Corporate Climate Action Plan
2025-2050
Niagara Region's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations — buildings, water and wastewater treatment, fleet, outdoor lighting and waste — to net-zero by 2050.
24,455
tCO2e Corporate baseline (2018)
17.9%
Reduction goal by 2028
5
Sectors tracked
Target, baseline and scope
Target: Net-Zero Corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (in principle), formally endorsed by Regional Council in 2023.
Baseline: 2018 Corporate emissions of 24,455 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), established through a greenhouse gases inventory.
Scope: Covers Niagara Region's own corporate operations only, not the wider community.
How this plan was built
Niagara Region joined the national Partners for Climate Protection program in 2009 and declared a climate emergency in 2021. Since then, climate action has been added to Regional policies, and investment in decarbonization has grown substantially.
This plan is Milestone 3 of that program — building on the Region's approved Corporate GHG Inventory (Milestone 1) and Council-approved Net-Zero target (Milestone 2). An Action Plan Sub-Committee of Regional staff, spanning departments like infrastructure, public health and finance, helped shape the goals and actions it contains.
Three pillars to net-zero
The strategy
Efficiency and waste management
Upgrading to LED lighting, improving insultation and reducing diverting waste — the lowest-cost way to cut emissions and the first step in every sector.
Electrification
Switching natural gas heating to heat pumps and gas vehicles to electric or hybrid, taking advantage of Ontario's low-carbon electricity grid.
Green energy
Adding solar power and renewable natural gas once efficiency and electrification are in place, to clean up the emissions that remain.
2018 Corporate emissions by sector
Where emissions come from
51.8%
Buildings
25.7%
Water and wastewater
14.4%
Fleet
7.7%
Operational waste
0.4%
Outdoor lighting and signs
Goals by sector
The targets
Buildings
2028 Goal
20.8% reduction
Primary enabler
Electrify heating systems at end-of-life; prioritize natural gas efficiency
Water and wastewater
2028 Goal
19.3% reduction
Primary enabler
Electrify heating; leverage low-carbon fuels for process heating
Fleet
2028 Goal
10% reduction
Primary enabler
Replace end-of-life light-duty vehicles with hybrid or electric
Operational waste
2028 Goal
10% reduction
Primary enabler
Waste reduction targets, data collection and staff education
Outdoor lighting and traffic signals
2028 Goal
0% (minimal potential remaining)
Primary enabler
Already converted to LED; grid emissions drive future trends
Learn more about the plan
Download the full Corporate Climate Action Plan, including the full project list, funding sources and measurement plan.