PORT McNEILL—Port McNeill will earn a share of the carbon credits earned by a greenhouse gas-reduction program at Seven Mile Landfill, thanks to a five-year agreement approved by Council last week.
In its regular January meeting, Council approved a five-year draft agreement with the Regional District of Mount Waddington, effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2014.
As part of the agreement, Port McNeill will receive a one-time transfer of 45.2 tonnes of carbon credits for the 2012 calendar year.
The carbon credits have been generated through a bio-cover installed by the Regional District at Seven Mile Landfill beginning in 2010 and which has since served to substantially reduce the emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas. The cover, made up of a composted mix of biosolids and chipped wood, has worked so well that the RDMW now has surplus carbon credits.
Rated for an annual carbon “footprint” of 189 tonnes of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, the RD was credited with cutting 400 tonnes of emissions and was certified carbon neutral in 2012 by the joint provincial-Union of B.C. Municipalities’ Green Communities Committee.
Unable to sell the credits on the open market, the RDMW instead is offering a share of to each North Island municipality that contributes to the landfill, based on a percentage of the population.
The Town of Port McNeill joins municipal governments in Port Hardy, Port Alice and Alert Bay in sharing the surplus carbon credits.
Pitching Port McNeill
Council approved a pair of requests from the Port McNeill Tourism Committee to draw funds from its account for advertising for the coming year.
A total of $3,010, plus GST, was approved for withdrawal from an account dedicated to the tourism committee with oversight from council.
The first request was for the release of $510 for a full-page, colour ad on the back cover of the 2014 Vancouver Island North Visitors’ Guide. The total cost of $2,520 was offset by buy-in sponsorship from local stakeholders and a 50/50 split with the Port McNeill & District Chamber of Commerce of the remaining balance of $1,020.
The second request was for $2,500 plus tax for a colour, half-page ad in the Times Colonist Discover magazine. It is the third year Port McNeill will be on display in the publication, which is distributed on Vancouver Island, across B.C.’s Lower Mainland and into Alberta.