An Environmental Plan for the New City of Toronto: How to Make It ...

An Environmental Plan for the New City of Toronto:
How to Make It Work
Current Issues
Final Report
April 9, 1999
By Jane Welsh
Client: Jane Weninger
Advisor: Beth Savan
Second Reader: Virginia Maclaren
Coordinator: Meric Gertler

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................3
1.1 Overview of Report (Executive Summary) ..............................................................2
1.2 Toronto context........................................................................................................4
2 CASE STUDIES: SIX ENVIRONMENTAL / SUSTAINABLE PLANS.........................9
2.1 Criteria for Review ...................................................................................................9
2.2 Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, Canada; Vision 2020: the
Sustainable Region 1991................................................................................................9
2.3 Seattle, USA: The Comprehensive Plan, Towards a Sustainable Seattle, 1994 . 16
2.4 Lancashire, UK: Lancashire’s Green Audit 2: A Sustainability Report; 1997....... 18
2.5 Environmental Agenda ,Vancouver, B.C., Canada, 1997..................................... 14
2.6 City-Region 2020, Manchester, UK 1998.............................................................. 22
2.7 Goteborg, Sweden, On our way to a better environment! Environmental Policy of
the City of Goteborg, 1996 ............................................................................................ 24
3 Frameworks for APPLYING SUSTAINAbility IN THE CITY OF TORONTO......Error!
Bookmark not defined.
4 Conclusions ................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1 Lessons Learned ................................................................................................... 27
5 Recommendations......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
6 References................................................................................................................. 35
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Executive Summary
The new Environmental Plan, an initiative of the Environmental Task Force, is an
important undertaking for the newly amalgamated City of Toronto as it will set the
context and recommend actions for environmental / sustainability planning and
governance at a pivotal time in the city's history. As the content and structure of the
Environmental Plan are being developed, it is important to identify how the Plan might
best be implemented – how it works.
This paper reviews the experiences from 6 cities around the world, chosen for the
diversity in approach, innovation and success in preparing an environmental or
sustainable plan. The case studies include Hamilton-Wentworth, Canada; Seattle, USA;
Lancashire, UK; Vancouver, Canada; Manchester, UK; and Goteborg, Sweden. They
were reviewed from the perspectives of framework/structure, process of development,
and implementation - how is the plan translated into action Who is accountable
Frameworks for Applying Sustainability in the City of Toronto, a companion paper to this
work, written by Lisa Salsberg, was assessed for implications on the implementation
aspects of the Environmental Plan.
Important criteria emerged form this review which has lessons for implementing an
Environmental Plan in Toronto: identifying a compelling Vision; establishing Community
Ownership; the need for Adoption/acceptance beyond initiating department; a document
that is Simple/easy to communicate; providing tangible evidence of progress through
Monitoring - Measurement of progress; Ensuring action through a variety of
mechanisms; Ensuring a ‘Living‘ document; and establishing a Comprehensive
framework for sustainability which the Environmental Plan is part of.
The paper concludes with the following 7 recommendations for Implementation of the
Environmental Plan:
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1 INTRODUCTION
Although Toronto has long been recognized by the international community as a leader
among local governments in environmental issues, there is still a great deal that needs
to be done to improve the local environment. The recent amalgamation of seven
municipalities into the new City Toronto presents an opportunity to address
environmental concerns in a manner that builds on strong community and corporate
initiatives to forge a common vision. This task has been taken on by Toronto's newly
formed Environmental Task Force, and the major vehicle for undertaking it is the
completion of the first Environmental Plan for the new City of Toronto, scheduled for
release in 1999. The Plan will propose a vision for an environmentally sustainable City;
set out recommendations for sustainable transportation, sustainable energy, green
economic development and education and awareness; indicators to measure progress;
and governance options for advanced environmental decision making. The Plan will be
a policy document of council, which will guide decisions of council and the corporation,
and influence other important policy initiatives such as the new Strategic Plan (which will
guide corporate actions) and the new Economic and Social Plans. It will also influence
the new Official Plan, which is a legally binding document based in legislation under the
Planning Act, which primarily controls land use decisions and guides city operations.
As the first Environmental Plan for the new City, it is extremely important that the Plan
be substantive in its content and that it be effectively implemented. The Task Force, in
partnership with the community, has put considerable effort into the first part - preparing
a well articulated vision, principles and strategies to achieve an environmentally
sustainable Toronto. As for effective implementation, lack of it has resulted in many
great and wonderful plans residing unused on dusty shelves. It is important that the
Environmental Plan have a real and lasting influence - on the community, the
corporation, and on other levels of government, and that it be well used by its
constituency.
The purpose of this paper is, then, to make recommendations leading to effective
implementation of the new Environmental Plan for the City of Toronto. The paper will,
through analysis of six examples of well known environmental and sustainable plans
from around the world, identify key criteria for successful plans and specifically look for
those conditions which address a continuous cycle of review and refinement and
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address implications for application to Toronto. At the time of writing this paper, the
Environmental Plan had not been written, although a draft is anticipated in the summer
1999. Hence the recommendations for successful implementation of the Enviroenmtnal
Plan identify elements to be included in the Plan.
1.1 Methodology
Information gathering consisted of a literature review, (of the actual plan and associated
documents) and an Internet search for relevant international cases. The six case studies
were selected based on personal knowledge and suggestions by the advisors to this
paper. Twelve personal interviews were undertaken with (see Appendix II for interview
questions) the author(s), or representative of the administration that authored, the
document, and, where possible, a politician or community representative involved in
preparation of the document. The analysis consisted of assessing each plan under preselected
criteria (framework/structure, process: plan development and implementation)
to distil the key elements of success for each case study and undertaking follow-up
interviews where necessary. Toronto issues were identified through Environmental Task
Force literature, a paper by Lisa Salsberg entitled Frameworks for Applying
Sustainability in the City of Toronto, discussion with Environmental Task Force members
and staff, and personal knowledge. Key criteria for success were generalized from the
case studies and summarized as lessons learned. The resulting recommendations were
reviewed by Environmental Task Force staff prior to finalization.
1.2 Toronto Context
Toronto is a city of 2.4 million people covering 240 square miles of land. As a new city
embarking on a brand new political and corporate structure, there is a pivotal opportunity
to establish the concept of sustainability in a systemic way into the policies, programs
and operating practices of the City. As the City wrestles with maintaining service
delivery amid massive staff cuts and structural changes, it is also embarking on
important new initiatives such as a new Strategic Plan, Official Plan, Economic Plan, and
Social Plan. The new Environmental Plan provides an opportunity to influence these
emerging initiatives and to firmly establish sustainability principles in the corporation’s
business.
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Note membership here or in introduction The Environmental Plan is being
undertaken by the Environmental Task Force
Although the former municipalities championed a number of innovative programs which
supported the city in moving towards sustainable development (such as the Healthy City
Office, the Better Buildings Partnership) and had official plans which had solid
environmental policies, none had an overarching (department cross cutting) framework
to guide environmental or sustainable decision-making and there was no environmental
accountability politically or within the corporate structure. The Environmental Plan will
provide this overarching policy framework/context, and make recommendations for a
new political and administrative governance structure to ensure environmental
accountability.
Implementation of the Environmental Plan will require a shared corporate commitment
from a number of different departments within in the City. Historically many plans,
unless based in legislation, manage to be operationalized outside of the initiating
department (Salsberg, 1998). Two exceptions are noted in this trend: Hamilton-
Wentworth, where “at least the over-arching visions of Vision 2020 is accepted across
the organization” and Goteborg, Sweden where wide-spread acceptance also seems to
have been achieved (Salsberg, 1998, pg. 39). Given the sheer size of the structure of
the new city government, which, by default, requires a degree of separation in order to
function (Salsberg, 1998), shared ownership and integrated decision making may
particularly difficult in the amalgamated City of Toronto. Special attention should be
given to ensuring cross department ownership of the visions, objectives and strategies of
the Environmental Plan to ensure effective implementation.
Sustainability Planning
In the course of its work to date, the Environmental Task Force has embraced
'sustainability' as the direction of its own work and has recommended that the
sustainability be used as the "overriding theme" for the City's Corporate Strategic Plan
and as an integrating concept for all planning activities in the City (ETF staff, 1999). The
ETF has also been successful in recommending, and having council adopt,
sustainability as a key component of the conceptual framework for the new Official Plan.
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The United Nations defines sustainability as:
“improving the quality of human life within the carrying capacity of supporting
ecosystems”.
Sustainable development is based on the concept that a healthy environment, social
equity and a healthy economy are linked. As illustrated in figure 1, the 3 independent
spheres are in reality interdependent and combine in the definition of sustainability.
Figure 1
The Evolution Towards a New
Framework for Decision-Making
Equity
Environment
Economy
Their interdependency demonstrates the need for integrative decision – making.
Decisions about environmental protection cannot be made in isolation from
decisions about the economy or nor decisions about budget in isolation from decisions
about social welfare (Salsberg, 1998). This is illustrated in figure 2.
Figure 2
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From the Task Force perspective, then, a key issue for the new Environmental Plan is
that it move the City towards sustainability, and specifically that it encouraging
integrative (cross discipline) decision-making.
Local Agenda 21
Local Agenda 21 (LA21) is a planning framework for local government to apply the
sustainable development concept (see Appendix 1 for more information). It is
essentially a multi-stakeholder action planning process which frames planning elements
(partnerships, evaluation, community-based issue analysis, action planning,
implementation and monitoring) but does not ascribe particular outcomes (Salsberg,
1998). It was developed by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
(ICLEI). Membership entails a commitment on the part of the city to the concept of
sustainability. Although in general the development of the Environmental Plan is
consistent with the LA21 framework (broad community involvement, monitoring and
partnerships), Toronto has not formally applied to become a member municipality as the
Region of Hamilton-Wentworth and the County of Lancashire have done.
Frameworks for Sustainability Planning
Four frameworks for sustainability planning were identified in the paper Frameworks for
Applying Sustainability in the City of Toronto: the Ecological Footprint; the Natural Step;
Local Agenda 21 and Healthy City. These are described in Appendix 1. One conclusion
of the paper is that the frameworks are not mutually exclusive, and using multiple
frameworks can in fact, be a strength, as demonstrated in Goteborg where Local
Agenda 21 and Healthy Cities frameworks are used simultaneously, and there “appears
to be greater involvement of the entire organization, and a greater diversity of
stakeholders … the frameworks reinforce and support each other by having overlap at
the conceptual level yet addressing different aspects of city activities in the specific”
(Salsberg, 1998, pg. 38). Manchester is also cited as an example where a multiframework
approach appears to be effective and “the Ecological Footprint is utilized as
an important index for many aspects of the plan” (Salsberg, 1998, pg. 38). Salsberg’s
report recommends a multi-framework approach:
The Ecological Footprint be used as the overarching framework for State of
Environment reporting and as a means to gauge the sustainability impact of
recommendations in all reports to Council;
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the principles of the Natural Step be introduced as the framework for an
environmental management and audit system (EMAS) for the City of Toronto; and
that Local Agenda 21 be adopted as the umbrella framework for the Environmental
Plan and the work of the Environmental Task Force work groups.
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2 CASE STUDIES: SIX ENVIRONMENTAL / SUSTAINABLE PLANS
In order to determine the criteria that would lead to successful implementation of an
environmental/sustainable plan for a city, six examples were selected for case study.
These cases were chosen based on international recognition within the planning and
environmental communities, the diversity of approaches in terms of conceptual
frameworks used and type of process undertaken, and the availability of documentation
and first hand communication.
2.1 Criteria for Review
The following criteria were used to assess each case study:
Framework / structure
What type of plan is it Who has ownership of it Is it flexible/ understandable What is
conceptual framework
Process: Plan Development
What was the motivation for undertaking the plan How was the community involved
Implementation
How has the plan been translated into action What are the political and administrative
mechanisms What real change has occurred as a result of the plan
What were the barriers to preparing /implementing this plan
2.2 Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, Canada; Vision 2020: the
Sustainable Region, 1991
The Region of Hamilton-Wentworth, with a population of approximately six million, is
comprised of six municipalities and encompasses an urban centre, almost 100,000
acres of farmland, and many natural features including the Niagara Escarpment (ICLEI,
1997). Vision 2020, adopted by Regional Council in June 1992, is an ambitious and
successful initiative to direct Hamilton-Wentworth towards a more sustainable future.
The Region has adopted a Local Agenda 21 1 framework for their Vision 20202
Sustainable Community initiative which provided the Region with an opportunity to
participate in an international program with other municipalities and a process with which
1 See Appendix I for a definition of Local Agenda 21
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to engage people in a discussion of sustainable development” (Salsberg, 1998, pg. 18).
Because of its emphasis on “process rather than a specific definition of sustainable
development, Local Agenda 21 provided the municipality’s Economic Strategy and
Official Plan exercises with an opportunity to begin to address sustainable development
in their own terms” (Salsberg, 1998, pg. 18). In 1994 Hamilton-Wentworth achieved
recognition for its Sustainable Community initiative when it was awarded the Canadian
Environmental Excellence Award, and the same year became Canada’s only Local
Agenda 21 model community.
2.2.1 Hamilton-Wentworth: Framework /structure
Vision 2020 is a strategic action plan to guide the decisions of the region. It sets out a
vision of the type of community Hamilton-Wentworth could be in 30 years, identifies the
goals, objectives and actions on how to achieve the vision, and describes indicators to
measure progress in getting there. Vision 2020 provides a tool to evaluate every activity,
project or initiative of the region – to ask: will this bring us closer to the sustainable future
stated in Vision 2020 It is a plan of Council, similar to the Strategic Plan or
Environmental Plan proposed for Toronto, which was developed by staff of the
Environment Department in partnership with the community.
The vision is well articulated, described under easily understood concepts of
sustainability: the Landscape, Our Communities, Getting Around, Quality of Life; and
Livelihood. Strategies and actions are discussed under each of the concept areas in
terms of what policy shifts are needed, goals, principles, and new directions. The plan
allows for flexibility in that the annual reporting on signposts keeps the sustainability
concept alive, and allows for feedback and changes to indicators. The Region recently
completed an Implementation Review of Vision 2020 which has resulted in revised
Strategies for a Sustainable Community (1998) completed by the Vision 2020 Progress
Team.
2.2.2 Process: Plan Development
The motivation for initiating Vision 2020 was to develop a common philosophy and
criteria across departments to guide decision making and evaluate budget proposals.
The tasks of the project were to define sustainable development for Hamilton-
Wentworth; identify a vision to guide future development based on principles of
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sustainable development; establish a public outreach program; provide ideas on how the
concept of sustainable development can be applied in practice; and to demonstrate
usefulness in terms of review of the Official Plan and Economic Strategy (Hamilton-
Wentworth, 1996). The vision, as an enduring element of the process, is an important
component of to engage the community.
Empowerment and open processes are important principles of Vision 2020 and
community involvement occurred a number of levels. The process was guided by the
Chairmen’s Task Force on Sustainable Development which was comprised of 15 citizen
members and 3 councillors. The vision itself is based on the input of 400 people and 50
community groups. In fact the citizens extended the original agenda from a vision to
guide the policy and operations of the regional government, to one that addressed the
future of the entire regional community. The community was also heavily involved n
developing indicators specific to the community, providing input through an “interactive
workbook”.
The continued commitment of the community – a team of 18 volunteers formed a
“Progress Team” to revise Vision 2020 Strategies, is key to keeping the sustainability
concept front and centre in the minds of the politicians. Political will has been influenced
by the large public turnouts (350 on a ‘snow day’ when the cover report for imlementing
Vision 2020 was discussed at Council (Ragetlie, pers.com.).
The concept continues to remain active with annual “Sustainable Community Days” and
