Section 4

Plans and Priorities by Strategic Outcomes

This section of the RPP describes Environment Canada's four strategic outcomes and the major priorities the Department will pursue over the next three years. For each strategic outcome, we outline the plan Environment Canada intends to follow in order to deliver on its priorities. The focus of this section is on the management strategies, major initiatives and programs that will be pursued and on the management challenges and risks that will need to be addressed to ensure success over time. It provides a high-level strategic story of the Department's plans and priorities.

You can refer to the electronic links in this section for a more comprehensive story that includes the key commitments and timelines for the major initiatives and programs that constitute each priority area. This supplementary information is also available in booklet form.

A strategic context chart is provided in Section 7 to illustrate how departmental priority areas line up with the programs, major initiatives and key results for each strategic outcome.

Strategic Outcome: Protect Canadians and their environment from domestic and global sources of polution

Canadians are affected by pollutants from many sources and in many different forms. Thousands of Canadians die prematurely each year from air pollution. Toxic chemicals are accumulating in humans and in our ecosystems - in lakes, rivers, wildlife and the North. Greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions are altering the climate. We have a role to play in both cleaning up the legacy from past contamination and in preventing new pollution. Our focus is therefore on prevention, as experience has shown that the costs of cleaning up past contamination are much greater than preventing pollution in the first place.

Environment Canada acts on two fronts to protect Canadians and their environment from domestic and global sources of pollution. First, we seek to reduce the impact of human activity on the atmosphere and air quality. Second, the Department works to prevent or reduce the threats posed by toxic substances or other substances of concern in the environment.

Within Environment Canada's Management Framework, the Clean Environment Business Line strategic outcome is supported by two key results. We have grouped departmental priority concerns under the key results to which they relate. This logic structure is shown in the table that follows.

4.1.1 Key Result: Atmosphere and Air Quality
Reduced adverse human impact on the atmosphere and on air quality

4.1.2 Key Result: Toxic Substances

What is the issue?

Air quality is a local and regional issue that is affected by human activities, weather, and topography. Air quality affects Canada's wildlife habitat, agricultural yields, forests and our health - cleaner air means fewer respiratory diseases among adults, fewer asthma attacks among children, fewer hospital admissions and fewer premature deaths.

Although there have been improvements in levels of some airborne pollutants in many parts of Canada, both urban and rural, many Canadians continue to experience periods of unacceptable air quality, especially in the summer. A number of pollutants, alone or in combination, worsen air quality. Together the pollutants are often called smog, which in Canada consists mostly of ground-level ozone and microscopic airborne particles known as particulate matter (PM). Ground-level ozone and over one-half of particulate matter concentrations are produced through the reaction of other air pollutants, called precursor gases, that include nitrogen oxides (NOX), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and sulphur dioxide (SO2). These gases come primarily from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels in motor vehicles, smelters, homes, thermal power plants and other industries, and the evaporation of solvents but, in the case of volatile organic compounds, they can also come from natural sources. Ground level ozone is very dependent on sunlight and meteorological conditions so it is of greater concern in the spring and summer. It is of particular concern in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor and, to a lesser extent, in the southern Atlantic region and the Lower Fraser Valley.

Air quality is measured by the average concentrations of air pollutants in Canada and by trends in peak levels of ground-level ozone in Canada.

Air Quality: Average Concentrations of Air Pollutants

While the yearly average concentrations in urban air across Canada of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have all decreased since the mid to late 1980's, there has been no noticeable net change in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations since the mid-1990's. The decreasing trends contrast with the trends in seasonal average levels for ground-level ozone, which have shown an increase over this period.

Average Concentrations of Air Pollutants 1985 - 2002

Air Quality: Peak Levels of Ground-Level Ozone

Levels of ground-level ozone can vary considerably on an hourly, daily and monthly basis, depending on the prevailing meteorological conditions (especially temperature and air stability), the origin of air masses, and emissions. Since the late 1980's, despite the reductions observed in ambient concentrations of NOX and VOC, the peak levels of ground-level ozone, averaged across all sites in Canada, have remained relatively stable. These levels vary across the country. Levels tend to be higher east of the Manitoba-Ontario border, especially along the Windsor-Quebec City corridor.

Trends in Peak Levels of Ground-Level Ozone in Canada, 1989-2002

* 3 year running average of 4th highest daily maximum 8h ozone levels. Note: A standard metric for peak ozone levels has been developed for the Canada-Wide Standard that reflects the fourth highest daily maximum observed value during the ozone season (April-September) at sites across Canada. Source: Data from NAPS (National Air Pollution Surveillance) network, adapted by Environment Canada.

What are we doing about it?

Environment Canada's broad policy and program strategy for addressing air quality issues is detailed in the 10-year Clean Air Agenda that was announced in 2001. The Agenda focuses on:

• Working in partnership with provincial and territorial environment departments to attain and improve targets for Canada-wide Standards (CWS) for particulate matter (PM) and ozone;
  
• Reducing transboundary flows of pollutants through the implementation of the Canada-U.S. Ozone Annex to the 1991 Air Quality Agreement.
  
• Reducing emissions from major industry and other sectors, specifically the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from solvents used in many consumer and commercial products, through the development of a Federal Agenda for the Reduction of VOC Emissions from Consumer and Commercial Products.
  
