Community Led Emissions Reduction Program (CLER)

Background
What is the CLER program?
What are the goals of the CLER program?
Who is participating in the CLER program?
What does CLER provide?

Background

The Province of Manitoba is committed to taking action on climate change and was the first jurisdiction in North America to legislate its Kyoto targets in The Climate Change and Emissions Reduction Act. "Beyond Kyoto", Manitoba's blueprint for climate change action, lays out over 60 actions across all sectors to reduce emissions 6% below 1990 levels by 2012.

Manitoba has set the following GHG emissions reduction goals:

• transportation – up to one MT
• large emitters – 650,000 tonnes
• clean energy expansion – 670,000 tonnes
• agriculture, forestry and community programs – 680,000 tonnes
• future climate action investments – 250,000-plus tonnes

Sustainable communities are a key focus in "Beyond Kyoto". Local governments and communities are critical partners as up to 50% of Canadian emissions are within the direct or indirect control of local governments.

What is the CLER program?

In 2008, the province launched the Community Led Emissions Reduction (CLER) program as a four-year (2008-2012) pilot program to support community-led action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The CLER program is modeled on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) five milestone framework. All CLER participants and their communities are working through the milestones between now and March 2012 and receiving concentrated resources to complete them as follows:

1. Establish a GHG emissions inventory.
2. Set a GHG emissions reduction target.
3. Develop a local climate change action plan with public input.
4. Implement GHG emissions reduction projects and activities included in the Council- or Board-approved plan.
5. Monitor progress and report results.

Communities that follow the five milestone framework and take action to reduce their GHG emissions will see a number of benefits:

• Short- and long-term cost savings
• Improved health and safety
• Protection of natural resources and habitat
• Local economic stability and development
• Community resilience and adaptability

Read more about the Province’s climate change commitments here.

Read more about the five milestone framework here.

What are the goals of the CLER program?

CLER is assisting municipal governments and not-for-profit community organizations in their locally-driven efforts to reduce GHG emissions and make more sustainable decisions now and in the future. Reducing GHG emissions can provide economic as well as environmental benefits for municipalities, community organizations, businesses and individual residents. CLER helps participating communities in achieving these benefits.

Who is participating in the CLER program?

The CLER pilot program is being delivered in partnership with:

• Local governments, including one planning district, and aims to reduce GHG emissions from municipal corporations and the broader community.
• Not-for-profit community organizations, such as schools, community centres and neighbourhood renewal corporations, and aims to support individual behavioural change among local residents, small businesses and other local community institutions.

What does CLER provide?

The CLER program works in partnership with select local governments and not-for-profit community organizations to assist and encourage individuals, households, businesses and local governmental organizations to take immediate steps to reduce GHG emissions. CLER communities are provided with:

• Resources, tools and training.
• Core funding to:
• complete GHG emissions inventories, set emissions reduction targets;
• develop and implement local climate change action plans with public input;
• monitor and report on results achieved.
• Project funding to implement select GHG emissions reduction projects and activities included in council or board approved local climate change action plans.