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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO 02-09 REPORT TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Report Number: CAO 02-09 Date: February 9, 2009 II' 0 1 From: Thomas Melymuk (Acting) Chief Administrative Officer Subject: Sustainable Pickering 2008 Update and 2009 Work Program File: D-1000-003 Recommendation: 1. That Council receive report CAO 02-09 providing an update on the 2008 Sustainable Pickering initiative and 2009 work program. 2. That Council authorize staff and the Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee to continue to work on the City's Sustainable Pickering initiative with the continued assistance in 2009 of Durham Sustain Ability as outlined in this Report. 3. That Council agree to the City's participation in "Earth Hour" on March 28, 2009 and authorize staff and the Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee to take the appropriate actions to engage residents, business and institutions to also participate in this event. Executive Summary: This report provides an update on the work undertaken in 2008 on the City's Sustainable Pickering program and outlines the 2009 work plan for this initiative. It also requests Council's approval to continue to use the consulting services of Durham Sustain Ability (DSA) to assist in delivering the Sustainable Pickering program in 2009. Financial Implications: The approved 2008 budget included a consultant allocation of up to $50,000 for the City's Sustainable Pickering program. Of this amount, approximately $5,000 was not spent because of cost efficiencies and work program refinements. This money has been transferred to the City's Continuing Studies Reserve for use in the Sustainable Pickering program in 2009. Total funding required for the 2009 Sustainable Pickering program is projected at this time to be approximately $75,000. Of this total, $5,000 would come from the Continuing Studies Reserve fund and $20,000 is anticipated to be raised through a Sustainable Pickering sponsorship program. The remaining funds ($50,000) will be included in the 2009 budget for Council's consideration. Report CAO 02-09 February 9, 2009 Page 2 Subject: Sustainable Pickering Update and Work Program 02 This total requested funding for consultants is the same as what has been approved by Council in previous years. Sustainability Implications: Sustainable Pickering is the overall corporate program that coordinates, leads and measures the City's sustainability journey. The program involves and affects all municipal departments and engages numerous outside groups, organizations and individuals. Because of this program, the City has gained a solid reputation as a municipal leader in sustainability both in Ontario and across Canada. Tangible progress was made in 2008 in our Sustainable Pickering journey. As outlined in this report, further progress and advancement will be made in 2009 as the City continues moving forward on a number of fronts, including the launch of our Sustainable Pickering Challenge, the development of a new Sustainable Pickering website, the implementation of our Measuring Sustainability project, and the unveiling of a new initiative called Sustainable Placemaking. Background: The City's Sustainable Pickering journey had its origins in a Council resolution that was passed three years ago establishing a "Benchmarking Committee" to develop standards for sustainability for all new development in Pickering. The work of that Committee lead to the launch in 2007 of a comprehensive city-wide program known as "Sustainable Pickering." Since its inception, Sustainable Pickering has evolved to become an important focus for the City. A Sustainable Pickering framework has been developed based on five broad objectives: healthy environment, healthy society, healthy economy, responsible development and responsible consumption. Since launching the program, significant progress has been made on the City's Sustainable Pickering journey. . milestones 1, 2 and 3 of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program were completed; . Sustainable Neighbourhood Development Guidelines were drafted to provide a means of measuring sustainability in all new development in Pickering; . a draft Scorecard for Neighbourhood Sustainability was prepared as a tool for measuring sustainability in existing neighbourhoods of the City; . the first municipal "Office of Sustainability" in Ontario was created; . three Sustainable Pickering Days have been held; . a number of town hall meetings have been held to update the community on the City's Sustainable Pickering program and obtain comments and suggestions on the program; . after an extended consultation process, a final list of "sustainability indicators" has been drafted for testing and implementation in 2009 (see Attachment No 1); Report CAO 02-09 February 9, 2009 , Subject: Sustainable Pickering Update and Work Program Page 3 I. t 07 -:.) . e-bulletins have been issued to staff on a monthly basis providing updates, tips and information on sustainability; . a number of presentations have been given by staff on the City's Sustainable Pickering program including: o the Federation of Canadian Municipalities 2008 Sustainable Communities Conference in Ottawa o the 2008 Peel Energy Matters Summit in Mississauga o the Canadian Institute of Planners 2008 National Conference in Winnipeg o the Association of Municipalities of Ontario's 2008 Annual Conference In Ottawa o the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition's 2008 National Business and Policy Forum in Toronto The City's Sustainable Pickering program has received provincial and national recognition. In 2008, the City was awarded the prestigious FCM-CH2M HILL Sustainable Community award in Planning from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Also in 2008 the program was included as a special case study in AMO's on-line resource entitled: "A Sustainability Planning Toolkit for Municipalities in Ontario." 