an annual indicators report Signposts on the Trail to Vision to Vision 2020 prepared by
staff with assistance from the community. Signposts on the Trail to Vision 2020 is
primarily a public education tool and does not monitor the progress is achieving the
strategies set out in Vision 2020, it only monitors the priority community outcomes
(Ragetlie, Salsberg, 1998). The Region also gives out awards to businesses and nongovernment
organizations in recognition of their contribution to moving towards
sustainability (Ragetlie, pers. com.).
2.2.3 Hamilton-Wentworth: Implementation
Vision 2020 has been used as the basis for all regional decision-making in Hamilton-
Wentworth since its adoption by Council. In December 1998, Council renewed its
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commitment to “follow the principles and work toward the sustainable community set out
in Vision 2020 and to request the community partners and the Area Municipalities to
endorse the revised Strategies for a Sustainable Community “ (Hamilton-Wentworth,
1998).
Vision 2020 has had direct impact on the legislative and guiding policies of the region.
Two-thirds of the strategies found their way into the Official plan and a new
Transportation Plan and Economic Strategy have been prepared based in sustainable
strategies. It has also impacted the way decisions are made in Hamilton-Wentworth. All
reports to Council must address how the proposal will impact the social, economic and
environmental well being of the community. A Sustainable Community Decision-Making
Guide has been prepared to assist departments in making decisions on all new and
existing policies, programs and projects (Region of Hamilton-Wentworth, 1996). The
Region also requires that submissions for grants address how the project will achieve
the goals and objectives of Vision 2020 . The idea of performance contracts referencing
the goals and objectives of Vision 2020 has been discussed but not implemented
(Ragetlie, pers. com.).
Other initiatives attributable to the actions identified in Vision 2020 include conversion to
transit buses powered by natural gas, a newly completed bicycle network, doubling the
number of Environmentally Sensitive Areas, reducing the amount of urban sprawl, and
firming up the urban boundaries (Ragetlie, pers.com.). The biggest change, noted by
both region staff and the community representative, is the increased awareness of
sustainability (particularly environmental) issues. This perception is supported by a
survey conducted by Hamilton-Wentworth two years ago which revealed that 1 out 5
citizens were aware of the Vision 2020 project. Vision 2020 makes it clear that
implementation involves commitment of every citizen and gives examples of how each
citizen can contribute in A Citizen’s Action Guide.
What were the barriers to preparing /implementing this plan
One of the difficulties, common to most general, comprehensive planing exercises, is
how to operationalize general actions, Although the Vision 2020 initiative has been fairly
successful in raising awareness of sustainability in general and everyday actions the
individual can undertake, real success requires the active participation of all sectors of
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the community – including the small businesses and the unconverted resident and
politician (Thompson, pers. com). Getting these groups at the table early in the process
is crucial. Hamilton-Wentworth has developed some innovative approaches to raise
awareness as described earlier, and the community, with financial assistance from the
region, has launched a mobile exhibit to raise funds and awareness of what
sustainability means in Hamilton-Wentworth (Thompson, pers.com.).
Despite a real and documented move towards achieving sustainability goals, not all
decisions of Council have truly embraced sustainability. In the opinion of the community
representative, Council did not follow through on its commitment to sustainability in its
approval of the Red Hill Creek Expressway through the natural environment of the
Niagara Escarpment (Thompson, pers. com.)
2.2.4 Key elements of success
Hamilton-Wentworth’s Vision 2020 Sustainable Community initiative has succeded as it
has been able to depend on or a number of reasons; primarily Hamilton –Wentworth
Vision 2020 initiative has been successful primary reason – the successful
engagement/partnering with the community from the start has garnered considerable
support on Council.
Community ownership: many years of extensive community consultation and
established community partnerships (the Chairman’s Task Force on Sustainable
Development; Progress Team Review); annual events; report cards on progress; and
development of a vision.
Membership in Local Agenda 21 provides an international profile and opportunity to
exchange of ideas with the international community of cities addressing
sustainability.
Corporate ownership: the establishment of an interdepartmental staff working group
chaired by the Chief Administrative Officer.
Implementation mechanisms: all regional decisions, including reports to Council, are
to address sustainable community implications; Vision 2020 strategies were
incorporated into the Official Plan, Economic Plan and Transportation Plan; area
municipalities are also required to address sustainability
Review process: Vision 2020 strategies were reviewed and revised in 1996
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Political commitment is everything also allows \ supports the implementation
Becomes accepted idea and part of corporate culture
[Vision 2020 was developed in partnership with
2 nd is degree of corporate commitment , which is driven by and supported by committed
staff would not work without support of Council tools include interdepartmental working
group
Membership as a Local Agenda 21 community – as much for the international profile
membership has given Hamilton_wentworth
2.3 Environmental Agenda, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, 1997
The City of Vancouver, as a large Canadian city rich in natural resources, shares many
similar environmental concerns and issues with Toronto. The Environmental Agenda is
part of a number of Vancouver’s initiatives designed to protect and improve its natural
environment, including the 1990 Clouds of Change report, a State of Environment
Report, a new Environmental Policy adopted by City Council in 1996, and an
Environmental Trends document which reports on indicators. The City is pursuing
registration under Local Agenda 21.
2.3.1 Framework/Structure
The Environmental Agenda document is an action plan of Council (similar to the
Environmental Plan) intended to address conditions and concerns for the natural
environment discovered in the 1995 State of Environment (SOE) report. The Plan deals
mainly with environmental issues (air quality; drinking water quality; water conservation;
receiving water quality; land; solid waste management; dangerous goods and hazardous
wastes; and city hall as community). Each section outlines the grade and trend
(important in preparing the action plan) of each topic as reported in the SOE; describes
the current status; identifies existing Council policy, goals and objectives; and identifies
actions to be taken including priorities and which agnecy is responsible.
The Agenda was prepared by a multi-department group, coordinated by the Office of the
Environment. The SOE is intended to be reviewed every 3 years, with a new SOE
produced every 6 years.
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2.3.2 Process: Plan Development
Vancouver was motivated to embark on the State of Environment reporting framework
in response to concerns in the Greater Vancouver Area regarding air quality, noise,
traffic and the need to provide a common context for environmental decisions being
made independently by individual departments (Glen, pers.com.). Although the Agenda
involved no public consultation outside of a review by a Focus Group on the
Environment, it was based on consultation undertaken for various other public processes
(including City Plan, Clouds of Change, and the Urban Landscape Task Force).
2.3.3 Implementation
The Agenda has been broadly distributed, placed on the city’s web site, and
communicated to all employees. According to staff, there have been real changes
attributable to the Environmental Agenda. It has identified some relative priorities for
expenditure of public money to protect and improve the environment and provided a
cohesive framework for environmental coordination among various departments and
boards in dealing with environmental issues. It has also resulted in changes to the
Strategic Plan and Official Plan and raised requirements to address environmental
concerns in site redevelopment. Environmental impacts (along with social and financial
impacts and impacts on children and youth) are required to be addressed in reports to
council. The City is also considering using an environmental impact assessment
process, similar to the City Ottawa, to review municipal projects and development
applications (Taki, pers.com.).
What were the barriers to preparing / implementing this plan
Similar to Lancashire, one of the major difficulties to implementation was integrating the
various department silos within the corporation to establish a cohesive approach to
enacting the Environmental Agenda (Glen, pers. com.) Others barriers to preparaion of
the agenda included lack of data (specifically the costs and benefits) and lack of a
recognized framework for assigning priorities to environmental improvements.
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2.3.4 Key elements of Success
Political commitment: established community and political commitment to improving
environmental concerns that were identified in Clouds of Change report, State of
Environment report.
Corporate ownership: Agenda prepared by interdepartmental working group;
communication of Agenda to all staff.
Implementing mechanisms: Agenda influenced both the Strategic Plan and Official
Plan; requirement that environmental, social and economic impacts be addressed in
reports to council.
Review process: Agenda to be updated every three years in conjunction with update
of the SOE.
2.4 Seattle, USA: The Comprehensive Plan, Towards a Sustainable Seattle, 1994
The City of Seattle, with a population of 533,000, is a port city surrounded by
tremendous natural beauty and is the commercial and cultural centre of the US Pacific
Northwest. Although a much smaller city than Toronto, it has been proactive in
adopting a sustainability framework for its Comprehensive Plan.vc
2.4.1 Framework/Structure
This document is a plan of Council to guide development of the city for the next 20 years
(1994-2014) based on the concept of sustainability. In many ways it is similar to
Toronto’s Official Plan in that it is intended to guide decisions about proposed
ordinances, policies, and programs and to direct development of regulations which
govern land use and development. However it differs from an Official Plan in that it is
not to be used to review applications for specific development projects except when
regulations reference the Comprehensive Plan.
The plan sets out a vision and principles developed around four core community values
(community; environmental stewardship; economic opportunity and security, and social
equity) and the themes of: Toward a Sustainable Seattle, The Urban Village Strategy;
and A City for Families. The vision and principles weave through the goals and policies
under the traditional official plan themes of land use transportation, housing, capital
facilities and utilities, economic development, etc. Non–traditional themes developed
under the Seattle Framework policies include a neighbourhood planning element and a
human development element (such as community participation, diversity, vulnerable
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populations, education and employability, health, community safety, service delivery).
The conceptual underpinnings appear to be based on some of the elements of Local
Agenda 21, such as establishment of partnerships, community based issue analysis,
and action planing. The City has not formally applied to participate in the Local Agenda
21 process.
Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan makes basic policy choices and provides a flexible
framework for adapting to real conditions over time. It assumes that at best the plan is a
“well educated guess about how to accommodate people and conditions that cannot be
known in advance, flexible enough to succeed with a range of likely conditions and be
adjusted as those conditions are monitored and evaluated, while maintaining steady aim
at its goals.” (City of Seattle, 1995)
The plan communicates well with such evocative concepts as environmental
stewardship, urban villages (diverse, pedestrian-orientated, connected, with a unique
identity) and a city for families.
A native American proverb reminds us that every decision must take into account
its effect on the next seven generations” – City of Seattle, 1994.
2.4.2 Process: Plan Development
The development of new Comprehensive plan was required by state legislature; the
emphasis of developing the plan on a sustainable basis was a concept initiated by the
mayor as a response to community values and general international planning trends
(Hauger, pers.com.). The planning process focused on defining the future in terms of
the values held most closely by Seattle’s citizens, and the plan is grounded in the four
core values which emerged during the planning process. Although the community was
consulted extensively throughout development of the plan, the consultation was
generally “one-offs” and no community group emerged to stake out ownership of the
plan or sustainability actions. In 1999 the City will embark on its mandatory 5 year
review of the Comprehensive Plan.
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2.4.3 Implementation
The Comprehensive Plan guides decisions of politicians and the corporation, and reports
to council generally address how proposals or projects are consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan. A major implementation success of the Comprehensive Plan’s
sustainability goals has been the initiation of the city-wide neighbourhood planning
process (Hatcher, pers. com.). The City has ceded responsibility back to its
neighbourhoods (37 in total) and has provided $4.5 million in funding and incentives to
help develop neighbourhood plans.
A Monitoring Our Progress report, designed to assess progress toward achieving plan
goals and to assess conditions and changes in the city, is prepared every other year by
the City. It is based on a set of thirty high level indicators (such as household income,
air quality, how people get to work safely and how they feel in the city) and compliments
the community indicators developed for the region by Sustainable Seattle (a citizens
group working to improve the region’s long-term health and vitality) (Hauger, pers. com.).
The report identifies progress in terms of a number of actions the city has taken - such
as the Neighbourhood Planning incentive described above, and a pilot project utilizing
vans to supplement bus routes (LINC project).
2.4.4 Key elements of Success
Community ownership: the sustainability concept has been embraced by politicians
and the community as a result of extensive community consultation; heightened
awareness through neighbourhood planning initiatives; the bi-annual reports on
progress; and the fat that the plan communicates well containing engaging concepts
such as Urban Villages.
Implementation mechanisms: regulations implement referenced sections of the
Comprehensive Plan.
2.5 Lancashire, UK: Lancashire’s Green Audit 2: A Sustainability Report; 1997.
Although dissimilar to Toronto in many respects, as it is a mixed urban and rural
municipality comprised of numerous towns and villages with a population of 1.4 million
(ICLEI, 1997), the County of Lancashire shares many of Toronto’s urban problems
including homelessness, high consumption of energy, increased waste production and
concern for the quality of beaches and coastal waters. This document was selected for
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eview for this reason and because it has made a serious attempt to audit conditions
which address sustainable development and because, like Hamilton-Wentworth,
Lancashire has chosen to adopt Local Agenda 21 as the framework of their sustainability
planning.
2.5.1 Framework/Structure
The County of Lancashire chose to follow a different cycle than the Region of Hamilton-
Wentworth: first to undertake an audit of conditions in the county; then to develop a
strategic action plan entitled the Lancashire Environmental Action Programme ( LEAP).
County staff are currently preparing a comprehensive Local Agenda 21 Plan for
Lancashire scheduled for release in 2000.
The Green Audit 2 is a comprehensive second audit of Lancashire which goes beyond
the 1995 environmental audit to encompass the aims of sustainable development. It
takes a holistic view of the County’s environment and its relationship with social and
economic conditions. It is organized under eleven themes which address the two
elements of the United Nations definition of sustainability (see section XX) “carrying
capacity” and “quality of life”. Each theme represents a desirable goal for sustainable
development (such as “A More Diverse Natural Environment”, “Basic Needs for
Everyone Met More Locally”). A total of 39 indicators show how conditions vary across
the county, how things are changing over time and how the indicator is linked to the
condition of other indicators (which is crucial as many issues are linked and can only be
resolved by an interrelated, holistic approach to decision making) (County of Lancashire,
1998).
Although the Audit is the product of the County Council in partnership with the
Lancashire Environmental Forum there is no real community leadership or ownership of
the Audit or Local Agenda 21 process (Mullaney, pers.com.). The Audit is flexible as it
continues to be refined, and recognizes indicators will change over time. It
communicates well, having real meaning for the citizens of the County as special effort
was made to involve all sectors of the community in developing indicators through
targeted questionnaires.
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2.5.2 Process: Plan Development
The motivation for undertaking the sustainability audit was spurred by a recognition that
environmental issues need to be viewed in a holistic way and that quality of life needs to
be addressed if the environment is to be improved (Mullaney, pers.com.) Sustainability
is also supported politically at a high level - the new Labour government have introduced
legislation requiring that all local governments should promote social, environmental,
and economic well being (Mullaney, pers.com.). The UK has also developed “The
National Sustainability Indicators Project” which provides a set of sustainability
indicators that can be used by local authorities in the process of drawing up Local
Agenda 21 plans. (It should be noted that although there was national support for
indicator work, there is no national framework, policies or targets for action plans such
as LEAP) (County of Lancashire, 1999).
The community was a partner in the development of the Audit largely through
representation on the Lancashire Environmental Forum (comprised of representative
from 90 environmental groups across the county) with whom there was extensive
consultation in terms of identifying indicators and assessing progress towards
sustainable development. Input from groups not represented on the Forum (such as
youth) was sought through targeted questionnaires. However broad-based community
consultation was not undertaken.
2.5.3 Implementation
The issues raised by the Audit indicators will be addressed in revisions to the 1993
Lancashire Environmental Action Programme (LEAP). This Programme has a five year
time scale and contains goals (partnerships; global warming; reviving towns; cleaner air;
cleaner water; protecting land; reducing waste; conserving wildlife and countryside; and
raising awareness) and 200 proposals for action which will be undertaken by the
Environmental Forum organizations and the community. The next phase is to develop
the Local Agenda 21 Strategy through an appraisal of all the services performed by the
County in terms of social, economic environmental impacts (similar to an environemntal
management system but addressing sustainability) (Mullaney, pers.com.).
A number of positive environmental changes have occurred in the County of Lancashire
- however, it is difficult to know what is attributable to the sustainability audit and Local
20

