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Report
Environment Canada’s 2004 Report on Government On-Line
Environment Canada remains committed to delivering timely, accurate, and relevant
environmental information and services to a diverse range of clients and partners
through all delivery channels, including the Internet. We are pleased to provide
Canadians with this update on how Environment Canada is making effective and
innovative use of its Internet presence to reach out to Canadians and provide
them with the services they are seeking.
Environment Canada already provides a well established link to weather and
environmental information and services through our website (www.ec.gc.ca).
In the spirit of continuous improvement Environment Canada has launched an
initiative called Better Serving Canadians through the Internet Channel. As
a result of this initiative, Environment Canada will provide more integrated
and responsive environmental information and services to Canadians, tailored
in some cases to specific clients’ such as business, youth and educators
and volunteers.
Here are this year's highlights:
- Changing How We Work: We understand that only by transforming
our business processes will we increase the relevance of our services to
clients and citizens. Service is based on the premise that the better we
can "connect" Environment
Canada's science, policies, regulations, information and advice to Canadians,
the more effective Canada will be in achieving environmental results that
contribute to our high quality of life. Environment Canada is committed
to managing
and sharing knowledge creatively and encouraging innovation to better serve
Canadians
now and in the future.
- Strategic Alliances and Partnerships: The environment
crosses all boundaries and progress can only be made by government and civil
society working together. We continue to seek out new alliances and partnerships
and strengthen and build on those already in place. Our partnership with other
government departments and jurisdictions reflects our commitment to Canadians
to provide integrated environment related information services.
- Canadians Involved With Their Environment: Environment
Canada provides many ways for Canadians to learn about their environment and
to become actively engaged.
- Government On-Line: Environment Canada remains committed
to meeting the 2005 Government of Canada deadline for the Government On-Line
Initiative. We have met our commitment with our services related to Information
on Air Quality and Pollutants, Regulations and Permits and Weather. We
are also on target for reaching our 2005 target for our Government On-Line
service
related to water.
Changing How We Work
Developed as an online service, the Species at Risk Act (SARA) Public Registry
is a gateway to information and documents relating to the Act. In addition,
it provides a convenient forum for submitting comments on documents being developed
by the Government of Canada under SARA. In 2004, a number of new documents
were added to the Public Registry, which led to an increase in visits to the
website.
Currently, work is underway towards improving this service by providing clients
with the ability to apply for a SARA permit through the Public Registry. Once
the integration is complete, clients will be able to apply online for a permit
to engage in an activity affecting a listed wildlife species. This service
transformation will ensure that SARA permits are processed effectively and
efficiently, in a way which meets the needs of Canadians.
Significant work has taken place to renew the National
Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). Active consultation
with industrial and commercial companies on how to streamline their electronic
reporting on releases, disposal and recycling of pollutants continues. This
ensures that the reporting system remains client-focused and efficient.
Strategic Alliances and Partnerships
Environment Canada has a long history of developing strategic alliances and
partnerships, both within government and with others, in order to provide Canadians
with environmental information they need and want so they can make informed
decisions about their environment.
We continue to work with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) on their Science
and Technology Cluster on the Canada site which provides single window
access to government science and technology information.
Environment Canada also contributes to the Public
Safety Portal which provides information and services on public safety and security in Canada.
In partnership with Health Canada and Natural Resources Canada, Environment
Canada is leading the RésEau– Building Canadian Water Connections
Project. This demonstration project will build national access to multi-jurisdictional
government-held water information. Over the next 18 months, RésEau aims
to establish partnerships and to demonstrate the sharing, discovery, access
and use of water information over the Internet. This will provide Canadians
and water managers with a more robust picture of the state of water in Canada
as well as support the development of national indicators and decision support
tools for water information.
The Convention on Biological Diversity has established an international clearing-house
mechanism (CHM) to ensure that all governments have ready access to the information
and technologies they need for their work on biodiversity. As the official
Canadian component of the CHM, the Canadian
Biodiversity Information Network (CBIN) brings together seekers and providers
of information on biological diversity. Among the array of initiatives highlighted
on CBIN in 2004 was the new Invasive
Alien Species Strategy for Canada,
along with a number of provincial biodiversity strategies. On CBIN, one can
search, by keyword, for information on Canadian activities related to implementing
the Convention and the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. The material accessible
through CBIN comes from anyone wishing to share biodiversity-related information,
with each information provider retaining responsibility for inputting, maintaining,
and updating their information.
Canadians Involved With Their Environment
Every year, each Canadian produces, on average, five tonnes of greenhouse
gas emissions that contribute to climate change. The Government of Canada is
asking each Canadian to reduce his or her emissions by one tonne, or about
20%, by taking the One-Tonne Challenge. Visit http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/onetonne/english to
find ways to use less energy, save money, improve air quality and protect our
environment. You'll find a Calculator that helps estimate your annual greenhouse
gas emissions, a Tips Guide with ideas on how to save money and energy,
and a listing of energy-efficiency incentives and rebates from governments,
utilities and the private sector. You can also test your knowledge by playing
the KnowZone Trivia Game. Plus, find out how others are taking action to reduce
their emissions, and submit your own ideas.
