The municipality will create a new committee to advise council on sustainability and environmental issues and to promote environmental awareness in Summerland.
On Jan. 24, council passed a resolution adopting the terms of reference for the Community Climate Action Advisory Committee.
This committee will replace the earlier Climate Action Committee, which was in place from April, 2012 to November, 2015.
That committee was created to implement the municipality’s climate action plan, to implement and update the municipality’s corporate energy and emissions assessment and to recommend Climate Action Fund expenditures.
When the staff member overseeing the committee left, a works and utility staff member was given one hour a month to support the committee.
The committee was disbanded temporarily in November, 2015, after growing feedback that the committee was not operating effectively.
Tami Rothery, sustainability and alternative energy coordinator for the municipality, said the new committee will operate in much the same way as the former committee, advising municipal council on a number of environmental issues.
The new committee is expected to provide feedback on a proposed solar energy project for the community, as well as providing input into other environmental issues, such as waste and recycling.
The committee will consist of five members of the public, one council member and the sustainability/alternative energy coordinator.
Members of the former committee will be contacted to see if they will let their names stand for the new committee.
