2022 Insights

• Emissions increased by 9% and continue to approach pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The transportation sector was the biggest driver for this increase (up 9%).
• Per capita emissions increased by 7%, reaching 6.6 tonnes CO2eq/person.
• Natural gas consumption by York's commercial and industrial sectors increased by 13% and 4%, respectively.
• Electricity emissions increased by 26%, largely due to the increasing carbon intensity of the provincial electricity grid.
• Active transportation, including cycling and walking, decreased in 2022. Cycling decreased by 14% and walking by 7%. Notably, cycling and walking remain considerably higher than pre-pandemic levels (38% and 18%, respectively).
• York saw a large rise in electric vehicle purchases compared to 2021: 12,396 EVs (up 80%) and 3,371 PHEVs (up 27%).

Innovation in York

• York Region's Climate Change Action Plan outlines 20 actions to advance the reduction of emissions and increase resiliency through corporate and community activities.
• Alectra and IESO delivered the York Region Non-Wires Alternatives Demonstration Project, assessing the potential of distributed energy resources (DERs) in several municipalities, including Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan. Learnings on how to competitively procure and operate DERs were also captured.