Costco's planned gas station in Sudbury not the right step, says advocacy group

Costco Wholesale Canada's plans to build a 24-pump gas station in Sudbury are a step in the wrong direction, according to a local sustainability advocacy group.

"This is not the infrastructure that we will be needing," said Naomi Grant, chair of the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury. "We need to be supporting people in using low carbon transportation."

Grant said a new gas station in Greater Sudbury does not align with the city's 2019 declaration of a climate emergency.

As part of that declaration, the city committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, and set a target for all new vehicles sold in the city to be zero-emission by 2030. 

In June, the federal government said all new cars and light-duty trucks sold in Canada will be zero emissions by 2035. 

Grant said transportation is Greater Sudbury's largest source of carbon emissions.

She said the city's transportation master plan has made progress by prioritizing active transportation, such as walking and cycling, with new road infrastructure upgrades. 

The city's revamped bus service, branded as GOVA Transit, has also been a step in the right direction, Grant said.

"There are some quite important improvements coming like mobility hubs and more improvements on the higher frequency routes, which should make a really big difference," Grant said.

But she added the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to measure the impact of those changes to the transit system.

"Because of the pandemic, there's obviously been a drop in ridership," she said. "People are less comfortable being in an enclosed space with more people. So I think we'll have to wait and see."

Electric charging stations

Devin Arthur, president of the Sudbury chapter of the Electric Vehicle Society, said he understands the need for new gas stations in Sudbury, but added more businesses should consider adding electric vehicle charging stations as well.

Arthur said Petro Canada, for example, has added charging stations at many of its gas stations across Canada.

Costco did not respond to a follow-up regarding any plans for electric vehicle charging stations at its proposed gas station in Sudbury. But Arthur said that in his experience, the company has not built charging stations in other Canadian cities. 

But even without such commitments, Arthur said most electric vehicle charging occurs at home.

"One of the things that we try and tell people right off the bat is, you know, 90 percent of your charging is at home overnight, so you don't necessarily need to rely on public charging," he said.

But he added insufficient public charging infrastructure is a barrier for people considering an electric vehicle for their next purchase. And while most charging occurs at home, Arthur said major highways need the infrastructure to help drivers cover longer distances.

Infrastructure grants

Nickel Belt MPP Marc Serré said in early November he hopes northeastern Ontario businesses can benefit from a Natural Resources Canada program that will set aside $280 million for charging infrastructure.

"I want to make sure that northern Ontario is prepared, it's proactive to access these funds and that northern Ontario gets its fair share," he said. "But we have to work together to make sure we submit some of those proposals."

Serré said he drives from Greater Sudbury to Ottawa on a regular basis, and has noticed insufficient infrastructure for electric vehicles along that section of Highway 17. 

"The more EV (electric vehicle) stations we can put in the region, the more it would give some comfort level to individuals to purchase EV vehicles," he said.