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January 18, 2011  

THINK LIKE A MOVEMENT
 


We Conserve: Ontario is organizing and taking action for a greener future.  
   Individually, we are learning to live lightly.  

   In our communities, we are organizing for community action.  

   Provincially, we have a voluntary transition strategy to promote common solutions.
Join us.  Support Us.  Above all, get involved in shaping a sustainable future!
 

  

 
Transport Futures
Simcoe Area Growth Plan
New MOE Website  
CCO Annual Meeting
 
 

Transport Futures,
February 3, 2011 in Toronto

For the last few years, the CCO has provided support to Transport Futures, the only organization facilitating an on-going dialogue on a range of challenging TDM measures and infrastructure funding mechanisms (road pricing, parking, transit fares and fuel taxes).  We thought you would be interested in attending their upcoming Mobility Pricing Conference on February 3rd.  CCO members and We Conserve subscribers receive a special 15% discount. Simply add Coupon Code “CCT2” when completing your contact information.  

Visit http://www.transportfutures.ca/mobility for full program details.
 

  
  Deadline approaching for Comments on Growth Plan

Proposed Amendment 1 (2010) to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2006: An amendment and implementation tools for the Simcoe Sub-Area 
EBR Registry Number:   011-1528    Ministry website: Places to Grow Secretariat

The Proposed Amendment focuses on four key areas for ensuring sustainable long-term growth in the Simcoe Sub-area by:

  • Identifying urban nodes that are the focus for growth and intensification to help curb sprawl;
  • Providing population and employment growth forecasts for all communities in the Simcoe area to ensure that growth is focused where it can best be accommodated;
  • Requiring that communities assess the land they need to meet their forecasted growth by 2031, and manage the supply of land available for development; and
  • Identifying focused, strategic industrial employment areas along Highway 400 to support job creation, manufacturing and industrial activities and economic employment districts that can support local employment.

Response to the amendment has been mixed.  On the positive side, the amendment seeks to deal with the reality of development pressures in the Simcoe area, and it recognizes the importance of the 400 highway for locating industrial development.  On the negative, it seems to allow leapfrogging of the Greenbelt and doesn't place enough controls or incentives to promote compact and complete community design.

Earthroots, STORM, and the Council of Canadians have prepared a primer on the Simcoe growth Plan, which we have made available on the Ontario Smart Growth Network (OSGN) website.  You may also want to follow the discussion on the OSGN listserve, or sign up to contribute.
 

  
  New Ministry of Environment Website

Not usually newsworthy, but the Ministry of Environment has updated its website.  There's a really cute guy on the main page at the moment, helping return the one billionth container through the Bag it Back program.  That's him, in the middle.

The Ministry has re-organized its site to provide better access to information about issues, Ministry programs and community activities.  They've created a new indexing feature that organizes the subject matter within the website. They've also organized sections around the key Ministry priorities, Protecting our Air, Conserving our Water, Diverting our Waste, Reducing Toxic Substances, and Acting on Climate Change.

I took a quick cruise through the website to see how easy it was to find information of interest to me:

  1. Ministry Strategic Planning - Is there a clear vision and strategy for the Ministry?  You have to dig to find anything.  I found links to the Results-based Plan Briefing Book for 2011 and a 2007 Environmental Primer for the People of Ontario on the Ministry publications page.  The ministry website is structured around the key themes of the results-based plan, so it should be an easy step to give the ministry vision and strategy more prominence on the website.
     
  2. Statement of Environmental Values (SEV) and Environmental Bill of Rights EBR - The Ministry's SEV is not evident on the website, nor is there an EBR section.
     
  3. Community Funding - There is a  funding and incentives section under Resources, with links to three programs, Environmental Cleanup Fund (no results found), Ontario's Environmental Leaders, and the Pollution Prevention Pledge Program. Thie first uses environmental fines to fund community restoration projects, and the other two are recognition programs for voluntary leadership. There is no link to the Community Go Green Fund, which is wrapping up. All in all, it clearly shows that the Ministry does not have an effective community engagement and support program in place.

Bottom line, a well-designed website with a few gaps that helps to draw attention to the need for better strategic planning and leadership in support of our common environmental goals.

 

  
  CCO Annual Meeting

Last reminder about the Conservation Council of Ontario Annual Meeting, Thursday January 20,
10 a.m. to Noon:

  •     meeting details here
  •     E-voting on memberships and directors for CCO members here. 

 

  

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