Agenda 21 process and what is a result of other initiatives such as the new National
environmental policy (Mullaney, pers.com.). The Audit has influenced the "greenup" of
the Structure Plan of the County (similar to an official plan) and local plans, and the
sustainability concept is a the heart of the new corporate plan for the county. Lancashire
County Council has adopted a 'Charter for Sustainable Development’ which states:
“Lancashire County Council is committed to delivering environmental, social and
economic services to all people in the County in ways which will enhance their quality of
life whilst protecting the local and global environment. ” (www.lancashire )
As in the case of Hamilton-Wentworth, the major change has been the increased
awareness of the issue of sustainability.
Staff report that they have experienced some small measures of success in
implementing "sustainable" projects - a recent example is a project involving the
recycling and refurbishing of old computers - bringing together environmental, social and
economic successes in one small project (Mullaney, pers.com.).
What were the barriers to preparing / implementing this plan
Barriers to preparing the Audit included engaging the "wider world" in the process -
although staff noted more success with the second audit as it incorporated social and
economic aspects. Another impediment is the on-going cuts to local government
resources, with increasing pressure to show the relevance of new initiatives such as
those involving audits and actions for sustainability. Yet another barrier to
implementation has been the integration of the sustainability concept throughout the
corporate structure. This is barrier shared by many other cities and is of concern to the
recently formed, incredibly large organizational structure in Toronto. Ownership of the
plans rests largely with the Local Agenda 21 group which is housed within the Planning
Department. Efforts to break down the barriers include 'training sessions' for service
managers - approximately 200 have been trained so far (Mullaney, pers.com.). Another
barrier, shared by other jurisdictions including Toronto, is the lack of statutory backing for
the action plan.
21

