Environment Canada's Sustainable Development Strategy 2001-2003

1.1.1: Enhance water science and understanding through new collaborative approaches with stakeholders to develop tools for integrated analysis and implementation of water quality, quantity and sustainable use issues and strategies.

EC developed the Canadian Water Quality Data Referencing Network (CWQDRN) that will provide enhanced information access by obtaining and providing web-based information on water quality monitoring activities within the provincial, territorial and federal governments. A national interactive web-based portal displaying all national (federal/provincial/territorial) water quality monitoring capacities was completed, based on metadata from the CWQDRN, and released on the GeoNet web-portal.

EC has also developed a multi-departmental strategy for a national water quality indicator program in collaboration with Statistics Canada, Health Canada and Parks Canada, including: refining the existing CCME Water Quality Index and developing new indices using physical, chemical and biological measures of water quality; designing and implementing a dedicated federal/provincial/territorial monitoring network; developing interpretive tools and environmental quality guidelines; and establishing a suite of reporting products and on-line communication products.

We are continuing to implement the 3 year Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Action Plan on Water.

This year, 5 Environmental Quality Guidelines were developed and 19 others are still under development. The protocols used to develop Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the protection of aquatic life and Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for the protection of environmental and human health are still ongoing. http://www.ec.gc.ca/ceqg-rcqe/ http://www.ccme.ca/publications/ceqg_rcqe.html

In 2004, a report entitled From Source to Tap: Guidance on the Multi-Barrier Approach to Safe Drinking Water was published in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments under the auspices of the CCME. This technical guidance document provides guidance on how to apply the concept of the multi-barrier approach to drinking water supplies from source to tap.

A Federal Freshwater Research Agenda was also developed. The six top research priorities (from the list of 18 priorities) identified by partners and stakeholders in terms of priority/urgency and willingness to participate were: Source Water Quality, Quantitative Resource Inventories, Chemical Pollutants and Nutrients Impacts of Development, Chemical Threats, Technology, Decision Tools & Monitoring.

EC has developed a two modeling tools, one to calculate ice conditions for river ice occurrence (RIVICE) and another called Water use and analysis model study to address the impacts of climate change on water in the South Saskatchewan River. The study is a collaborative effort with the University of Saskatchewan and the National Water Research Institute (NWRI).

EC has published various water surveys such as the Municipal Water Use 2001 report (and Excel database) ; the 2001 Water pricing report (and Excel database); and the Municipal Water and Wastewater Survey. Another publication that was completed this year, was on Taste and Odour in drinking water sources.

EC will continue its work in co-operation with Statistics Canada to undertake an industrial water survey and EC is contributing to MRIF (Municipal-Rural Infrastructure Fund).

1.1.2: Refine and use climate models to inform climate change scenarios and policy discussions.

Climate models have been refined through improvements to resolution, the carbon cycle, the handling of aerosols, interactions between the atmosphere and snow and between ice and snow processes. As a result, the Canadian Regional Climate Model is more integrated and comprehensive and provides better regional scale climate outputs to inform scenario and policy discussions. The improved model will be used in the 4^th assessment on climate change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Policy makers and the climate change impacts communities need climate information on a much smaller scale than the global model can provide. In 2005, Environment Canada and key partners delivered Canada-wide decade-to-century climate projections at 45 km to these communities.

In March 2005, Environment Canada renewed its partnership with the Ouranos Consortium (province of Quebec, Hydro Quebec, and several Quebec universities). Announced in 2002, Ouranos pools the expertise and disciplines of numerous researchers to advance the understanding of the issues and associated requirements for adaptation resulting from climate change in North America. The founding partners contribute staff and financial resources to support the organization and its work in helping maintain Canada at the cutting edge of regional climate science.

1.1.3: Advance science and modeling related to particulate matter for inclusion in National Air Quality Forecasting Program.

The Canadian Hemispheric and Regional Ozone and NOx System (CHRONOS) air quality model was run once a day over North America as an experimental tool and used to support air quality forecast services to Canadians. The model outputs in 2004 were ozone, Particulate Matter (PM) _2.5 and PM₁₀. Model improvements related to emissions processing were made during the fiscal year and the model was used in an international field study and comparison of models.

