Edmonton city council looking at climate change resilience [Video]

New homes in Edmonton could soon be required to be built with solar panel hook ups.

It’s one of the 15 actions councillors supported on Tuesday to improve climate resilience in the city, something that will happen over the next few years.

“We know that making those up front investments at the beginning of the project is much more cost effective and efficient than having to go back in and retrofit after they’ve already been built,” Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador said Tuesday.

Salvador says the city is falling behind its own climate change goals for reducing carbon emissions for 2030 and up to 2050.

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She believes the 15 “priority actions” outlined in Tuesday’s report will help meet those goals.

Some of the actions include a streamlined permitting process for climate-resilient developments, preserving natural areas in new neighbourhoods and creating …