2.5.4 Key elements of Success
Political acceptance; the Council Chair is also Chair of the Lancashire Environmental
Forum; and there is national support for sustainability, indicators and Local Agenda
21 plans.
Community ownership: partnership with the Lancashire Environmental Forum was
key to community involvement; efforts to involve the broader community through
focus groups and surveys were effective.
International recognition: emerging international recognition for undertaking a
‘sustainability’ audit and pursuit of membership in Local Agenda 21
Corporate ownership: training sessions for staff.
Implementation mechanisms: influence on Structure Plan; development of Charter of
Sustainability.
2.6 City-Region 2020, Manchester, UK 1998.
This plan is a research piece undertaken by the University of Manchester in association
with the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) which uses Greater
Manchester as a case study to examine the ‘practicalities of integrated planning for longterm
sustainable development in a major city-region’ (Ravetz, 1998), and in particular, a
city-region with a legacy as an industrial city. Although still in draft form (the final is
anticipated spring 1999), it was selected for review based on similarities with Toronto –
a city of 2.5 million people in a large urban area dominated by a downtown core and a
number of smaller municipalities (Greater Manchester is made up of 10 planning
districts) and its position as the largest financial and media centre in the UK outside of
London. Its visionary nature as academic exercise relatively unconfined by political and
other agendas and its design as a blueprint for application of sustainable development to
a large city in the western world were also factors in its selection. It asks the provocative
question What if – a city or city-region was to become truly ‘sustainable’ within our
lifetimes What might it look like and where would we live Would there be jobs and
economic growth Where would the money come from, and who decides How can we
define ’sustainability’ in practical terms
2.6.1 Framework/Structure
City-Region 2020 is based on a vision of a radically different (ecologically sound) built
environment for Manchester in the year 2020 (see box) It looks at the totality of current
22