PM was introduced into year-round air quality forecasts in Ontario and British Columbia in 2004. Additionally, the Pacific and Yukon region applied a neural network model to the production of air quality forecasts in British Columbia for PM₁₀ and ozone.

As these are among the first Air Quality forecast programs in the world, a performance measurement system will be developed and benchmarks for accuracy established in order to be able to measure improvements in the years ahead.

1.1.4: Develop a national Research and Development approach to help address the science needs associated with high-impact weather and climate events.

Increasingly sophisticated modeling techniques are being developed that will improve the forecasting and warning of high impact weather and climate events. Specifically, a technique to provide a level of confidence in a forecast is improving Environment Canada's ability to predict these events while reducing "false alarms". At the same time this is providing information that is highly useful to risk-based decision making.

A major change to the data assimilation cycle of the Canadian Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) that significantly improves its economic value has also been implemented. The Meteorological Service of Canada is the first organization in the world to use this technique with demonstrable effects on the quality and utility of the information. The challenge going forward will be to engage stakeholders in understanding and using this new information to best advantage.

1.1.5: Develop closer collaboration between environmental science and technology performers (universities, governments, industry) through the establishment and promotion of science and technology networks, including the federal Assistant Deputy Minister Science and Technology Integration Board, the Canadian Environmental Sciences Network, and regional and issue-specific networks.

Work on this is ongoing, and much progress was made in 2004-05. The ADM Science & Technology Integration Board is working effectively to create closer collaboration between federal science and technology (S&T) performers, and EC is viewed as a leader in the Board's operations. The Board made progress on advancing S&T integration on nine issues, including such sustainable development issues as water, invasive alien species, wildlife diseases, oceans, and climate change. The Board developed A Framework for S&T Collaboration Across Science Based Departments and Agencies, a handbook containing advice and resources to make S&T collaboration easier. It held a successful one-day workshop on "Formalizing S&T Integration across Government" and provided oversight for the organisation of the 2005 Federal S&T Forum, Moving from Collaboration to Integration.

EC also worked in 2004-05 to encourage closer collaboration on environmental S&T with university, industry, and other government partners. A workshop was held to explore the challenges of and opportunities for EC partnering for S&T. A searchable database of environmental networks in Canada was created and published on a publicly-accessible website, and Smart Partners: Innovations in EC-University Research Relationships was published to promote existing innovative partnerships. The department began to develop a national strategy for environmental S&T, which is aimed at engaging users, performers and facilitators of environmental S&T in identifying policy-relevant priorities. Work continued to foster regional and thematic networks such as the Atlantic Environmental Sciences Network and the federal research network on the Ecosystem Effects of Novel Living Organisms (EENLO). An on-line EENLO community of practice was implemented and a research strategy for EENLO was developed.

1.2.1: Continue to work towards the implementation of the Canadian Information System for the Environment.

Environment Canada has been furthering the CISE vision/strategy through ongoing efforts to ensure that data providers and users work together to improve the access to and use of data. Environment Canada has been employing these principles while working with other federal departments, such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in relation to the National Land and Water Information Service (NLWIS).

1.2.2: Develop the national data sets needed to support select Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators recommended by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE).

Environment Canada, in partnership with Statistics Canada and Health Canada, is working to complete the first annual report on the Competitiveness and Environmental Sustainability Indicators. The three indicators covered by this initiative, on air quality, water quality and greenhouse gas emissions, are part of those which were recommended by the NRTEE in 2003. This initiative flows from the Budget 2004 "to develop and report better environmental indicators on clean air, clean water and greenhouse gas emissions" and represents a significant step in fulfilling the Government of Canada's pledge in the 2004 Speech from the Throne to "work with its partners to build sustainable development systematically into decision making."

1.2.3: Finalize and begin implementation of the Environment Canada Indicators and Reporting Strategy.

Environment Canada's Indicators and Reporting Strategy was completed in May 2004. Implementation of the Strategy is ongoing, including research and development of national reporting products (Competitiveness and Environmental Sustainability Indicators, Environmental Signals 2005), national synthesis of regional reporting (State of Canada's Watersheds), integration of indicators into performance reporting, a network of indicator practitioners (Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network) and indicators applications (e.g., modelling). Together, these efforts will improve the ability of all decision makers to assess the impact of future policy decisions and initiatives.

1.2.4: Develop and report on a key set of indicators of children's health and the environment in North America.

