Did you know?

That's the question that will be posed to Whitehorse residents starting at the end of February with a campaign aimed at letting the public know what the city is doing on the sustainability front.

"Let's keep the public engaged,” Shannon Clohosey, the city's sustainability projects manager, told council at a noon meeting last Wednesday. She unveiled the plans for the four-week campaign at the gathering.

After the meeting, she said that given the amount of public engagement that went into the sustainability plan, she wants to let residents know what has been done since the plan was adopted in 2008.

Through advertising in local newspapers and displays at the Canada Games Centre, questions will be asked focused on the "Did you know?” theme. The answer will then be aimed at letting residents know what the city can and is doing about the issue.

Did you know, for example, the rental vacancy rate in Whitehorse last year was one per cent? In answering that question, the city will tell residents of what it's doing to open up land.

It's a question Coun. Doug Graham took issue with, arguing it also draws attention to the fact the city hasn't kept up with the demand for lots.

As Clohosey pointed out, the poster will explain why housing is such a big priority for the city.

Clohosey later asked whether council is willing to let the question stand or if members saw any other problems with the other questions. Council members gave her the go-ahead to move forward on it.

Other questions are aimed at informing residents:

• only two per cent of food in the territory is actually grown in the Yukon;

• all city services are now universally accessible;

• about composting initiatives;

• there are more than 750 kilometres of designated trails in the city;

• compact development can lead to better public transit;

• 65 per cent of land in the city is designated as green space; and

• building to energy-efficient standards could save a homeowner up to $1,000 per year in heating costs.

All of the questions go back to the priorities set out in the city's 2008 sustainability plan, Clohosey explained.

Coun. Dave Stockdale was quick to point out sustainability has become a bit of an "all-encompassing” phrase to describe doing things better rather than the former description, which was more focused on not wasting energy.

Clohosey said she continually comes back to the city's sustainability plan and its seven principles because that's how the community has defined sustainability and provided direction.

Those seven principles focus on a thriving environment, community development, leadership, a diverse local economy, equity, cultural identity and education.

During her presentation, Clohosey also outlined where the city is on taking action on the plan.

"(There's) definitely a lot of work to do, but we have made some progress,” she said.

Clohosey pointed to the sustainability principles being in the latest edition of the Official Community Plan and continued work with other municipalities on a green procurement policy.

She also mentioned the nearly finished goals of the Partners for Climate Protection program and an ongoing project to develop a baseline for the city's energy use.

Sabine Schweiger, an environmental co-ordinator with the city, also pointed out the waste audit report is in its final stages. As well, work has begun on an updated solid waste bylaw and ongoing programs like compost collection and a diversion credit program to local recyclers.

A pamphlet updating residents on the sustainability initiatives underway will be delivered to customers in the city's next utility bill.