Local Action on Transit, Housing Can Combine Climate and Equity Goals

Canadians need not choose between tackling affordability and the climate crisis, says the Tamarack Institute, citing several municipal initiatives that are pursuing these intertwined goals at once.

Building affordable and sustainable housing, tackling energy poverty, reducing the cost of public and active transportation, increasing access to locally grown food, and reducing waste, are all forms of climate action that fall well within the purview of municipalities hoping to ease the affordability crisis, writes Laura Schnurr, climate transitions director at the Waterloo, Ontario-based Tamarack Institute.

Eight in ten Canadians are concerned about inflation, and those everyday costs have wide-ranging effects, “from the ability to pay for essentials like food and gas to saving for retirement,” Schnurr explains. And youth and low-income Canadians are feeling the effects most acutely.

But “as climate change continues to worsen, so too will affordability challenges,” she adds. “For example, changing weather patterns are already impacting crop yields and leading to food shortages, which is driving up inflation.”

Without mitigation measures, Schnurr says Canada will face tremendous costs down the line that will be potentially catastrophic for the economy and society. In just two years, climate-induced damages could hamper Canada’s economic growth by C$25 billion annually, wiping out 50% of projected GDP growth for 2025, according to the Canadian Climate Institute.

Recognizing the link between climate and affordability, several towns and cities, as well as many social enterprises, have presented simple solutions that tackle both, says Schnurr.

Cutting transportation emissions while promoting equity is one example. Seniors in Burlington, Ontario can ride transit for free “all day, every day,” as of August 1—an expansion of an earlier policy that allowed them to ride free on weekday mornings and early afternoons. Children under 12 also ride free, as they do throughout British Columbia.

While the City of Regina has vowed to make transit free for those under 13, youth campaigners are pressing city hall to expand that promise to everyone under 18, noting that a monthly youth pass costs $65.

And then there is the idea that a “universal basic level of mobility” be guaranteed to everyone. Transport 2050, Metro Vancouver’s 30-year regional transportation strategy, floats a concept that would guarantee all “fares, fees, and tolls on any urban transportation service (including transit, shared mobility, parking, and driving) be set at a price that each household can afford.”

Separately, Ottawa’s EnviroCentre is arguing that fare-free transit could end the downward spiral in the city’s beleaguered transit system. “As ridership falls, a system that relies on fares has to charge even more for a declining service that fewer people use if they can avoid it,” the organization states in a blog post this week. But “eliminating fares break the cycle by drawing more riders into the system.”

Meanwhile, members of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) are tackling the problem of waste and carbon-intensive consumption at the local level. Launched in 2021 as a partnership between the National Zero Waste Council, the Green Municipal Fund, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Recyc-Quebec, and the Recycling Council of Alberta, CCRI offers a national webinar series on best approaches, as well as direct and targeted support and peer-to-peer exchange on circular economies.

CCRI noted in an impact brief this summer that “supporting the development of local circular economies could help reduce high transportation costs by shortening supply chains and retaining value locally.” Such changes will also mean more local jobs and fewer emissions.

Communities are likewise “addressing housing affordability challenges in ways that support sustainability and a healthy planet,” writes Schnurr, citing a recent Tamarack report that explores how municipalities are embracing retrofits, inclusionary zoning, passive house design (especially in multi-unit residential buildings), and backyard homes to tackle both housing affordability and building emissions.

In the social enterprise sector, Schnurr gives a shout-out to Empower Me, an organization dedicated to helping new Canadians understand their energy bills and make choices that are easier on their wallets and the planet. The program is available in Arabic, Cantonese, English, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, and Urdu, among other languages.

Laura Schnurr and EnviroCentre’s Sharon Coward and Elyse McCann are all members of Energy Mix’s Cities & Communities Sounding Board.