Bay Area Climate Change Office

Bay area illustration

A powerful collaboration between the Cities of Hamilton and Burlington and the Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College.

At its core, BACCO is a commitment by the Cities and Mohawk College to address climate change on a regional scale - sharing resources, expertise, and best practices to accelerate climate change action.

The Bay Area Climate Change Office (BACCO) partners work together on:

  • Community engagement and outreach - educating and informing community members about climate change
  • Supporting the Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC)
  • Evaluating and supporting market readiness for deep energy retrofits in the residential and commercial sectors
  • Supporting information sharing and collaboration on regional climate issues
  • In 2018, BACCO commissioned a regional GHG inventory. These inventories are used by both Cities and the Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC) to inform priority actions on climate change in the coming years.”

The History of the Collaboration

The Mayors of Hamilton and Burlington announced their collaboration on climate change at the 2017 Bay Area Economic Summit. BACCO builds on the foundation laid by the City of Hamilton Community Climate Action Plan and City of Burlington Community Energy Plan. Discussions between the Bay Area Cities, Sustainable Hamilton Burlington, Mohawk College, and funding from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s Cap-and-Trade Program led to the formation of BACCO. BACCO was inspired by the Bay Area Restoration Council (BARC) established to address the rehabilitation of the Hamilton Harbour.

Community engagement is at the heart of BACCO work. Input received and priorities identified by community members guide the development of a community-driven climate action plan, and furthers our work towards shared goals. An ambitious community engagement program led to the design and formation of the Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC). This campaign included the Bay Area Climate Change Summit held in March 2018, forums, pop-up events, an online survey, stakeholder workshops, interviews and public meetings. On June 27, 2018, the proposed governance structure was presented and adopted. From March 2018 to June 2018, key stakeholders and members of the general public were engaged through a wide variety of activities that included a climate change forum, online engagement, pop-up events, stakeholder interviews, a stakeholder workshop, and a public meeting. Approximately 895 individuals were engaged throughout this process.

Read the BACCO Engagement Report (PDF)

 

City of Burlington logo, city of Hamilton logo, Mohawk College logo

people brainstorming at table

Bay Area Climate Change Council

Our mission is to create a sense of urgency and mobilize the community to catalyze climate action in the Bay Area.

The Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC) is a social impact initiative made up of 14 community leaders from Hamilton and Burlington. BACCC's vision is for the Bay Area to be a thriving and resilient zero carbon community by 2050.

The mandate of BACCC is to provide strategic leadership and function as an ongoing forum for advice, feedback and guidance to the Bay Area Climate Change Implementation Team(s) (BACCITs) via the independent Support Team of coordinators in the Bay Area Climate Change Office (BACCO). 

To date, BACCC has supported the City of Hamilton and Burlington's climate change emergency declarations and consulted on both community's climate energy plans. In 2020, the BACCITs will tackle climate actions on the areas of:

  • Smart transportation policies and solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • Deep energy retrofits for homeowners and property owners
  • Food policies and programs that support local food and protect agricultural lands
  • Progressive municipal policies that support climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience

BACCC continues to hold community consultation and engagement at the core of its activities. A Climate Change Forum was held for the community to provide an update on the BACCC activities, share its ambitious work plan for 2020, and engage the public in understanding the climate change priorities of the Bay Area community.

Council Members

The BACCC is a non-political, independent advisory committee. The inaugural BACCC consists of the member organizations listed below, although the composition of the Council will evolve over time as regional priorities and Council requirements change.

  • Chair - Richard Koroscil
  • Burlington Economic Development Corp - Anita Cassidy
  • Burlington Green - Amy Schnurr
  • Burlington Sustainable Development Advisory Committee - Dave Bourns
  • Burlington citizen - Anna Pautler
  • Clean Air Hamilton - Bruce Newbold
  • Conservation Halton - Kim Barrett
  • Environment Hamilton- Lynda Lukasik
  • Hamilton Chamber of Commerce - Richard Allen
  • Hamilton Conservation Authority - Scott Peck
  • Hamilton Health Sciences - Victoria Brzozowski
  • Hamilton Industrial Environmental Association - Heidi Levitzky
  • Sustainable Hamilton Burlington - Rafiq Dhanji 
  • United Way Hamilton Halton - Mike Mikulak

 

Council members are guided by Terms of Reference and members were selected based on community input received during the stakeholder engagement process.

    Council Advisors

    The following CCCM Partners assist the Council in an Advisory role:

    • City of Hamilton – Trevor Imhoff, Andrea McDowell, Shelley Rogers
    • City of Burlington – Lynn Robichaud
    • Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College – Kate Flynn 

    References

    baccc burlington bay illustrationIllustration by Sylvia Nickerson art & illustration

     

    Say Hello!

    • If you are looking for ways to make a difference in climate change mitigation or adaptation, get in touch with us.

    • Do you have questions about our regional partnership or the Bay Area Climate Change Council? Contact us anytime at:  climatechange [at] mohawkcollege.ca.

    Contact us today