006, York Regional Council approved a sustainable building policy that requires all

buildings of more than 500 square metres in floor area to achieve Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver certification or better. Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design is a third-party certification program and an internationally

recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance

green buildings. There are currently approximately 10 projects in progress that are

expected to earn LEED® Silver certification or higher, which will bring the Region’s total

number of LEED® certified buildings to over 20. Sustainable buildings generate energy

savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the entire useful life of the building.

The recently completed Bill Fisch Forest Stewardship and Education Centre is a good

example of the potential sustainable building design can offer. It is targeting both

LEED® Platinum and Living Building Challenge, two of the most vigorous sustainability

certifications in the world. Ultimately the project will be carbon neutral while feeding

electricity from its rooftop solar panels back into the grid.

York Region has also completed a number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations on or

at Regional buildings including the Georgina Water Treatment Plant, the Stouffville

Pumping Station and the Emergency Medical Services headquarters. These projects

have generated revenue for the Region, and were implemented with analysis of

payback periods prior to their installations. As new technologies emerge, York Region

will continue to look for innovative ways to upgrade its facilities to become more energy

efficient.

Fleet

While transit and non-transit fleet fuels account for almost two-thirds of the Region’s

annual emissions, there are considerable efforts in progress to conserve energy with

anti-idling technology, fleet optimization software, higher efficiency vehicles, and

locating bases of operation like EMS stations closer to the populations that are being

served. There are great opportunities for further innovative and ambitious energy

savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions. Initiatives that are successful will

result in emission reductions, ensuring that vehicles are best used for their intended

purpose and finding improvements in current behaviour towards future efficiencies.

Exploring fuel efficient alternatives for essential service vehicles (e.g. police cruisers,

ambulances, snow plows) and non-essential service vehicles is currently being studied

by York Region staff. In addition, there are opportunities that exist in electric and

alternative fuel vehicles that York Region has already taken advantage of. York Region

Transit (YRT)/Viva began the use of bio-diesel for its Viva fleet in 2007 and is currently

exploring opportunities for other alternative fuels such as diesel-electric, natural gas,

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and new propulsion technologies. Electric vehicle technology has seen vast

improvements over the last decade. This will require pre-emptive preparation to equip

supporting infrastructure such as charging stations at Regional facilities. The Ontario

government announced in late 2015 it would commit $20 million from the Green

Investment Fund to support the building of more public charging stations for electric

vehicles.

Fostering a greater culture of energy efficient vehicle use behaviour across the

Corporation has the ability to develop good habits and considerably reduce fuel

consumption. YRT/Viva has already taken steps in this area to reduce dead-head time,

improve in-vehicle technology altering engine power, and efficient driver training for

operators, among others. Gathering reliable data in this area and across the

Corporation is key to determining what conservation methods may have the greatest

impact while also providing greater capacity to evaluate pilot projects. Small “wins” are

important too.

Conclusion

The organizing team would like to take this opportunity to offer a sincere thank you for

your interest and participation in York Region’s first ever Case Competition. This is a

unique opportunity for us to hear from students like you on an important issue being

addressed by the Region while hopefully allowing you the opportunity to work closely

with classmates and learn more about the work we do. Draw on your passion to think

creatively, be innovative, give it your best, and most importantly, have fun. We look

forward to seeing you on March 1.

Other Resources

York.ca

York Region Budget

York Region Vision 2051

York Region 2015-2019 Strategic Plan

Ontario Regulation 397/11