2009 Sustainable Pickering Work Plan The proposed 2009 work plan has been designed to take the City to the next level on our Sustainable Pickering journey and enhance the City's position as a recognized leader in municipal sustainability. With the continued assistance of Durham Sustain Ability, work will focus on the following important initiatives in 2009: 1. A Sustainable Pickering Challenge which will be launched in the first half of 2009. The Challenge is an ambitious, multi-year program that will challenge and engage residents, businesses, community groups, schools, builders/developers and staff in sustainable programs, practices and actions. 2. An enhanced and updated Sustainable Pickering website. The new website will use leading edge collaboration technologies to support community engagement. There will be more interactive components than the current site, and it will also be W3C compliant, designed as a fully accessible platform for the Sustainable Pickering Challenge. 3. The development and use of the principles of Sustainable Placemaking as a basis for the Sustainable Pickering program and a foundation for the transformation of the City from a suburban community to a sustainable City. 4. The preparation of Pickering's first Sustainability Progress Report to show the City's progress with respect to our key indicators of sustainability. This work will be undertaken in part with the assistance of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. A start on developing sustainability targets will also be made in 2009. Report CAO 02-09 February 9, 2009 Subject: Sustainable Pickering Update and Work Program Page 4 u-zl 5. A second round of staff orientation sessions, to provide an update on the Sustainable Pickering journey and introduce staff across the organization to the concepts and principles of Sustainable Placemaking, and monthly orientation sessions for new staff on the City's Sustainable Pickering program. 6. Participation in and community promotion of Earth Hour 2009, which will be held on Saturday, March 28. 7. The development of a new format Sustainable Pickering Day/Event. 8. Continued promotion and expansion of our Sustainable Pickering sponsorship program. 9. Ongoing marketing and promotion of the Sustainable Pickering Challenge. 10. Review and report on website traffic analytics for the Challenge. Conclusion The City has made excellent progress with its Sustainable Pickering journey over the last three years. A strong foundation has been built, community awareness, understanding and capacity are increasing, and provincial and national recognition has been achieved. The 2009 Sustainable Pickering work plan will learn from and build on our past successes, and strengthen the City's position as one of the countries leading municipalities in sustainability. Attachments: 1. City of Pickering 2008 Key Indicators of Sustainability Approved/Endorsed By: Lynn W nterstein Manager, Marketing & Business Development --,--- LW:lr Report CAO 02-09 February 9, 2009 Subject: Sustainable Pickering Update and Work Program Page 5 Ii I 05 '- Copy: Chief Administrative Officer Recommended for the consideration of Pickering C,ity Council ~C_ (~-~~S) (Ao omas J, Q nn, RDMR, CMM III Chief Administrative Officer .~r Attachment No.1 Report Number: CAO 02-09 06 ONE: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT . Overall health of Frenchmen's BaylDuffins CreeklAltona Forest . Air quality index status . Water quality status of primary surface water systems in Pickering (via TRCA) . Number of trees added under City's Urban Forest Strategy program . Tree cover in Pickering as percentage of overall area . Aggregate biodiversity index status (biodiversity re land/water, flora/fauna, via TRCA) TWO: HEALTHY ECONOMY . Percentage of population employed locally, or in a home-based business . Jobs to population ratio (i.e., jobs per capita) . Percentage of employees in EN3 businesses (energy/environment/engineering) . Inventory of local job postings . Number of EcoBusinesses (via external certification) THREE: HEALTHY SOCIETY . Average household income, percentage spent on housing costs . Core crime statistics for Pickering and the Region . Community health and safety index (via UOIT) . Community challenge index status (via annual polling/survey program) . Healthcare index status (via selected hospital statistics) . Community perception of crime/safety (via polling/survey program) . Community perception of sustainability (via polling/survey program) . Number of kilometres of walking/cycling paths per capita FOUR: RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT . New residential units & non-residential floor area certified under recognized green building program (LEED, Green Globes, EnergyStar) . Percentage of residents commuting by transit, bicycle, walking . Average commuting distance per capita . Percentage of residents working outside Pickering . Percentage of buildings that provide live-work opportunity . Number of neighbourhoods that have achieved more than a 50% rating under the City's Sustainable Neighbourhood Scorecard . Number of hectares being utilized for agricultural/related production FIVE: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION . Greenhouse gas emissions per capita for corporate operations, for City at large . Volume of water consumed per household . Volume of wastewater discharged to sewers per household . Total amount of solid waste sent to disposal: residential, non-residential . Percentage of household budget spent on locally grown foods . Total economic value of local agricultural products & services