City of Surrey's 2024-2028 Financial Plan

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

CLIMATE ACTION —WHAT’S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED

In partnership with a broad range of community stakeholders, the City has made considerable progress in reducing GHG emissions and improving resiliency to climate change impacts. Here are a few examples of measurable progress made during the past few years: • Surrey’s award-winning Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy (“CFAS”) is in its fifth year of implementation. With a Government of Canada investment of over $76 million through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (“DMAF”), Surrey is moving forward on implementing 13 projects valued at $187 million for large-scale infrastructure and innovative nature-based solutions to address pressing concerns and preparing for impacts associated with a changing climate. These projects will advance many CFAS actions between 2019 and 2028. Several actions have already been completed through DMAF such as constructing a more resilient King George Boulevard Nicomekl Bridge and Southern Railway Serpentine Bridge. DMAF initiatives currently underway include constructing a living dyke and Nicomekl River Sea Dam replacement and designing the new 30- hectare Nicomekl Riverfront Park; • The City continues to build on the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy (“BCS”), endorsed by Council in 2014, which aims to preserve, protect, and enhance Surrey’s biodiversity in the long-term. It includes the establishment of a Green Infrastructure Network (“GIN”) consisting of biodiversity hubs and corridors of connected greenspace, and restored and existing natural areas on private and public land. In 2021, funding to secure areas of the GIN on private land was approved through the creation of a new Develop Cost Charge (“DCC”) - the first of its kind in BC. These funds support a special Parkland Acquisition fund. The DCC is being phased in over a 5-year period (2021-2025). Since the GIN was established in 2014, 4289 acres have been dedicated or acquired by the City as parkland. With another 1,129 acres in regional parkland already, 55% of the GIN’s 9,794 acres have been protected as of 2022; • Completed in 2023, the Urban Forest Management Strategy will strengthen Surrey’s efforts in protecting, enhancing, and growing the urban forest. The Strategy is guided by three broad goals that inform more focused objectives and management actions. The actions are intended to halt the Citywide decline in tree canopy cover and to support the achievement of a 30% canopy cover target by 2038;

City of Surrey | 2024—2028 Financial Plan | Executive Overview

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