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)

References

baccc burlington bay illustrationIllustration by Sylvia Nickerson art & illustration

 

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

people brainstorming at table

Bay Area Climate Change Council

Learn more about BACCC

The Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC) is a broad based collaborative of numerous organizations across Hamilton and Burlington working to drive climate action. BACCC's vision is for the Bay Area to be a thriving and resilient net zero carbon community by 2050.

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 order to reach net zero by 2050, BACCC is working and collaborating with partners to cut carbon emissions in the big three emitting sectors: buildings, transportation and local industry.

BACCC is supported by the Cities of Hamilton and Burlington and administratively housed at Mohawk College in the Centre for Climate Change Management.

To connect with the Bay Area Climate Change Council, contact info [at] bayareaclimate.ca. 

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 - Chitra Gowda
  • Environment Hamilton- Lynda Lukasik
  • Hamilton Chamber of Commerce - Paul Szachlewicz
  • Hamilton Conservation Authority - Scott Peck
  • Hamilton Health Sciences - Victoria Brzozowski
  • Hamilton Industrial Environmental Association - Heidi Levitzky
  • Hamilton Regional Indian Centre - Brenda Jacobs
  • Sustainability Leadership - Rafiq Dhanji 
  • United Way Hamilton Halton - Vivien Underdown

Council Advisors

The following Bay Area Climate Change Office 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 

 

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 Office? Contact us anytime at climatechange [at] mohawkcollege.ca.

Contact us today