YRTE Activities

There is no YRTE program in 2006/07. Please refer to the YRTE home page for more information.

YRTE wraps up third meeting in Cantley, QC!

The 2003-2004 YRTE held its third and final meeting at Econiche House in Cantley, QC from June 11-15. The primary objectives of this meeting were to summarize the actions that they have taken, prepare their final report, and present recommendations to Environment Canada based on their experiences this year.

This was an excellent opportunity for the YRTE to reflect on their major accomplishments of the year, some of which include:

• A meeting with Minister Anderson in November to discuss and receive feedback on YRTE areas of action and concern for the year.
• A meeting with Quebec's Regional Management Committee to discuss youth engagement in the work of the region.
• Recommendations to the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) on their report, Environmental Quality in Canadian Cities: The Federal Role.
• YRTE member selected to participate in the Pollution Prevention Roundtable.
• YRTE member selected as an official member of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in New York.
• Participation in several meetings with Environment Canada staff on priority files including the Species at Risk Act, and the Centre St. Laurent.
• YRTE member appointed as a member of Public Works Minister's Advisory Panel on Sustainability.
• Participation in extensive consultations on the development and implementation of the Youth Engagement Strategy for the One Tonne Challenge.
• YRTE member to sit on the Planning Advisory Council for the Biosphère in Montreal, Quebec.
• Invitations to sit on several councils and panels on topics such as climate change, clean air, nuclear waste management and environmental and social responsibility.

While in the National Capital Region, members had the opportunity to meet with Suzan Bowser, A/Director General of the Client Service Transformation Directorate, and Karen Lloyd, A/Director General of the Knowledge Integration Directorate to discuss and provide a youth perspective on some of the possible future directions for Environment Canada.

The YRTE also held a meeting with a representative of the NRTEE, to explore the possible avenues for youth engagement in the work of the national roundtable, and to enquire about the process by which to establish a permanent youth seat.

Finally, members had the opportunity to meet with Dany Drouin of Environment Canada's Climate Change Bureau to offer feedback on the implementation of the Youth Engagement Strategy for the One Tonne Challenge.

During the meeting, each of the working groups developed recommendations to Environment Canada based on the work that was done in the 2003-2004 YRTE's areas of action and concern, those being: Climate Change, Environmental and Social Justice, Stewardship and Environmental Learning, Green Economics, and Sustainable Living Spaces. These recommendations are included in their final report.

The YRTE also developed three recommendations based on their overall work as a whole. These recommendations are:

1. The advisory capabilities of the YRTE be further communicated within the department, specifically to senior management and regional management committees.
2. YRTE be approached more frequently to contribute to and provide input on policies and programs that EC is currently developing.
3. Youth engagement strategies, such as the YRTE model, be shared at the ministerial level, both nationally and internationally.

The 2003-2004 YRTE are in the process of completing their final report, thereby fulfilling their mandate as Environment Canada's youth advisory council.

Other YRTE Activities:

2004 - 2005

• 2004-2005 YRTE 3rd face-to-face meeting
• 2004-2005 YRTE Second face-to-face meeting
• 2004-2005 YRTE's first face to face meeting!

2003 - 2004

• 2003-2004 YRTE's second face-to-face meeting!
• 2003-2004 YRTE's first face to face meeting!

2002 - 2003

• The third meeting of the 2002-2003 Youth Round Table on the Environment !
  
• The members of the 2002-03 YRTE converged in Halifax, Nova Scotia for their second face-to-face meeting from February 27 to March 3, 2003.
  
• Youth Roundtable on the Environment meeting aims for better environmental stewardship and responsibility in Canada.

2001 - 2002

• Youth Round Table on the Environment Empowers Young People to Help Environment
  
• Youth Conquers Cancer and Battles For the Environment
  
• The YRTE takes on Vancouver with a bang!
  
• The YRTE establishes its priorities during their first face-to-face meeting