Get Involved! Guelph supports democratic civic engagement as an essential means of addressing current challenges.
Beginnings
The Fossil Fuel Out Of School campaign arose out of Guelph parent Sam Stevenson’s Electrify Arkell High campaign. Sam, along with other local citizens, were concerned the Upper Grand District School Board would build a new secondary school with fossil fuel heating. Sam wanted to ensure this school which his children will attend gets 100% electric heat pump heating instead. This aligns with global calls to phase out fossil fuels and will be an educational opportunity and inspiration for youth.
Watch his May 2023 delegation to the School Board or read it. The Wellington Advertiser covered the presentation.
Sam asked the Board to pause issuing the request for tender for the school until the Board analyzed the upfront and long-term cost of electric heat pumps compared to gas and presented a recommendation. Sam had earlier completed a Freedom of Information Request in March 2023 and learned no analysis had been done.
June 2023
On June 27, 2023 the School Board approved a motion for staff to “investigate the availability and sustainability, short-term capital, and long-term operating costs of air, or ground sourced heat pumps, hybrid heating systems, and high-efficiency traditional heating” with respect to the new high school (Board minutes).
January 2024
A year later in January, 2024, the School Board announced that the new South Guelph Secondary School along with the new Centre Wellington Elementary School will get heat pumps for space heating (video here, approved report here). Polluting fossil gas will be used only as a backup on very cold days. Domestic hot water will be heated solely by heat pumps. This is a major win for the climate and for educating and inspiring youth and may be the first high school in Ontario to be built from the start with primarily heat pump heating.
Congratulations to the Board for taking an important step to greater climate responsibility.
February 2024
Further involvement of the Fossil Fuel Out of School campaign led to a Correspondence letter read at the February 27, 2024 School Board meeting and a motion by Trustee Weiler:
Resolution #24-77
Moved by : Trustee Weiler
Seconded by: Truste Hauser
That the Upper Grand DSB refer the request to direct staff to eliminate fossil fuel heating in all upcoming new and existing board facilities to the Finance and Facilities Committee for consideration.
Growing Support to Shift Away from Fossil Natural Gas
The Fossil Fuel Out of School petition expands Sam’s campaign by asking the School Board to ensure all new facilities will be free of fossil fuel heating and that existing facilities will be retrofitted off fossil fuels when their heating systems are due for replacement or earlier.
CO2 Levels are Rising and Fossil Natural Gas Use is a Culprit
- Buildings account for 13% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel extraction and refining account for 28% (reference).
- The Upper Grand District School Board has 81 facilities on fossil fuel heating.
We Can Join the Growing Number of Organizations and Local Governments Supporting a Freeze of Fossil Natural Gas Use
- Fifty Canadian Organizations recently called for an expansion of moves to electrify buildings
Schools Are Shifting Away from Fossil Natural Gas
- John Paul II becomes first self-sufficient carbon neutral school in Canada
- P.E.I aims to have Atlantic Canada’s first 2 net zero schools
Take action on Fossil Fuel Out of School
Help school leaders ensure that the new south end secondary school in Guelph and future new schools are clean, non-polluting and consistent with what students are learning about responsible citizenship and climate change.
