Local Actions
The Village of New Denver
Located on the eastern shores of Slocan Lake, New Denver contains 2 local parks, is adjacent to a regional park and trail, and is within 40km of 12 provincial parks and protected areas. New Denver is steeped in history, some of which can be taken in at the Silvery Slocan Museum, the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, and the Kohan Reflection Garden. In 2018 New Denver’s population was 484. With 39% of the population employed in 2016, the largest industry was retail trade employing 21% of the workforce, followed by ‘health care and social assistance’ and ‘administrative and support, waste management, and remediation services,’ each employing 13.5%. Construction was the next largest employer.
Most of New Denver’s non-renewable energy use is passenger and commercial vehicles. Although buildings use a lot of energy, they are a relatively low source of emissions since heating relies primarily on electricity instead of natural gas.
New Denver has identified potential actions for each strategy, including:
- Develop an electric vehicle charging strategy
- Increase efficiency requirements for new buildings (Step Code)
- Identify and remove barriers to heat pump installation
- Participate in regional organics composting
The strategies with the greatest impact on carbon pollution will be:
- Electrifying Passenger Vehicles
- Composting organics & capturing landfill gas
- Improving Existing Buildings
- Public and Active Transportation
What’s Left
Although the Big Moves can make a lot of progress toward 100% renewable energy, new kinds of technology or policy at the federal or provincial level will be needed to fill the gaps. In New Denver, the main gaps are:
- Commercial vehicle emissions
- Non-electricity heating (propane and oil) in existing buildings
Public Survey Results
New Denver residents were asked to complete a survey rating the potential impact and feasibility of potential actions. Based on 32 responses, the weighted average of the actions are shown in the chart below. The potential score ranges from 1 to 5 for both measures. The distinctions among many of the actions fall within the margin of error (+/- .68) due to the small sample size.
The highest impact ratings were for public transit (4.31), retrofit incentives (4.27), and asset management (3.96), while the lowest ratings were for grid reliability advocacy (2.88), voluntary retrofit code (3.12), and advocacy for renewable natural gas timeline (3.17).
The highest feasibility ratings were for active transportation support (4.23), free store (4.20), and retrofit incentives (4.19). The lowest feasibility ratings were for compost with pickup (3.12) and advocacy for renewable natural gas timeline (3.17).
What’s Next?
After incorporating community feedback, New Denver’s Village Council will adopt the plan and begin implementing actions.