trends, environmental impacts, sets out a number of targets and viable actions for
government, business and the public deemed to be achievable within a generation which
would reduce the ecological footprint, increase diversity of land use, create jobs and
stimulate community enterprise. (For example key targets include reducing CO2
emissions, clustering urban form, reducing energy demand of buildings by 30-40%,
reducing road traffic by 25%, tripling public transport; and creating 50,000 jobs in
environmental and related industries) (Smith et al, p. 23). The plan takes a systems
approach to planning, combining elements of the Healthy City, Natural Step and
Ecological Footprint frameworks (Salsberg, 1998).
City-Region 2020 Vision
- urban centres will be vibrant, diverse, green and safe
- inner cities will continuously regenerate and steer towards eco-efficency and the
unlocking of the third sector
- the suburbs will reinvent local economies and neighbourhood centres
- the urban fringe and rural areas will be a diverse and green landscape for humans and
wildlife (Ravetz, 1998)
2.6.2 Process: Plan Development
The plan was prepared as a test case of an integrative sustainable development planning
approach which has been developed by the TCPA. The community was only indirectly
involved through participation on the Sustainable City-Region Working Group.
2.6.3 Implementation
As this document is still in draft form, it is too early to tell what impact this document will
have on the Greater Manchester area. The document is intended to be used as a
resource, with the actions to be adopted at the appropriate level by the appropriate
public or community sector. The ten local authorities, as the ‘primary stewards and
guardians of the city’ (Ravetz, 1998) will operationalize (and may already be doing)
many of the short, medium and long term actions suggested. According to the author,
some recent actions can be attributed to this document, including the 'Regional Visions
Strategy' which is essentially a new framework of sustainability for, not the city region of
Greater Manchester, but the larger region (population seven million) proposed under the
recent government restructuring. It has also resulted in a sustainable action strategy for
the airport, and a series of 'Futures Workshops' with mutli-level stakeholders focusing
23

