Responding to rising costs and a changing climate, Carleton Place has a new roadmap for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and some of the biggest opportunities may be hiding in plain sight.
Council received the results of a QUEST Canada Net-Zero Communities Accelerator workshop at its Sept. 8 Committee of the Whole meeting. The workshop brought together 14 participants from council, town staff, the Carleton Place Environmental Advisory Committee, Climate Network Lanark, Enbridge and QUEST Canada to identify ways the town could save energy and reduce emissions.
“It gives us a bit of a roadmap for things within the municipality that we can work on to try to improve and reduce emissions throughout,” Ross Rankin, manager of Properties and Projects, told committee members.
The workshop looked at everything from energy-efficient buildings and solar power to electric vehicle charging stations, microgrids and district energy systems.
Participants identified the arena, schools, hospital, older neighbourhoods and the Bridge Street downtown core as potential targets for energy-efficiency improvements. They also flagged opportunities for solar energy, battery storage and microgrids, including possible future projects on the Mutuura lands and around the arena, hospital and commercial area south of Highway 7.
When Coun. Linda Seccaspina asked which municipal buildings are currently the biggest energy users, Rankin didn’t hesitate.
“The arena and the pool are the two largest within the municipality,” Rankin said.
The town is already moving on several fronts. Its 2026 budget includes $150,000 to convert streetlights to LED, while existing programs encourage energy retrofits and solar installations in new development.
The workshop’s highest-priority recommendation is to collect energy data annually from utilities and incentive providers so the town can better track consumption and savings. Medium-priority ideas include pairing solar power with battery storage, investigating microgrids and creating a community energy challenge.
Coun. Jeff Atkinson, who participated in the workshop, said the close proximity of major municipal facilities could create opportunities for significant energy savings.
“I think the key items in the report are the opportunities for energy savings that are really out there with respect to our municipal buildings,” Atkinson said.
According to QUEST Canada, the report is not an implementation plan or spending commitment. Instead, it is intended as a guide for future studies, funding applications, budgeting and policy decisions.
Committee received the report for information.
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