Windsor is hiring an outside consultant to review the city’s department of environmental sustainability and climate change (ESCC) in a move that could shake up staffing levels and climate action goals.

This review comes after a previously unreleased update to Windsor’s climate adaptation plan outlined what staff  described as “significant work” required to meet council’s climate goals.

The three-person department operates under the city’s economic development wing with a $500,000 operating budget and oversees Windsor’s response to council’s climate emergency declaration made in 2019.

This outside review comes after the Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario accused the city earlier this year of “stalling climate action.”

Derek Coronado, who leads the alliance, doesn’t believe the review was triggered by his organization’s comments and wonders if it’s truly necessary.

“I think they’re saying they’ve lost a handle on what’s important in terms of actions for the environment,” said Coronado.

“Maybe they’re hoping that fresh perspective will help them somewhat. But I mean, if you look at the actual plans that have been produced over the years, there is a list of the actions.”

Department of 3 ‘overstretched’

Coun. Kieran McKenzie, who heads the city’s environment and climate change advisory committee, supports the department’s review.

“Folks in the community have expressed some concerns that we’re not moving aggressively enough on climate change initiatives,” said McKenzie.

“I share those concerns as well.”

McKenzie said the department is “frankly overstretched.”

“Undertaking a review to look at how we can resource the department and the extent to which our climate change objectives are still within reach will be a very important conversation.”

Windsor not on target to meet emission reduction goals

Windsor has five years to meet its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions created by the community and city-owned operations.

A report expected to go to council this summer shows last year’s community emissions exceeding the target and trending upward while corporate emissions are significantly higher than the goal.

The city’s key strategy to cut community emissions was a retrofit program that would drastically reduce the amount of energy required to heat or cool the aging homes across Windsor.

Staff spent years preparing the Residential Deep Energy Efficiency Retrofit (R-DEER) that would provide homeowners with low interest $10,000 to $40,000 loans to install energy efficient windows and doors, better insulation and electric vehicle charging stations.

But council scrapped the plan earlier this year because it would cost $200 million over 10 years, with $154 million of that being recoverable loans.

“That would really put a stranglehold on anything else we would be wanting to do in terms of capital projects for the city,” city treasurer Janice Guthrie said at the time.

“Some of those could be at jeopardy of not being able to move forward.”

City’s draft climate plan says ‘substantial work’ required 

Earlier this month, the city issued a request for proposals to review the department, which includes an update to the city’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

It’s the final plan the department released under the city’s former supervisor of environmental sustainability and climate change, Karina Richters, before she left the position last year.

Coronado, with the Citizen’s Environment Alliance, said it’s the first time the plan has been seen by the public.

“The report stands out in the sense that it does critique some of the problems that the city’s been having with implementing certain actions,” he said.

CBC News asked the City of Windsor for an interview about the report but did not hear back before publication.

The report, which appears to be in draft form because of certain pieces left blank, states that “a strategic reassessment of current priorities and remaining actions is essential.”

It calls for the city to take “decisive, immediate action to protect the well-being of its residents, infrastructure and natural resources” and that “substantial work still required to achieve the goals outlined in the 2020 Climate Change Adaptation Plan.”

Some recommendations include:

• Prioritizing net-zero and carbon neutral designs for all new developments and city owned buildings.

• Transitioning the city’s bus fleet to electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Create high-level policies to guide Natural Area Management Plans to preserve biodiversity in places like Black Oak Heritage Park.

• Expand air quality monitoring in high traffic areas to help create policy to reduce emissions.

• Create a City Lab the brings civic leaders and academics together to increase awareness and education about the effects of climate change.