THE 6th edition NCL REPORT is NOW available!
The 6th edition of the National Climate League Standings report is now available! Explore data collected from over 50 municipalities, featuring detailed policy scans, data visualizations and in-depth analysis. Download your copy today to see the latest on municipal climate action across Canada.
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6th edition NATIONAL LAUNCH
During a virtual kick-off eventon October 3, 2024, we showcased how 53 municipalities across Canada are advancing climate plans, targets, and policies. 🏬 🚌🌳🚴
This event highlighted the invaluable contributions of our volunteers, including Emma Mungall, who shared her experience collecting data for Montreal in French, and featured a panel discussion with city councilors Andrea Reimer, Mairin Loewen, and Margo Sheppard on the progress, opportunities, and hurdles in municipal climate action.
6th Edition - City profiles
We're excited to bring back our City Profiles for the 6th edition of the National Climate League!
Each profile introduces the city, highlights its climate successes, identifies areas for improvement, and includes a unique case study. You’ll also find a checklist showing how each city performed across 23 policy indicators.
City Profile: Ottawa
Ottawa stands out for its ambitious climate goals, including a 68% emissions reduction target by 2030, which is one of the highest among Canadian municipalities, along with a commitment to reach net-zero by 2050. The city also leads in transparency by pledging to update its emissions inventory every year. However, it falls behind on EV infrastructure as well as community engagement, lacking both a strong network of public EV chargers and a citizen advisory committee to guide climate action.View more details...
City Profile: Victoria
Victoria’s climate strategy sets ambitious goals, including an 80% GHG reduction and 100% renewable energy by 2050. The city’s transportation plan supports active and electric mobility, with a 43% sustainable mode share and a 30% EV target by 2030. Waste is another strength, with a goal to reduce landfill disposal by 50% by 2040. Still, the city lacks a citizen advisory body and broader equity-focused initiatives, which could help strengthen climate accountability and inclusion.View more details...
City Profile: Calgary
Overall, Calgary’s climate strategy includes both mitigation and adaptation pathways, with a focus on climate equity. The city aims for 40% renewable energy by 2050 and to reduce energy poverty by 50% by 2030. Calgary is working towards net-zero emissions buildings, with regulations set for 2028. However, its renewable energy target and early-stage green building standards need to be strengthened to achieve net-zero goals.View more details...
City Profile: Vancouver
Overall, Vancouver excels in green building standards, with a target for zero-emissions buildings by 2030 and extensive LEED-certified buildings. The city is also making significant progress in its climate plan with detailed actions and strong emissions reduction targets. However, it faces challenges in providing affordable transit, especially for low-income residents, and in updating its emissions inventory regularly. Additionally, while Vancouver has strong climate equity initiatives, more action is needed to fully integrate social justice into its climate policies.View more details...
City Profile: Regina
Regina's 2022 Energy and Sustainability Framework aims for a 50% emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. The city has initiated electrification of buses, expanded green bin programs, and implemented a plastic bag ban. However, the city needs to develop clearer climate adaptation strategies, and strengthen its long-term climate finance and regulatory frameworks.View more details...
City Profile: Edmonton
Overall, Edmonton ranks in the top four cities nationwide, with strong GHG reduction targets, a comprehensive Urban Forest Management Plan, and programs like Neighbouring for Climate that support local engagement. The city has a sliding-scale transit pass, an EV strategy, and an active transportation plan. However, Edmonton has not set a sustainable mode share target and its local renewable energy goal remains at 10% by 2035—lower than several other major cities.View more details...
City Profile: Toronto
Overall, Toronto is a national leader in sustainable transportation and green building. With 75% mode share targeted by 2030 and strong cycling and transit access, the city ranks among the top for low car use. Its green roof bylaw and retrofit programs also set it apart. However, Toronto lacks a 100% renewable energy target and faces high energy poverty and transit affordability issues.View more details...
City Profile: Chilliwack
Overall, Chilliwack has made a strong start with detailed climate action plans and a clear net-zero by 2050 target. It excels in waste management, with mandatory composting for all housing types, and offers green building incentives, including support for low-income households. However, the city lacks updated emissions data, a citizens' advisory committee, and an adaptation plan. Progress reporting has stalled since 2022, and more community involvement and transparency could help move the plan forward.View more details...
City Profile: Saskatoon
Overall, Saskatoon stands out for its strong climate planning, with its Low Emissions Community Plan and equity-focused strategies guiding local action. The city also benefits from an active citizen advisory committee and a successful organic waste diversion program. However, Saskatoon lags in clean energy, with 79% of its mix from fossil fuels, and has yet to set a net-zero target. It also struggles with sustainable transportation, with only 3.4% of trips by transit and a less ambitious mode share goal than peer cities.View more details...
City Profile: Winnipeg
Overall, Winnipeg excels in clean energy, with 97% of its electricity coming from hydro, setting it apart from other prairie cities. The city also benefits from a citizens’ advisory committee on climate. However, it struggles with sustainable transportation, ranking low in mode share and transit affordability. Reinstating provincial transit funding could help Winnipeg meet its 2050 goal of 50% sustainable transportation.View more details...
City profile : London
Overall, London excels in renewable energy production, ranking #1 in solar and #3 in wind energy. The city is developing a Master Mobility Plan and has set a 2050 mode-share target to reduce car travel. Additionally, London demonstrates strong climate reporting, being one of only nine municipalities to provide a 2023 climate action status report. However, it lags in Green Development Standards, urban forestry, and active transportation. With low transit use and high costs, improving public transit and accessibility remains a key challenge.View more details...
City Profile : Langford
Overall, Langford has made progress in climate action by supporting provincial emissions reporting programs, offering homeowner rebates, and implementing a low-emission concrete policy. The city has also set a mode-share target of 42% sustainable trips by 2028 and allocated funding for community gardens to enhance food security. However, Langford lacks both a Climate Action Plan and an Active Transportation Plan, and its urban core faces significant heat effects due to low canopy cover. Additionally, the city remains car-dependent, with low walkability and bike scores, requiring further investment in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.View more details...
City Profile: Montréal
Overall, Montréal performed strongly in mobility and transportation, with a Complete Streets policy, top public transit mode share, and robust cycling infrastructure. It also excelled in EV planning and charging stations. However, its climate plan lacks transparency and adaptation measures, and the city trails in energy-efficient buildings compared to other large cities.View more details...
join us for our national launch event as we publish the 6th edition of the NCL Standings
Coming this Fall! Our annual, crowd-sourced report provides an overview of municipal climate action in over 50 cities, towns and regions — including a policy scan, data visualizations and analysis. Join us on October 3rd with a wonderful panel of special guests!
Access 5 years of NCL data all in one spot !
Introducing our new National Climate League dashboard. This dashboard showcases all the data the NCL has amassed since 2018 in an easy-to-navigate format.
Use this dashboard to identify top-performing municipalities; compare your municipality to others of similar size or located in the same province; identify temporal trends in a specific indicator category, and more.
