I am Rob Abbott, and I have to begin by saying it's a genuine pleasure to have this opportunity to share some insights, some experiences, and perspectives with this committee.
I'm going to speak first and speak briefly on some broader provincial policy that has created a framework or a set of conditions, if you will, that have allowed for a variety of operational and technical activities and achievements related to energy efficiency. So I'll set the table and then my colleague Bernie will fill in some detail in terms of what we're working toward in the province on energy efficiency.
As Erik has indicated, if there are additional questions that are best suited for him, as opposed to Bernie or me, he will chime in as appropriate.
If there is a single powerful message I wish to leave with the committee today it would arguably be this: putting a price on carbon can be a simple and effective way to change capital asset management and, by extension, lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy costs, and demonstrate clean energy and technology.
More broadly, a supportive policy framework, including a revenue-neutral carbon tax, carbon-neutral government, community climate charters, and a provincial energy plan, among others, can create the conditions in which many operational and technical changes can be made that facilitate energy efficiency.
In November 2007, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act made British Columbia the first jurisdiction in North America to make a commitment to carbon neutrality across all public sector organizations. This commitment focused the public sector on accurately measuring greenhouse gas emissions and identifying and implementing opportunities to reduce those emissions through energy efficiency upgrades, the use of low-carbon or lower-carbon energy, and behaviour change.
By including core government, school districts, health authorities, post-secondary institutions, and crown corporations, British Columbia has engaged 300,000 public sector employees in a strategic conversation about climate change, energy efficiency, and the need for individual and collective action. Beyond that, two million British Columbians who learn in, use, or visit public sector institutions are included in that conversation as well.
In June 2010, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction to achieve carbon neutrality across its provincial public sector, and since that time, 95% of all local governments across the province have committed to pursue carbon neutrality as well.
A key accomplishment of the carbon-neutral government program in B.C. has been focusing attention on the costs of energy and working with public sector organizations to reduce those costs through investments in energy efficiency.
Since 2008 British Columbia has taken the following actions in this regard. Through the public sector energy conservation agreement, we committed $75 million between 2007 and 2010 to reduce emissions across the public sector through targeted energy efficiency upgrades. We reduced emissions from core government travel by 60%. We introduced a new provincial policy that all new government buildings be built to LEED gold or equivalent standards. We required that all new vehicle purchases first consider hybrid or clean energy options. We established agreements with both BC Hydro and FortisBC to provide financial incentives to energy projects, as well as energy managers, to work with public sector organizations throughout the province to develop plans to reduce emissions and save energy costs. We have recently established a new carbon-neutral capital program that has so far provided $10 million toward energy efficiency projects in school districts to help them further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And crucially, we've used the fixed price of $25 a tonne as a concrete financial incentive to change capital planning and influence behaviour change across the public sector.
In closing, British Columbia has begun a process of taking action on climate change in a systematic and rigorous way. In addition to the public sector milestones I've briefly highlighted, we are seeing signs of positive change in the wider economy. These include twice the Canadian average for hybrid vehicle adoption, 48% growth in our clean technology sector, the most active district energy market in the country, and one-fifth of all LEED gold buildings in Canada are here in B.C. We're the first carbon-neutral government in North America. The program improvements we have made over the last few years underscore our commitment to be the best. Within that context, we will continue to engage our stakeholders in a dialogue, much as we are doing today, about how to strengthen our program and broaden the scope of our energy efficiency efforts.
Thank you very much.