Glossary of Selected Terms - Appendix A

Accelerated capital cost allowance
A capital cost allowance (CCA) is a tax deduction for business-related capital property that provides for the depreciation of these assets. Businesses can deduct up to a fixed percentage of the depreciated cost each year. There are approximately 40 CCA classes described in the regulations to the Income Tax Act. The CCA rate applicable to each class is usually intended to reflect the economic life of the assets of that class. Where the CCA rate is clearly in excess of that required to reflect the economic useful life, it can be considered to be an accelerated capital cost allowance. (Department of Finance Canada, Glossary, www.fin.gc.ca/gloss/gloss-e.html).

Brownfield
An abandoned, vacant, derelict or underutilized commercial or industrial property where past actions have resulted in actual or perceived contamination and where there is an active potential for redevelopment. (NRTEE, Cleaning up the Past, Building the Future: A National Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy).

Building density
The ratio of building floor area to lot area (higher numbers indicate higher densities).

Calgary–Edmonton corridor
Encompasses some 100 municipalities along the stretch of land between Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, although 72% of its population is concentrated in the two cities. (adapted from Statistics Canada, 2001 Census).

CO₂ equivalent
The amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) that would cause the same effect as a given amount or mixture of other greenhouse gases. (Greening Government, Glossary, www.greeninggovernment.gc.ca).

Community energy system
The collective management of energy needs within the community through a network approach.

Extended Golden Horseshoe
The built-up area surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario. With Toronto at its centre, the extended Golden Horseshoe includes Barrie, Oshawa, Kitchener, Hamilton and the Niagara region. (adapted from Statistics Canada, 2001 Census).

Fiscal policy
Establishes the level and composition of government revenues and spending, and surpluses or deficits such as those incorporated into the fiscal plans presented in the annual budgets of both federal and provincial governments. Changes in fiscal policy can have impacts on the growth of the economy. (Department of Finance Canada, Glossary, www.fin.gc.ca/gloss/gloss-e.html).

Geothermal
Relating to or produced by the internal heat of the earth. (Oxford University Press, Concise Oxford Dictionary).

Greenfield
An undeveloped, unserviced property at the urban fringe.

Greenhouse gases
Include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These gases together absorb the earth’s radiation and warm the atmosphere. Some GHGs occur naturally but are also produced by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. When GHGs build up in the atmosphere, they have an impact on climate and weather patterns. They are usually measured in CO₂ equivalents. The United Nations says the GHGs mostly responsible for causing climate change are CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O. (NRTEE, National Forum on Climate Change Glossary, www.nrtee-trnee.ca/eng/programs/ ArchivedPrograms/Climate_change/
climatechange_glossary_e.htm).

Kyoto Protocol
The international agreement emerging from the third meeting of the countries that have signed the Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in December 1997. Under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Canada agreed to cut greenhouse gases to 6% below 1990 levels, to be reached between 2008 and 2012. (adapted from NRTEE, National Forum on Climate Change Glossary, www.nrtee-trnee.ca/eng/
programs/ArchivedPrograms/Climate_change/
climatechange_glossary_e.htm).

Legal accessory unit
A self-contained apartment unit, usually created within a single-, semi-detached or townhouse, that conforms to all building code, zoning and other legal requirements.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
A group of gases released by fossil fuel combustion, forest fires, lightning and decaying vegetation. (Greening Government, Glossary, www.greeninggovernment.gc.ca).

Passenger-kilometre
The transport of one passenger over a distance of one kilometre. (Office of Energy Efficiency, Energy Use Glossary, http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/neud/dpa/data_e/glossary_e.cfm).

Permeable area
An area with a surface that absorbs water, such as grass or gravel (as opposed to asphalt, roofs or concrete).

Primary energy use
Represents the total requirements for all uses of energy, including energy used by the final consumer, non-energy uses, intermediate uses of energy, energy in transforming one energy form to another (e.g., coal to electricity), and energy used by suppliers in providing energy to the market (e.g., pipeline fuel). (Office of Energy Efficiency, Energy Use Glossary, http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/neud/dpa/data_e/glossary_e.cfm).

R-2000 home
Homes are homes built to the R-2000 standard. The standard demands a high level of energy efficiency, approximately 40% above building code requirements. It is based on an energy consumption target for each house and a series of technical requirements for ventilation, air-tightness (to ensure less drafts), insulation, choice of materials, water use and other factors. (adapted from the Office of Energy Efficiency, R-2000 web site http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/r-2000/english/about.cfm).

Sprawl
Characterized by low-density greenfields development; the separation of residential, work and shopping areas; lack of well-defined centres; and a road network consisting of very large blocks with limited points of entry into the blocks.

Sustainable development
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future).

Transportation demand management
A general term for strategies that result in more efficient use of transportation resources. There are many different Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies, with a variety of impacts. Some improve the transportation options available to consumers, while others provide an incentive to choose more efficient travel patterns. Some reduce the need for physical travel through mobility substitutes or more efficient land use. TDM strategies can change travel timing, route, destination or mode. TDM is an increasingly common response to transport problems. (Victoria Transport Policy Institute, OnLine TDM Encyclopaedia, www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm12.htm).

Urban form
The pattern of development in an urban area, including aspects such as urban density; the use of land (residential, commercial, industrial or institutional); the existence of denser “nodes”, centres or corridors; and the degree to which urban development is contiguous or “scattered” at the edge.

Urban population density
The number of persons per square kilometre of urbanized land.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Organic gases and vapours that are considered air pollutants. They come from sources including the burning of fuels, the use of paints and solvents, and drycleaning operations. (NRTEE, Covering the Environment: A Handbook on Environmental Journalism, www.nrtee-trnee.ca/ publications/ PDF/Covering-Environment-Journalism_E.PDF).