how developing/implementing long term sustainability policy for the City –Region
(Ravetz, pers.com.).
2.6.4 Key elements of Success
Vision: the vision and targets are well developed and evocative and provided
inspiration for the larger (new) region’s vision statement.
International recognition: this is a well researched document that, even in draft form,
has credibility and international recognition as a blueprint for application of
sustainable development to a city-region (Smith, Maf et al,1998).
Multi-framework approach: City-Region 2020 incorporates different conceptual
frameworks - Healthy City, Natural Step and the Ecological Footprint.
Community / corporate ownership: the local authorities participated as members on
the Sustainable Development Working Group and sponsored the project.
City–regions and the world
Greater Manchester is a world city and a thriving centre for finance, education, sport and
culture. And yet a million people live in fear of unemployment, poverty or exclusion, amidst
crumbling buildings and derelict land. As world city, it also contributes 1/700 th of the world
climate change effect. Air pollution is high, surrounding hills and rivers run with acid rain, and
the waste mountain of 12 million tonnes per year spills over. The city casts a huge ‘footprint’ on
the global ecology, and just to stand still, relies on continuous growth in ‘affluence and
effluence’.
Other cities and regions in the developed world cast a similar shadow. As they each struggle
and compete for investment and jobs, it seems more urgent than ever to generate true wealth
through sustainable development – combining economic growth, social justice and
environmental protection. (Ravetz, 1998)
2.7 Goteborg, Sweden: On our way to a better environment! Environmental
Policy of the City of Goteborg, 1996 and Towards a Healthy City: Strategies
and objectives to realize the vision of The Healthy City Goteborg, 1997.
Goteburg is the largest industrial centre in Sweden, comprised of 21 municipal districts
with a population of approximately 450,000. This City was selected for review because
of its broadly focused approach to sustainable development and its use of a number of
different frameworks (Local Agenda 21, Healthy City, the Natural Step) to promote
sustainability to a variety of audiences. The municipal government was restructured in
1994 to include a Public Health Commission (Board of Health) and an Environmental
Commission (Environmental Committee) which produced the Towards a Healthy City
24

and Environmental Policy respectively. As the documents are complementary and
equally important, both were reviewed for this report. The Environmental Policy is based
on the four principles of the Natural Step.
2.7.1 Framework/Structure
What type of plan is it Who has ownership of it Is it flexible, understandable
The 10 issues of the Environmental Policy focus on the need for cooperation between
and participation from all sectors (government, public, agencies, business) in order to
achieve a better environment, while emphasizing specific outcomes such as energy use
(City of Goteborg, 1996). The lack of specific sustainable development strategies in the
Environmental Policy is replaced by an emphasis on process and on reporting the
success in the communities which contribute to the goals of the policies (Salsberg,
1998). Towards a Healthy City identifies the vision and strategic directions towards a
healthier city. It is complemented by a Public Health Policy (1998) which is a set of
guiding principles used by city departments to translate the plan into specific actions
(Salsberg, 1998). Both documents are understandable, written in simple, engaging
language and are supported by a number of Local Agenda 21 programs for schools and
neighbourhood remediation (Healthy Cities Project, 1997b).
2.7.2 Process: Plan Development
What was the motivation for undertaking the plan How was the community involved
With the restructuring of the municipal government to include a Public Health
Commission and Environmental Commission in 1994, it became possible to address
health and environmental issues at a city scale (City of Goteborg 1997). Considerable
effort was made to involve the community through surveys, focus groups (over 250
active stakeholders were consulted) and public outreach projects at the neighbourhood
scale 'to bring the fine words spoken at Rio down to the local level' (City of Goteborg,
1997).
2.7.3 Implementation
How has the plan been translated into action What are the political and administrative
mechanisms What real change has occurred as a result of the plan What were the
barriers to preparing / implementing this plan
25

The Environmental Policy is to apply to all city committees, administrative units,
companies and employees. It is intended that environmental consideration should be a
natural part of daily operations in all areas; everyone within the municipality of Goteborg
should participate in environment support efforts. Implementation of both the
environment and health policies is to occur through the action plans of each of the 21
local planning districts (Hallbert, pers.com.). Implementation is also to be achieved
through application of an environmental management system (EMS) to the activities of
the city its committees, boards and local districts (City of Goteborg 1996b).
As a result of these two documents, there has been real change in the focus and
awareness of environmental and sustainability issues on the part of the community,
politicians and staff, although changing the attitude of staff has been the most
challenging (Hallbert, pers.com.).
‘The outdoor environment is our most resource intensive sphere of
operations…..The commitment of the people of Goteborg is impressive. It is
also essential if we are to achieve anything. It is not possible to create an
environmentally-orientated society through legislation. In the long run, the
way people live is the decisive factor, no matter which way the wind blows.’
(Environmental Protection Office, Goteborg),
2.7.4 Key elements of Success
Community ownership: easy to read, engaging simple language; involvement of
community at grassroots level with many individual programs for community
development in schools and neighbourhoods.
The palette of different sustainability frameworks work together to provide depth
broaden the focus.
Corporate ownership: strategies apply as much to corporate practice as to policies
governing community; both documents make an effort to apply to employees, as in
the commitment to apply an environmental management system to the City’s
operations.
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3 LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS
All six of the plans reviewed seek to achieve the same goal in terms of improved
environmental quality and all (with the exception of Vancouver) explicitly seek to achieve
sustainability. They differ in their basic approach to elicit change: Hamilton-Wentworth,
Manchester, and Seattle) identified a vision and then set out a course of action, with
measurable targets; Lancashire and Vancouver undertook an audit to assess what the
conditions and stresses were, then identified strategies to remedy them. Yet they have
many elements which appear to be common criteria for their apparent successes, and
many similar experiences in barriers to implementation. These are lessons which the
Environmental Task Force can benefit from in developing the Environmental Plan for the
City of Toronto.
The primary element of successful implementation, identified in all the case studies, is
political will. Without the approval of the majority of councillors the crucial implementing
policies, strategies, programs and capital investments will not happen. Another key
element is corporate commitment, which all plans are dependent upon to be successfully
initiated, launched and implemented. A key ingredient of both [political will and
corporate ownership] is the degree of ownership of affinity the community has to the
particular plan [or underlying concept that the plan is promoting]. A vocal, supportive
community can sway uncommitted councillors and the political commitment can in turn,
advance the environmental /sustainability agenda for staff. The review of case studies
revealed a number of mechanisms for evoking [ensuring] community ownership
including community partnerships in plan development such as Lancashire’s
‘Environmental Forum’ or Hamilton-Wentworth’s ‘Task Force on Sustainable
Development’; an engaging vision; a document that is easy to understand; and annual
promotional events, awards or periodic ‘report cards’ on progress in achieving goals.
International recognition, whether through membership in Local Agenda 21 or for
exemplary work such as Manchester’s draft City-Region 2020 document is also an
important political motivator. Corporate commitment necessitates buy-in beyond the
initiating department, as the nature of the environmental sustainability requires action in
areas beyond the mandate and responsibility of just one department. This was
recognized as an issue in Lancashire, Vancouver and Hamilton-Wentworth where
remedies included inter-departmental working groups, staff ‘training’ sessions and
distribution [communication] of the document to all employees. Other fundamental
27

