Whitby Rotary Club Address 2022

On July 20, 2022, Regional Chair and CEO John Henry spoke at the Annual Update to the Whitby Rotary Club.

Check against delivery.

Good evening, everyone.

I’m very happy to be here with you all today, in person.

It’s hard to believe it has been so long since we could hold these types of events in person.

It goes without saying just how much the world has changed in that time.

I’d like to thank the Whitby Rotary Club for making this event possible.

As a proud Rotarian myself, I have witnessed first-hand the amazing work you do for our community and residents.

It is my pleasure to provide you with an update from the Region—both on the past year and the year ahead.

This is not my story—in fact, I am always honoured to say that this is the Region’s story, and it’s your story as Durham residents.

This story is the result of many people coming together in pursuit of a better place to call home.

On the COVID-19 front, we continue to manage the pandemic with cautious optimism.

2021 was a historic year, as we prioritized getting vaccines in arms across Durham Region.

It was our top priority, and it was a true team effort. Our health department shifted many resources to vaccinations and were supported by many other departments and divisions.

We saw more than 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered across the region by the Region, pharmacies and our partners like Lakeridge Health.

And to support parents and emergency workers, we offered emergency child care across Durham.

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, thanks to the hard work of our staff and community.

Despite the ongoing nature of the pandemic, we have remained adaptable.

Priorities have shifted, projects have scaled up or scaled down as necessary, or become embedded in the way we deliver services, as directed by our Strategic Plan.

The first goal of this plan is Environmental Sustainability, which I’d like to speak about more in depth this evening.

We have sharpened our focus on Environmental Sustainability following Regional Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in January 2020.

We directed staff to focus on relentless implementation of our existing climate change plans, including the Durham Community Energy Plan, Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan, and our Corporate Climate Change Plan.

In the Durham Community Energy Plan, we focus on Durham’s low carbon pathway to address Greenhouse Gas, or GHG, emissions related to the buildings and transportation sectors.

Together, these sectors represent approximately two-thirds of total GHG emissions in communities across Durham Region.

These emissions are directly related to the energy used to heat and cool our buildings, and to get around our communities.

We have a big opportunity to work collectively to reduce emissions, while also creating jobs and helping to make life more affordable for residents through energy efficiency and switching to lower carbon, locally generated clean energy sources.

For example, I’m proud that earlier this year we launched the Durham Greener Homes program to support residents with taking action on their climate footprint through home energy retrofits.

We have identified the need to implement deep energy retrofits on all 200,000 existing homes across the Region by 2050. 

This translates into approximately 7,000 home energy retrofits per year.

Imagine the job creation potential if we can successfully scale up.

The utility bill savings and the GHG emissions reductions from reducing our reliance on natural gas for home heating. 

This program is a win-win-win opportunity if there ever was one.

The Durham Greener Homes program is a first of its kind in Canada, providing residents with access to home energy coaching services to help them navigate and simplify the complex process of implementing a home energy renovation.

Durham Greener Homes energy coaches are building science experts who can help participants undertake an energy assessment, find qualified contractors, identify available rebate programs, and access low-cost financing.

The Program also offers rebate incentives for homeowners who want to implement deep energy retrofits that reduce their home’s GHG emissions by more than 50 per cent.

This can stack on top of rebates offered by the Federal Greener Homes program or Enbridge Gas.

We’ve also partnered with community-based credit unions – Pathwise and Rapport – to offer preferential financing terms for participating homeowners that need capital to undertake their project.

I strongly encourage you to check out the program website and share the word with your friends and family.

The website is Durham Greener Homes DOT C-A.

We do have some promotional materials for the program on hand today, and our Manager of Sustainability Ian McVey is here today, if folks are interested in more information on this program. 

I am also proud to say that we are leading the way in retrofits, with the Region’s own social housing portfolio, focusing on senior’s apartment buildings.

Because we know the residents there are more vulnerable to health impacts from extensionreme heat events that are becoming more frequent and severe with a changing climate.

Over the nextension two years we will deliver deep energy retrofits on more than 300 seniors’ units in the Region’s housing portfolio, providing low carbon cooling to these vulnerable residents, and reducing emissions by more than 50 per cent in each building.

We also need to address sustainability and climate action when it comes to new construction.

Especially given the growth and urban development planned and underway in Durham Region over the coming decade.

Our local area municipalities are leading the way with green development programs, such as Whitby’s Green Standard Program, which provides the building and development industry with a clear pathway towards more environmentally sustainable and climate friendly construction practices.

Durham Region has been collaborating with the local municipalities, and the building and development industry, providing training and capacity building support around low carbon and net zero construction techniques. 

In the transportation sector we are accelerating the Region’s transition to electric mobility.

Part of this relates to our own municipal fleets, such as the Durham Region Transit Fleet, which will be transitioning to a 100 per cent electric bus fleet by 2037.

But it also means investing in EV charging infrastructure that is accessible to the public, which we’ve been doing in collaboration with partners across the region.

Over the nextension two years the Region and partners will be installing more than 100 publicly available EV charging stations at municipal and other public sites across Durham.

The other major plan that I mentioned earlier, is the award-winning Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan.

We are continuing to advance the implementation this plan, which is focused on preparing for the changes in weather we are experiencing due to climate change.

