Transitioning Towards Zero-Emission Outdoor Power Equipment

Staff identified two potential options to proceed and City Council chose to express its support for a ban on the use of gas-powered two-stroke engine equipment, such as leaf blowers and hedge trimmers, as a precaution against the cumulative adverse impacts to human health and climate from noise and air pollution. Staff were directed to identify the resources required to develop and implement a ban on use of two-stroke engine equipment and report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee. This report responds to Council's direction and also incorporates information on actions that need to be undertaken by the City to show leadership in the transition towards zero-emission outdoor power equipment. The approach to implementing a ban and next steps outlined in this report, should the City choose to proceed, are informed by the results of stakeholder consultations, a jurisdictional scan, an equipment assessment and market analysis, along with a corporate asset assessment and analysis, which are summarized in the Comments Section and detailed in the Attachments 1 through 4. Given the information detailed in this report, including the resources required to implement a ban, two options are presented for Council consideration, similar to the approach taken in the July 2023 report. Option Description Estimated Cost A Lead by example in the corporation and focus on community education Continue to focus on transitioning towards zero-emission outdoor power equipment through corporate transition activities, along with community and business education and awareness campaigns. The City would not implement and enforce a ban on the use of two-stroke engine equipment. • $200,000 over the first five years (2026 to 2030) • The continuation of the campaign at approximately $25,000 annually would be assessed in 2030 B Pursue a ban on the use of two-stroke engine equipment Implement and enforce a ban on the use of two-stroke engine equipment in the City of Toronto which, if adopted, would come into force on January 1, 2030. As part of enforcement, a ban would require the development and maintenance of a list of banned equipment and additional enforcement capacity. It should be noted that the proposed ban would still allow for the use of four-stroke engine equipment, such as four-stroke engine leaf blowers. • $2,880,000 during start-up and program development (2026 to 2030) • Starting in 2031, the cost is estimated to be $675,000 annually • Note: costs are a conservative rough estimate The resource requirements identified above do not include costs associated with transitioning gas-powered City equipment to zero emission alternatives, as the City has already committed to undertaking this transition under the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy. As part of this commitment, City Council requested Parks and Recreation, and Environment, Climate and Forestry in 2022 (2022.EC31.4) to develop a plan to phase-out gas-powered equipment. Previously, in 2021 (2021 IE25.21), Council requested Parks and Recreation, Transportation Services and Fleet Services to develop a transition plan and determine feasibility of phasing out gas-powered leaf blowers. In response to these directions the pathway for a corporate transition plan is presented in this report. The pathway includes an analysis of the City's small engine equipment inventory to determine replacement timelines, electricity and charging capacity needs. Any electricity and charging capacity assessments and retrofits will be coordinated with related activities across the relevant Divisions, Agencies, and Corporations, and locations to ensure retrofits are completed efficiently, reducing cost and disruptions. Final costs for the corporate transition will need to be factored into future capital budgets of affected Divisions, Agencies, and Corporations, with the scope and scale to be determined. The corporate transition plan presented is aligned with the timeline of the proposed ban and will proceed regardless of the Option chosen by Council. If Option A is chosen the corporate transition plan timeline can be extended based on operational or budget needs.

3. City Council request the Mayor to include the necessary funding for Recommendations 1 and 2 above, through future budget allocations as described in the Financial Impact Section of this report. 4. City Council direct the City Manager and their designates to indefinitely suspend further consideration and / or engagement on a ban on the use of two-stroke engine equipment in Toronto. Option B - Pursue a ban on the use of two-stroke engine equipment 5. City Council ban the use of two-stroke engine equipment without limitation as a precaution against adverse impacts to human health and climate, and: a. Implement the ban based on the approach described in Attachment 1 to this report. b. Direct appropriate City staff to develop a schedule that lists the banned makes and models of equipment and update the schedule of banned equipment annually, as needed. 6. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to prepare and introduce a Bill in Council in the form or substantially in the form of the ban outlined in Attachment 1 to this report. 7. City Council express its continued support for the transition of City of Toronto owned gas-powered small engine equipment to zero-emission outdoor power equipment. 8. City Council express its continued support for the public promotion of the appropriate use of small engine equipment and sustainable yard care practices to encourage the transition to zero-emission outdoor power equipment. 9. City Council request the Mayor to include the necessary funding for Recommendations 5 to 8 above through future budget allocations as described in the Financial Impact section of this report.