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State
of the Debate Series
Securing Canada's Natural Capital: A Vision for Nature Conservation
in the 21st Century
Parks
and protected areas are reservoirs of natural capital, including environmental
services like clean water and pollination, and environmental goods such as lumber
and DNA. They
are the basic building blocks of conservation, but by themselves are not enough.
Conservation
efforts in Canada are not keeping pace with the mounting pressures on both the
land and marine ecosystems. The Round Table has developed a set of recommendations
aimed at furthering conservation on our working landscapes where agricultural,
logging and mining industries operate.
(More
information...)
Environmental Quality in Canadian Cities:
The Federal
Role This
State of the Debate report addresses the emerging importance of cities, as well
as their increasing environmental challenges. It
is the culmination of the work of the National Round Table on the Environment
and the Economy’s Urban Sustainability Program. The program was launched
in December 2001 primarily to identify federal fiscal policies to improve the
quality of Canada’s urban environments.
(More
information...)
Environment
and Sustainable Development Indicators for Canada Canada’s
decision-makers have no way of measuring whether our country can maintain its
current level of economic activity and prosperity into the future. We must take
better account of those assets necessary to sustain a dynamic economy, a healthy
society, and a vibrant environment for future generations of Canadians. In the
2000 budget, the Federal Government asked the NRTEE “…develop a set
of indicators to measure environmental performance in conjunction with economic
performance.” The
National Round Table has developed six proposed new formal economic measures –
or indicators. These indicators will augment familiar economic data – such
as gross domestic product (GDP) and the consumer price index (CPI). Working in
close collaboration with Statistics Canada, the indicators are realistic and usable. Five
of the recommended indicators measure Canada’s natural capital – measuring
trends in forest cover, freshwater quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions,
and the extent of wetlands. The sixth indicator measures educational attainment. Canadians
need to know if we are living well today at the expense of our children and grandchildren.
Moving forward on the report’s recommendations will provide a more robust
picture of Canada’s wealth and will help the Federal Government track all
of Canada’s key assets when making economic decisions.
(More
information...)
Aboriginal
Communities and Non-renewable Resource Development
(2001)
In 1998, the NRTEE launched a program to explore the relationship between Aboriginal
communities and non-renewable resource development from the perspective of sustainability.
What has emerged is one of the most comprehensive studies conducted over the past
ten years in Canada's North of Aboriginal communities and non-renewable resource
development. Using extensive research and multistakeholder input, the report presents
15 recommendations aimed at building sustainable Aboriginal communities in Canada's
North over the next 10 - 25 years.
The National Round Table expects that the
findings and recommendations will resonate in all three northern territories,
and elsewhere in Canada where opportunities exist to promote the economic, social,
cultural and environmental sustainability of Aboriginal communities through the
prudent use of non-renewable resources.
(download
PDF version)
(order
this report)
Managing
Potentially Toxic Substances in Canada (2001)
Canadians are increasingly
concerned about the health impacts of chemical substances in the environment.
Yet they still want the economic benefits of new chemicals, materials and medicines.
In 1998, the NRTEE began a multistakeholder process to investigate how government
assesses chemical substances and how it makes decisions about their use.
This
Report documents the results of that work, presenting 11 recommendations aimed
at improving the decision-making processes designed to protect Canadians from
health impacts that could result from contact with dangerous chemicals in air,
water, soil and food.
(download
PDF version)
(order
this report)
Greening
Canada's Brownfield Sites
Across Canada, thousands of contaminated sites lie abandoned or underutilized,
the result of a century of industrialization. Many of these sites have not been
identified because of insufficient information on the environmental condition
of land. Although many of these sites are capable of being cleaned up economically
and brought into productive use, the rate of clean-up is slow. The goal of the
National Round Table was twofold: 1) to examine barriers to brownfield redevelopment
and find solutions to overcome them, and 2) to examine the state of information
on the environmental condition of land and make recommendations for improvement.
Five multistakeholder meetings were held across the country which produced clear
indications of barriers and solutions. Their paramount consideration was protecting
human health. Beyond that, the challenge was to create an investment climate that
encourages entrepreneurs to find productive and profitable uses for these sites
with the cooperation of all levels of government.
(download
PDF version)
(order
this report)
The
Road to Sustainable Transportation in Canada
Transportation in Canada is on an unsustainable path. The transport sector contributes
about 30 percent of greenhouse gases from human activity. As the second-highest
per capita energy consuming nation on Earth, Canada is particularly vulnerable
to the possible economic impacts of international agreements to reduce fossil
energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This report is the product of
research and consultation among key stakeholders, including federal, provincial
and municipal government representatives, energy producers, carriers and shippers,
users and suppliers, labour union members and members of transportation- and environment-related
non-governmental organizations. In addition to exploring areas of general agreement
and disagreement on the subject, the report puts forward a series of recommendations
aimed at achieving long-term sustainability in Canada's transport sector.
(download PDF version)
(order this report)
Private
Woodlot Management in the Maritimes
Private woodlots in Canada's Maritime Provinces face serious management problems.
Stakeholders agree unsustainable management will have negative economic, social
and environmental impacts. The report, calling for action by both the public and
private sectors, outlines recommendations for provincial and federal tax reforms
to encourage sustainable woodlot management practices, the establishment of an
industry/woodlot-owner trust fund, mandatory licensing and training programs,
the development of codes of practice and cooperative ventures among stakeholder
groups.
(download PDF
version)
(order this
report)
Water
and Wastewater Services in Canada
Faced with a shortage of public funding and a deterioration of our water infrastructure,
communities across Canada are grappling with the challenge of helping to preserve
the environment while maintaining or expanding our water and wastewater system.
This report is the result of NRTEE round table debates and discussions linking
stakeholders in the public and private sectors. It identifies areas of major national
consensus and divergence and examines alternative modes of financing and delivering
water and wastewater services through public-private partnerships.
(download
PDF version)
(order
this report)
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