criteria were identification of a periodic review cycle, guidelines for sustainable decision
making and strategies for ensuring action such as regulations, Charters or clear
reference to implementation mechanisms such as capital budgets, Official Plan policies,
and programs.
3.1 Recommendations
Community Ownership
Community ownership was a key element of success for almost all the case studies
reviewed. This involved ownership by the wider community, that is, beyond the
converted environmental activists to ordinary citizens and other sectors such as the
business community. on process Part of Hamilton-Wentworth's success in moving the
sustainability agenda forward has been the broad-based community support the concept
has enjoyed, achieved through extensive consultation in preparation of Vision 2020, and
sustained public profile through many initiatives such as annual ‘sustainability days’ and
an annual report card. A simple, understandable writing style with engaging concepts,
such as Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, and a well articulated vision also emerged as
important elements in promoting community ownership.
Community consultation and partnerships
Both Hamilton-Wentworth and Lancashire engaged the community in preparation of their
respective plans through participation on working groups. Toronto has always had a high
degree of citizen participation in environmental initiatives (Salsberg, 1998, pg. 40) and
the Environmental Plan is no exception. Toronto’s Environmental Plan is a product of
the Environmental Task Force, whose membership includes councillors, representatives
from the environmental community and agencies, concerned citizens, school boards and
labour. However, the Environmental Task Force is a task force of council with an
eighteen month time line, and there is a need for a community based group to retain
ownership of the Environmental Plan and champion sustainability issues. The Task
Force’s draft report on governance options suggests exactly that with the proposal to
create either a ‘Sustainability Roundtable’ or ‘Sustainability Board’ with a membership of
councillors, the community and environmental stakeholders to provide advice to city
council on sustainability issues.
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Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan recommend the creation of a
stakeholder group (such as a sustainability roundtable) to advise Council on
sustainability issues and champion the recommendations of the Environmental
Plan.
Public profile – measuring progress, sustainability days
Hamilton-Wentworth's annual report card Signposts on the Trail to Vision 2020 and
Seattle's Monitoring Our Progress have been successful in providing tangible evidence
of progress. These are not meant to be extensive reporting documents like Lancashire’s
audit or Toronto’s (the former Metropolitan level of government) State of the
Environment report (1995), but community endorsed indicators which simply measure
progress towards a long term goal - providing inspiration and motivation for the public,
corporate staff and politicians. A similar ‘report card’ or measurement of progress would
provide continued public profile for the Environmental Plan. An identification of methods
to measure progress is intended to be a component of the Environmental Plan.
Hamilton-Wentworth, in partnership with the community, also organizes annual
‘Sustainability Days’ held concurrently with release of the report card and the
presentation of awards recognizing community sustainability efforts, to promote Vision
2020 and the concept of sustainability. Toronto has a long established program of
neighbourhood ‘Environment Days’ to promote reuse, recycling and composting. This
could relatively easily be expanded to address environmental sustainability and promote
the strategies of the Environmental Plan.
Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan identify methods to promote its
strategies to the community such as reporting on progress and holding events
such as sustainability days.
Vision
Identifying a vision can be an important process in terms of engaging the community,
and providing a common destination to strive for, as experienced by Hamilton-
Wentworth in the preparation of Vision 2020. An evocative vision, like that of the
Manchester City-Region project, can be an incredibly powerful tool to expedite thinking
and developing the long term strategies necessary for real change and movement
29

towards sustainability. As actions are refined and changed and priorities shift, a popular
vision can endure through political change and government restructuring. It is not,
however, critical to successful implementation. Lancashire, for example, can be
considered to have a successful plan, but has not articulated a ‘vision’.
The Environmental Plan does contain a vision which was developed in all day workshop
involving representatives from environmental groups, agencies, city staff and councillors
held on September 29 th ,1998. To be most effective, a vision should engage the wider
community (that is beyond the already committed stakeholders), corporate staff, and
councillors. This would require further consultation on or ‘testing’ of the vision developed
at the September workshop with a larger group of people.
Simple/easy to communicate
Effective communication requires that concepts be explained in a tangible, easy to
understand format that has meaning for the community and corporate employees, both
in terms of the overall concepts of sustainability and the small actions individuals can do
to improve the environment.
Recommendation: That consultation on the draft Environmental Plan specifically
address the appeal of the ‘vision’ to the community and to corporate staff.
International Recognition
International profile and recognition can garner considerable political and corporate
support for the Environmental Plan. The international recognition received by Hamilton-
Wentworth for its innovative work on sustainable community development and its
membership in Local Agenda 21 has assisted in its successful implementation. Local
Agenda 21 was the conceptual framework for five out of the six plans reviewed, and for
the Environmental Plan. The City of Toronto’s formal membership in Local Agenda 21
would achieve council’s commitment to sustainability, provide international exposure to
the city's programs and policies (including the Environmental Plan), provide an
opportunity to learn from other cities, and potentially provide resources to assist with
projects (Salsberg, 1998).
30

Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan recommend that the City of
Toronto pursue membership in Local Agenda 21.
Corporate Ownership
The need for 'buy-in' from across the internal structure of the municipality was identified
as a concern by both Vancouver and Lancashire. Hamilton-Wentworth and Goteborg
appear to have achieved wide-spread acceptance across the organization. Their
success in mitigating this is a result of broad-based community support and
international recognition (discussed in the preceding section) and mechanisms such as
inter-departmental working groups, staff ‘training’ sessions and communication of the
document to all employees. The ETF draft report on governance options included
proposed interdepartmental staff working groups at director and staff levels.
Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan identify strategies to encourage
corporate ownership of the vision, principles and recommendations of the Environmental
Plan such as interdepartmental working groups and broad distribution and
communication of the Environmental Plan to all staff.
A mechanism utilized by Goteborg, proposed for Lancashire and currently being
considered by the City of Toronto, to ensure application of environmental policy
throughout the corporate structure is an Environmental Management and Auditing
System (EMAS). EMAS provides a framework for staff to review and alter the impact
(direct and indirect) of their business activities on the environment within the framework
of an overall environmental mandate and objectives as set out by Council. The program
has added value as it requires annual public statements from each department on how
they have addressed environmental impacts which is subject to an internal audit and
external verification.
Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan support the application of an
Environmental Management and Auditing System (EMAS) to the corporation of the
City of Toronto.
The County of Lancashire has developed a ‘Charter of Sustainability’ which commits
council to the concept of sustainability. It is essentially an expression of principles, and
31