The Weather On-Line Initiative provides one-window
access to weather forecasts, warnings and other environmental information tailored
to a number of audiences. Over the coming year, the focus will be on sustaining
the infrastructure to meet the growing information demand for this service
by Canadians.
EnviroZine,
Environment Canada's monthly online newsmagazine, offers Canadians reliable
and comprehensive
information on today's environmental issues. Each edition includes feature
articles, a section for youth, ideas for how to get involved and a question
and answer section. Each article contains related links to more information
on Environment Canada's Web site and other relevant Internet sites. Readers
can subscribe
to the free newsletter to receive monthly updates on the news
affecting Canada's environment.
Environment Canada now provides one window access to volunteer programs available
within the Department. Opportunities to volunteer reflect the diversity of
Canadian environmental concerns, including wildlife, weather and environmental
action. The site provides online resources to enable Canadians to join Environment
Canada’s team of “citizen volunteers”.
The National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS)
Network is a federal/provincial/territorial/regional monitoring program,
which collects
air quality data from across Canada. The Network permits NAPS partners to more
readily enter and share data on air quality with the public which translates
into Canadians accessing better information related to air quality within their
local areas. The National
Air Pollution Surveillance Network (NAPS) website
provides a mapping service for Canadians
to visually locate NAPS participating monitoring stations in their area, and
to retrieve and graph historical summary pollutant air quality data for any
participating station.
As part of our efforts to improve the access to environmental release information,
we developed the National
Pollution Release Inventory Communities Portal.
This portal provides Canadians with different data search capabilities, including
an interactive on-line mapping tool to help them find out more about pollutant
releases, disposal, recycling and pollution prevention in their community by
companies and organizations in Canada. This portal provides Canadians with
the tools to make knowledgeable decisions related to their health, environment,
and quality of life.
Government On-Line
Environment Canada remains committed to meeting its targets for the 2005
Government of Canada deadline for the Government On-Line Initiative. While
the following examples illustrate that Environment Canada has embraced the
Internet as a way of providing environmental information and services, our
work is far from over. The needs of Canadians vary and change over time, so
we too are in a state of evolution and change – the one constant being
our commitment to provide Canadians with the right services in the right way
at the right time.
The Weather On-Line Initiative provides single window access to weather forecasts,
warnings and other environmental information tailored to a number of audiences.
Usability improvements to weather radar content in late December 2003 led to
a ten-fold increase in demand for weather radar data. This translates to as
many as 4 million visits to weather radar content during peak months. The weather
website continues to grow in popularity amongst
Canadians. In comparison with 2003, an increase of about 30% in web traffic
occurred bringing our average to 400,000 visits per day with major peaks on
significant weather days. Environment Canada continues to be seen as the official
source of weather information by its clients. We are currently focusing our
efforts on improving the site’s dependability and capacity to meet the
challenges of providing real-time access to weather forecasts, warnings and
other environmental information tailored to a number of audiences.
This year, the FreshWater On-Line initiative,
which provides Canadians with one-window access to water-related information
tailored to specific
clients, saw the launch of a new product containing facts and figures on fresh
water in Canada and the world. Did you know? Freshwater Facts for Canada
and the World is
a compilation of over 150, up-to-date, interesting facts on fresh water from
reputable national
and international sources. The facts and figures are complemented by 30 colourful
and educational infographics and are geared towards a number of audiences,
including the media.
In collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Environment Canada’s
Canadian Wildlife Service, continues to present a range of information on wildlife
and wildlife conservation on the Hinterland Who's
Who Web site.
The site includes fact sheets on wildlife species and related topics, materials
for educators, and videos and sound clips of many of the featured wildlife
species. It also seeks to engage Canadians through interactive polls on environmental
issues and the ability to submit stories on users' experiences with wildlife.
In operation since October 2003, the Web site receives an average of 109,000
visits a day.
Environment Canada must respond, in many cases quickly, to a number of regulatory
requirements. The Environmental
Emergencies (E2) Initiative,
for instance, establishes a nationwide system for the on-line notification
and reporting of environmental emergency plans. This notification is required
by the Environmental Emergencies Regulations which came into effect November
18, 2003.
Canada’s information about the environment and sustainable information
on the Internet is difficult to find and access unless you understand the roles
and responsibilities each level of government plays as part of the environmental
puzzle. At present, it is very difficult to navigate and find environmental
information that is spread out across jurisdictions, and to access information
specific to sustainable development. The Better Serving Canadians through the
Internet channel within Environment Canada aims to improve how Canadians access
environmental and sustainable development information. The initiative will
take 44 months, and will include phases to create a portal to “Canadian
Environmental Information – One Window “, where environmental information
currently spread out across jurisdictions can be accessed through one place;
and then “Sustainable Development – A Canadian Portal”, where
Canadian sustainable development information can be accessed through one place.
For more information
Previous Reports:
Mail:
Inquiry Centre
70 Crémazie
Hull, Québec
K1A 0H3
Telephone/Fax:
Telephone: (819) 997-2800 or 1-800-668-6767 (Canada)
TTY: (819) 994-0736 (Teletype for hearing impaired)
Fax: (819) 994-1412
Email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca
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