North America is on track to be the first region in the world to publish a set of indicators of children's health and the environment through the Children's Health and the Environment in North America: A First Report on Available Indicators and Measures. The goal of the report is to provide decision-makers and the public with periodic, understandable information on the status of key parameters related to children's health and the environment as a means of measuring and promoting change. The report marks an initial step toward the goal of improving reporting over time through trilateral collaboration with the United States and Mexico. The report is due to be released in the fall of 2005.

1.2.5: Develop national agri-environmental standards related to water quality, water conservation, pesticides, air quality and biodiversity.

Under the National Agri-Environmental Standards Initiative (NAESI), there are four thematic teams: air; biodiversity; pesticides; and water. Each thematic area is responsible for developing national agri-environmental standards (e.g., quantitative and qualitative measures of desired environmental performance) for air quality, biodiversity, pesticides, and water quality and conservation.

Year 2004-05 activity included scoping, research planning, research, and inventory development as well as coordination with other thematic areas and other Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) programs.

EC used the scoping year (2004-05) to identify and assess possible options for suitable national standards in agricultural settings for priority parameters. For example, critical evaluations of existing national and international benchmarks of environmental quality and legislation relating to agriculture were performed.

EC has also begun work on meeting our commitments to AAFC by developing tools and techniques to develop and deliver these performance standards. As a preliminary step, databases containing the necessary information to develop national standards were compiled and methodologies for the development of Achievable and Ideal Performance Standards (APS and IPS) were also developed and evaluated.

1.2.6: Improve coordination of strategies and systems for observations of the Earth, with a view to moving toward a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth observation information system or systems.

The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) initiative began in August 2003 in response to concerns expressed during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, August-September 2002) and the G8 Summit (Évian, France, June 2003) on the need to better observe and manage the planet. The GEO's objective is to "move toward development of a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth observation system(s)" within the next ten years. The first step, approximately eighteen months in duration, consists of producing a plan of action for arriving at this objective.

The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) provided leadership to coordinate Canadian participation in the various GEO meetings and, led by EC, hosted the 5^th GEO meeting held in Ottawa in November 2004. Canada's participation on the international secretariat and various international technical groups was also coordinated by the MSC. The Service co-chaired the Data Utilization Technical Group and Canada was represented on all five Technical Groups. The MSC's contribution and that of other federal departments assisted in the development of the 10-year implementation plan that was presented at the Second Earth Observation Summit (EOS II) and which is the road map for the implementation of GEOSS.

1.3.1:Develop a Canada-wide health-risk based Air Quality Index that will be disseminated within a daily air quality forecasting program across the country, in partnership with the medical community, non-governmental organizations and provinces/territories.

EC and Health Canada continued to lead the multilateral Air Quality Index development process. The Index formulation was established for testing by the provinces in 2005. Once this testing is complete, it is anticipated that the AQI will become a part of Air Quality forecasts across the country in 2007. An Air Quality and Health Workshop and public opinion research has led to recommendation and acceptance of a set of health protection and environmental improvement messages for use with the index in real time reports and air quality forecasts.

1.3.2: Improve flood-related forecasting and provide provincial stakeholders with the water quantity science information required to better warn Canadians of floods.

Provincial agencies have jurisdiction over water and flood-related forecasting. However, the MSC can and does offer much in the way of support and expertise. During the reporting period, an MSC representative and research lead was dedicated to interaction with the Canadian and international community, supervising an ongoing R&D program for a coupled atmosphere-hydrology system based on the MSC Global Environmental Model (GEM) to predict meteorological and hydrological conditions at required time-space scales for provincial, municipal and other agencies responsible for flood warnings, protection of ground-water resources and management of water resources (including hydro power industries).

1.3.3: Improve Canadian's accessibility to, and understanding of, high impact weather warnings.

Accessibility to high impact weather warnings has been improved through the introduction of a new telecommunication format and standardized region names; these improvements ensure accurate and timely broadcast of warnings on the Environment Canada weather website and by the department's partners. Service to the media has also been improved through the introduction of a more robust media website and improvements to that site, including new capacity and management tools. New support to the department's Warning Preparedness Meteorologist (WPM) Program has been implemented through the establishment of a media services National Service Office in Rimouski, Quebec. The WPM program continues to be developed nationally with regional media workshops being held across the country.