is not legally binding, but is an important component of corporate and political buy-in. A
‘Charter of Sustainability’ for the City of Toronto would be similar in concept to the former
City of Toronto’s ‘Declaration o the Environment”. To further achieve corporate buy-in,
the charter should also commit staff to practice sustainability.
Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan investigate preparation of a
Charter of Sustainability for the City of Toronto.
Implementing Mechanisms
Ensuring action
The case studies reviewed are generally policy or action plans of Council, with no legal
means of enforcement. The exception is Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, which is, in
part, implemented through regulation (Hauger, 1999). The Environmental Plan will be a
policy document of council, which will influence other policy documents and such as the
Strategic Plan and legally enforceable documents such as the Official Plan, but will not
itself be enforceable (Chan and Welsh, 1999). The review of case studies identified a
variety of mechanisms to ensure action through other processes. The City of Vancouver
requires that environmental impacts be addressed in reports to Council and the Region
of Hamilton-Wentworth requires that Regional decision-making address sustainable
community implications on all new and existing policies, programs and projects, and in
all staff reports to Standing Committees of Regional Council. Hamilton-Wentworth and
Lancashire are considering requiring that meeting environmental/sustainability objectives
be included in performance contracts for staff. Reports to Toronto City Council are
currently required to address financial impacts and could be expanded to address
environmental or sustainability impacts. Other legal mechanisms, such as a
sustainability by-law, to potentially enforce the recommendations of the Environmental
Plan are currently being investigated for the ETF (Chan and Welsh, 1999) and will be
reported on in the Environmental Plan.
Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan recommend preparation of a guide for
sustainable decision making to address sustainability implications (and ensure
consistency with recommendations of EP) for all new policies, programs and projects,
and staff reports to Council.
32

Recommendation: That the Environmental Plan investigate regulatory
implementation mechanisms such as a sustainability by-law(s).
Reporting cycle
Although few of these plans have been in existence long enough to adequately assess
this aspect, Hamilton-Wentworth's recent experience in reviewing their strategies and
indicators (and substantially refining them) in the document Strategies for a Sustainable
Community has ensured the continued viability of the Vision 2020 initiative. The general
approach is to require a review every 3-5 years. Given that there is a new term of
Council every 3 years, it is proposed that the Environmental Plan be reviewed at the
start of each new Council.
Recommendation: That the recommendations and strategies of the Environment
Plan be reviewed every 3 years, with each new term of council.
33

4 CONCLUSIONS
34

5 REFERENCES
1. Chan, Arnold and Welsh, Jane, Towards an Enforcement Mechanism for Enacting
the Environmental Plan: A Sustainability By-law for the new City of Toronto, Interim
report, 1999.
2. City of Seattle, The Comprehensive Plan, Towards a Sustainable Seattle, 1994.
www.ci.seattle. wa.us/planning/comptbl.htm
3. City of Vancouver Environmental Agenda, 1997 www.
4. City of Vancouver, Environmental Agenda, Policy Report Environment, April 30,
1996.
5. City of Goteborg 1996a. Goteborg and the Environment. Goteborg, Sweden.
6. City of Goteborg 1996b. On our way towards a better environment! Environmental
Policy of the City of Goteburg. Environmental Strategic Office, Goteborg, Sweden.
7. City of Goteborg 1997a. Healthy Cities Project. Department of Public Health.
Goteborg, Sweden.
8. City of Goteborg 1997b. Towards a Healthy City: Strategies and objectives to realise
the vision of The Healthy City Goteborg. Goteborg, Sweden.
9. City of Goteborg 1997c. Fiery Spirits. Environmental Strategic Office, Goteborg,
Sweden.
10. City of Goteborg. The Environmental Protection Office. Goteborg , Sweden.
11. County of Lancashire, Executive Summary of the Local Agenda 21 Initiative, 1999.
12. Environmental Task Force, Governance Options, February, 1999.
13. Environmental Task Force, Vision Workshop, December, 1999.
14. International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), for the Toronto
Transition Team, Ensuring Environmental Performance: Approaches for
Environmental Planning and Management in the New City of Toronto, November 4,
1997.
15. Lancashire County Council, Lancashire’s Green Audit 2: A Sustainability Report,
1997.
16. Ravetz, Joe, for the Sustainable City Region Working Group, Town & Country
Planning Association, City-Region 2020, Research Briefing, Version 07/01/98.
35

17. Ravetz, Joe, City-Region 2020: Integrated planing for long-term sustainable
development (Final Draft) Town & Country Planning Association & Centre for
Employment Research, Manchester Metropolitan University, 1998.
18. Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, Sustainable Community Decision-
Making Guide, May 23, 1996.
19. Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, Vision 2020: The Sustainable Region,
1991.
20. Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, Vision 2020: Strategies for a
Sustainable Community, 1998.
21. Roseland, Mark ed. New Society Publishers. Eco-City Dimensions: Healthy
Communities Healthy Planet, Gabriola Island, BC 1997.
22. Salsberg, Lisa, Frameworks for Applying Sustainability in the City of Toronto,
December, 1998.
23. Smith, Maf, Whitelegg, John and Williams, Nick. Greening the Built Environment,
Earthcsan Publications, Ltd, London, 1998.
www.lancashire
36

Personal Interviews
1. Glen, Doug, Environmental Health, City of Vancouver, B.C.; January 25, 1999.
2. Hallbert, Marianne, Healthy City Project Coordinator, Healthy Cities Project, City
Office, Goteborg; April 6, 1999.
3. Hatcher, Lee, Executive Director, ‘Sustainable Seattle’, January 25, 1999.
4. Hauger, Tom, Acting Assistant Director of Strategic Planing, City of Seattle, January
25, 1999.
5. Mullaney, Andrew, Environment Directorate, Lancashire County, January 25, 1999
6. Ormerod, Robert, Secretary to the Chair of Lancashire Environmental Forum,
January 25, 1999.
7. Pearce, William, Director, Strategic Planning, Regional Environment Department,
The Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, February 3, 1999.
8. Price, Gordon, City Councillor, Vancouver, B.C.; February 25, 1999.
9. Ravetz, Joe, Project Coordinator of the Sustainable City-Region project and
Research Fellow, Department of Planning and Landscape, University of Manchester;
February 25, 1999.
10. Ragetlie Norman, Vision 2020 Coordinator, Region of Hamilton Wentworth, January
22, 1999.
11. Redish, Anne, Vision 2020 Citizen’s Committee , February 3, 1999.
12. Taki, Richard, Environmental Health, City of Vancouver, February 23, 1999.
13. Thompson Ollie, Vision 2020 Citizen’s Committee; community advocate, former
politician, January 22, 1999
37

Appendix 1 Interview Questions
1. What was motivating factor for undertaking plan
(need/gap/ problem did it solve)
2. What is the administrative structure for implementing plan
3. How is the plan translated into action
Adopted by Council
Incorporated into other key documents (SP, OP, operational plans, performance
contracts
4. How is congruence with Plan determined when council makes decisions
(requirements to identify in key reports to council)
5. What data collection supports actions identified
6. What real change has occurred as a result of the plan
(programs in place, specific actions taken)
7. Were there are there "barriers to change" encountered in implementing actions
8. What would you change about the process
38

5.1 Appendix 1
The 1998 paper by Lisa Salsberg, Frameworks for Applying Sustainability in the City of
Toronto makes important conclusions and recommendations for frameworks for
sustainability planning which have relevance to implementation of the Environmental
Plan. The paper describes 4 frameworks - the Ecological Footprint, the Natural Step,
Local Agenda 21 and Healthy City - and reviews the applications of each in 5 case
studies taken from around the world. These frameworks are defined in Appendix 1.
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