We’ve updated our future climate projections, to better prepare for warmer, wetter, and wilder weather, and all the associated impacts to communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

An example of our work in this area is our collaboration with the Region’s five Conservation Authorities to update floodplain mapping to account for changing precipitation patterns.

We will be using the results of this floodplain mapping to update our capital asset management plans for critical infrastructure like roads, bridges, and water supply.

We are also using this updated floodplain information in the development of a Flood Ready Durham web platform for residents which will provide a one-stop shop for information on flood risk, and tips on how to make homes and businesses more resilient to the impacts of flooding.  

We are priortizing investment in nature-based climate solutions – those based on green infrastructure like trees and wetlands rather than traditional grey infrastructure.

Examples of this work include the LEAF Backyard tree planting program which subsidizes tree planting by homeowners, as well as the recently launched Durham TREES program, which provides opportunities for rural landowners to implement larger scale tree planting projects on their property.

We are also working with local municipalities and Conservation Authorities on larger scale investments in nature-based climate solutions.

Solutions, such as wetland restoration in the Carruther’s Creek watershed, which will create and restore more than 18 acres of wetland in vulnerable ecosystems in Ajax.

We recently announced funding to support the Lake Scugog Enhancement project which will create naturalized wetland to help manage stormwater run-off in the Port Perry bay-area.

Through highlighting the work in these two plans, I hope I was able to shed some light on the Region’s efforts in environmental sustainability.

While I covered many projects, this is only the tip of the iceberg—there is much more work to be done to ensure a more sustainable future for the nextension generation.

Looking towards the future, I’d like to briefly share what lies on the road ahead for the Region, in 2022 and beyond. 

Firstly, our top priority continues to be recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and adapting to our new normal.

We were pleased to welcome our teleworking staff back to the office in April, in a new, modern, hybrid style.

We also reopened our facilities to the public in April, which is a major step forward in continuing our recovery process.

To further bolster that recovery, we are continuing to advocate for funding from the provincial and federal governments to help address financial impacts from the pandemic.

We know this has been a long and difficult road for so many of us, including our staff, many of whom have been on the front lines of the pandemic.

We’re committed to the ongoing health and safety of our teams, as well as enhancing mental health supports.

And, we’ll continue to advance low-carbon fleet transitions, including Durham Region Transit’s first battery electric buses and the development of a long-term fleet transition roadmap.

We are focused on delivering services that contribute to safe, strong neighbourhoods, vibrant and diverse communities, and a great quality of life.

And as Durham grows, we will build a new paramedic response station in Seaton and undertake a Paramedic Services South Whitby feasibility study.

We want to build a strong and resilient economy that maximizes opportunities for business and employment growth, innovation and partnership.

This includes continuing to advance transit service recovery and transit-oriented development opportunities, including GO East to Bowmanville.

The GO Lakeshore East extensionension is important for creating jobs, stimulating the economy, connecting people to work and education opportunities and building complete, livable, affordable, walkable communities.

We are eager to help this project succeed.

We have accelerated the Regional Official Plan amendment for Protected Major Transit Station Areas.

And we have been working closely with our local municipalities, Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation on a Station Implementation Strategy.

We have begun implementation of Durham’s Nuclear Sector Strategy and continue to advance the development of the new Regional Official Plan as part of Envision Durham.

We are delivering the Region’s Community Improvement Plan and will continue the implementation of our Broadband Strategy.

We’re also working on a new Economic Development Plan, along with updated five-year economic development plans for North Durham, Marketing for Investment, Agri-Food, and Tourism.

The demand for investment in Durham Region is high—Durham Region is simply the best opportunity for businesses to grow in the GTHA.

The Regional economic development plan will be data-driven, consider a vast array of potential opportunities, and define a strategic direction for the future economy in Durham. 

Continuing to strengthen our business community is of top importance for the Region.

This takes many organizations working together, including hard work form our Rotarians such as yourselves.

Deepening connections between graduates and our business community helps to build the future of our workforce and economy. 

While our booming growth means our community is in-demand, we are striving to ensure a range of programs, services and supports are available and accessible to those in need.

So that no individual is left behind.

We will partner with Grandview Children’s Centre on the new Ontario Autism Program.

We are modernizing the way that Ontario Works paper records are handled, transmitted and retained by Durham Region, for better service to our clients.

And of course, we are committed to providing exceptional value to Durham taxpayers through responsive, effective and fiscally sustainable service delivery.

A few key projects that highlight our commitment to modernization and service excellence include myDurham 311; the Workplace Modernization Project and the Enterprise Maintenance Management System projects, among others.

We have so much to look forward to and much to celebrate as we continue our story of success and property in Durham.

I’d like to close by saying thank you for the opportunity to share some of our accomplishments and priorities with you today.

It was a challenging year.

However, we have achieved so much together.

I could not be prouder of the work our staff have been able to accomplish and the dedication they have shown to this community.

We’re looking forward to another year of innovation, service excellence, and a strong recovery.

I want everyone here to know that the Region values the work you do in supporting the community and contributing to our economy.

As I said earlier, this isn’t just my story—it’s the Region’s story.

It’s your story.

And it’s just the beginning.

Thank you for all that you do, thank you for listening, and I’d be happy to take any questions.