Local Actions
The City of Rossland
Rossland is a municipality in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary located 6 km from the Canadian/US border. Rossland’s resident population increases significantly in the winter season due to sports-related tourism and employment, primarily at Red Mountain Resort, which is located 3km from Rossland’s commercial centre. With a population of 3,729, Rossland’s three largest industries are manufacturing, healthcare and social services, and retail, employing 16%, 16% and 13% of the population respectively.
Passenger vehicles represent the largest source of emissions and cost, whereas residential buildings are the largest user of energy.
Rossland has identified potential actions for each strategy, including:
- Develop an electric vehicle charging strategy
- Support residents and builders to increase efficiency in new and existing buildings
- Establish and improve trail network within Rossland and between Rossland, Warfield and Trail
- Participate in regional organics composting
Click here to see a spreadsheet of all of Rossland’s proposed actions.
The strategies with the greatest impact on carbon pollution will be:
- Electrifying Passenger Vehicles
- Improving Existing Buildings
- Public and Active Transportation
- Composting organics & capturing landfill gas
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 Rossland, the main gaps are:
- Natural gas emissions in existing buildings
- Commercial vehicle emissions
Public Survey Results
Rossland residents were asked to complete a survey rating the potential impact and feasibility of potential actions. Based on 110 responses, the weighted average of the actions are shown in the chart below. All of the actions received average feasibility and impact ratings greater than the midpoint. The potential score ranges from 1 to 5 for both measures. The distinctions among many of the actions fall within the margin of error (+/- .36).
The highest impact ratings were for retrofit incentives (3.95), step code (3.98), and builder incentives (3.76), while the lowest ratings were for advocacy on grid reliability (2.63), retrofit code (2.67), and renewable natural gas advocacy (2.83).
The highest feasibility ratings were for step code (4.15) and active transportation support (4.3). The lowest feasibility ratings were for natural gas advocacy (3.24), renewable generation (3.15), and grid reliability advocacy (3.31).
What’s Next?
After incorporating community feedback, Rossland’s City Council will adopt the plan and begin implementing actions.
