Take Action Burlington

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards were held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. This event recognized 62 finalists across eight categories including:

• Charity/Not-For-Profit Award
• Environmental Impact Award
• Heritage Award
• Large Business Award
• New Business of the Year Award
• Small Business Award
• Women Business Leader Award
• Young Entrepreneur Award

The City of Burlington was nominated for an Environmental Impact Award and then announced as one of six finalists earlier this year. While we were not the winner of our category, we are proud of our accomplishments and congratulate all of the winners in their respective categories.

City of Burlington’s Accomplishments

The City has had a long history associated with environmental matters. Below are some highlights:

The 1990s

In 1990, the City of Burlington declared Burlington a sustainable development community and established the Sustainable Development Committee, a citizen advisory committee to City Council.

In 1994, the Principles and Objectives of Sustainable Development were first adopted by City Council. These were updated and endorsed by City Council in 2017 and appended to the City’s Official Plan.

In the late 1990s, the City’s first environmental sustainability position was approved as a contract position.

The 2000s

In 2001, the Senior Environmental Coordinator position became a permanent position with an Environmental Research Support Technician position approved in 2002.

In 2002:

• The Healthy Green Spaces Strategy for Public Lands was approved by City Council. The strategy served as a guide for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of City owned green spaces.
• The City of Burlington joined the Partners for Climate Protection Program, through ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The program consists of a five-step milestone framework to guide municipalities to take action against climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The City achieved all five milestones in 2017, one of 40 communities across Canada at the time to reach that milestone.

In 2003, an idling awareness campaign was launched. In 2004, the City’s first Idling Control Bylaw was adopted to limit unnecessary idling and further strengthened in 2009. In 2016, the Idling Control Bylaw was amalgamated with the Parking Bylaw.

In 2008, the City’s first Green Fleet Strategy was approved and updated in 2023.

In 2009:

• The Towards Zero Waste policy for City operations was approved and updated in 2024.
• The first energy policy for City operations was approved and replaced with the Corporate Energy and Sustainable Buildings Policy in 2024.

The 2010s

In 2010, the City hosted Take Action Burlington, a community climate action summit. The event was packed with presentations and discussions about sustainable actions taking place in Burlington and the steps everyone can take at work, home and play to make a difference for the environment. This was followed up with two free community Take Action events to celebrate World Environment Day in 2010 and 2011.

In 2012, with funding support from the Province of Ontario, BurlingtonGreen in partnership with the City of Burlington established the first public community garden with 30 plots at Central Park. The City now has five public community gardens.

In 2014:

• The Community Energy Plan was approved. This was the City’s first climate change plan related to reducing community greenhouse gas emissions.
• The first Corporate Energy and Emissions Management Plan was approved. This was renewed in 2019 and again in 2024.
• Two flood resiliency programs – the Home Flood Protection Program, and the Plumbing Permit Fee Grant Program – were introduced.

In 2015:

• The City’s first 25-year strategic plan was approved. Vision 2040 was the first strategic plan to mention climate change and strive for carbon neutral targets.
• Sustainability staff introduced the Take Action Burlington blog to help profile City and community initiatives related to environmental sustainability and climate change.
• The first EV charging station on City property was installed.

In 2019, the City of Burlington declared a climate emergency to deepen our commitment to protecting our economy, environment and community from climate change and increase the priority of the fight against climate change and apply a climate lens to our plans and actions including the Council strategic workplan and future budgets.

The 2020s

In 2020:

• The City joined the Global Covenant of Mayors, a global collaboration between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, the Global Covenant of Mayors Secretariat, and the International Urban Cooperation Project. The City of Burlington was one of 25 Canadian municipalities that successfully completed the first Showcase Cities pilot focusing on climate action. By participating in this pilot, Burlington was recognized as a leader on local climate action both nationally and internationally. In 2023, the City received the climate mitigation and adaptation badges.
• The Climate Action Plan was approved replacing the Community Energy Plan. An update to the Climate Action Plan is underway and will be released in 2025.

In 2021, the City of Burlington began reporting climate action annually through the Carbon Disclosure Project. In its first reporting year, the City received a B score. In 2022, the City received an A grade, one of only 13 municipalities in Canada and of 122 municipalities around the world to achieve this grade. In 2023, the City received an A- and are hoping to return to an A score for our 2024 reporting (results are still pending).

In 2022:

• The City’s first climate adaptation plan titled Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather was approved.
• Nature Canada certified Burlington as a Bird Friendly City. The certification was renewed in 2024.
• The City’s first carbon neutral facility at City View Park Pavilion using all electric systems and no fossil fuels opened. The building includes a 30kW net-metered solar array. In 2024, solar panels were operational at Fire Station 5 in Kilbride, offsetting slightly more than 100 percent of the building’s electricity usage, allowing for future electrification of the heating system.

In 2023:

• The Integrated Mobility Plan was approved by City Council. The Plan places emphasis on the movement of people through all modes of transportation rather than reliance on just the private automobile.
• The Better Homes Burlington pilot project was introduced for one year and renewed for a second year in 2024. The program supports homeowners to improve energy efficiency and implement low carbon measures in their homes.
• Protected intersections and bike lanes were introduced on part of Plains Rd.

In 2024:

• The Urban Forest Master Plan and Woodland Management Strategy were approved to help protect and manage Burlington’s urban forest.
• Almost $17 million was invested in local public transit. Burlington Transit continues to offer a number of programs to increase ridership including free transit for children and adults aged 65-plus all day, and after 6 p.m. and all day on weekends for youth 13-19. Eligible customers are also eligible for the Subsidized Pass for Low Income Transit program.
• The Solar Panel Building Permit Grant was approved until the end of 2024 to cover the cost of a building permit for residential solar system installations in Burlington.
• The Burlington Solar Map was launched allowing Burlington homeowners to look up their home address to determine potential solar capacity on their rooftop.

In 2025, in partnership with Enbridge Gas, the City promoted MyHEAT Thermal Map for Burlington residents to see the energy efficiency of their home.

Take Action Burlington! Let’s all do our part to reduce our impact on the environment. Collectively we can make a difference.