• Expanding air quality monitoring and forecasting to inform the public, protect public health and monitor the progress of our air pollution control strategies.
  
• 
  Increasing public engagement to reduce air pollution through the support of ongoing programs, initiatives and services, such as the One Tonne Challenge, to continue to educate Canadians.
• Continuing other areas of work on air, acid rain, Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) and stratospheric ozone.
  
  

Over the years, our approach to air issues management has evolved to encompass the following critical success factors:

• Sectoral strategies: Experience has shown that the strategies for reducing emissions are most successful when they take an integrated, long-term view of the problem. The Federal Agenda on Cleaner Vehicles, Engines and Fuels, a key element of the Clean Air Agenda, reflects this strategy. First, the Agenda takes a systems approach to reducing emissions and considers fuel, engines and vehicles in an integrated program of activity. Secondly, the Agenda has a 10-year time horizon and charts a course for continual improvement. As engine and vehicle design can precede market launch by three to four years and planning and implementing refinery changes can take several years, affected industries must be given appropriate notice to incorporate new standards. Finally, the Agenda is largely based in the context of the North American market and builds upon U.S. EPA standards and timelines where possible.
  
• Partnerships: A key element of Environment Canada's response to air quality issues, and a key objective of the Clean Air Agenda, is to mobilize others (industries, communities, NGOs, provinces and territories) to take action. An important example is the commitment by the provinces and territories to the Canada-wide Standards process. Partnerships are also used to advance research and our understanding of the impact of air quality on human and environmental health. Several non-government organizations, including the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and the Canadian Lung Association, are actively involved in defining and addressing the effects of air pollution on human health. Still others, such as the Canadian Urban Transit Association or Go for Green are involved in Clean Air Day related initiatives.
  
• Cooperation and harmonization with the U.S.: Harmonization of Canadian and U.S. emission standards can be used to raise the bar in both countries. A good example of Canada-U.S. harmonization is the Vehicle and Engine Emission standards. The success of the cooperative approach can be seen in the coordinated and effective response to acid rain in the 1980's and 1990's. Emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2), one of the pollutants that causes acid rain, have declined by 45% in Canada and over 35% in the United States, from 1980 levels.
  
  

What are the key management challenges at risk?

The momentum on the Federal Agenda for Cleaner Vehicles, Engines and Fuels will be continued. With on-road regulations in place, the Department will focus on completing regulations for off-road engines and vehicles (e.g. engines in lawn equipment, forklifts, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, and agricultural and construction machines) and the compliance, monitoring and reporting functions associated with implementation of on-road regulations.

Significant opportunities lie ahead for smart regulations, federal-provincial relationships and other partnerships. Specifically, we will explore in greater depth the prospects for a future particulate matter (PM) annex to the Canada-U.S. Clean Air Quality Agreement. A key partnership to meeting the Clean Air Agenda commitments to reduce transboundary emissions is the Canada-U.S. Border Air Quality initiative announced on June 23, 2003. Under the Strategy, we will continue to identify collaborative activities and develop regional strategies to co-operatively respond to air pollution in the Great Lakes Basin and in southern British Columbia's Georgia Basin/Puget Sound airshed and to explore emissions trading. The Strategy also supports our commitment to advance the Air Quality Forecast and Air Quality Index programs to cover more communities and more pollutants. The Department will also work with the medical community, provinces and non-government organizations to develop a health-risk based Air Quality Index that can be used across the country. The existing collaboration on implementation of the Canada-wide Standards for particulate matter (PM) and ozone will also continue, including work on planning for and performing the reviews of the Canada-wide Standards to be presented to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment in 2005 and 2010. The Department will continue to integrate the clean air and climate change agendas, illustrating and supporting the environmental, human health and economic co-benefits of policies and measures. The integration will be supported through public education and outreach activities, policy coordination, technology development programs, co-ordinated work on emissions reporting and sector strategies where possible.

As the economy grows, continued efforts will be needed to address potential pollution that will be generated, including air emissions. This challenge becomes more complicated as international trade and new technologies are developed. A key priority is to work more closely with the United States on reducing transboundary emissions. We will also continue to leverage Ozone Annex funds to ensure co-benefits to other activities and sub-results such as climate change.

• To learn about the air issues, visit: http://www.ec.gc.ca/air/introduction_e.html
  
  

What is the issue?

Greenhouse gases trap heat within the earth's atmosphere, and make the earth habitable. However, changing the concentrations of these greenhouse gases changes our climate. Scientific research shows that an increase in greenhouse gases from human activities (mostly from the burning of fossil fuels like gasoline and coal), combined with deforestation, is changing the balance of the world's atmosphere. As a result, the earth's average temperature is getting warmer.

Globally, climate change is recognized as one of the top three issues on par with security and trade. In Canada, climate change is affecting our environment, our health and our competitiveness.

What are we doing about it?

As early as the mid-70's, Environment Canada was part of global efforts to understand the science and impacts of global climate change. Working on the development of policies and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been a departmental priority since the late 1980's. The Department's policy and program strategies are currently focused on the design and development of a new national climate change plan in cooperation with provinces/territories and stakeholders:

What are the key management challenges at risk?

Achieving our climate change commitments will be a demanding task. Key challenges include:

• Ensuring Canada's long-term competitiveness and building on our environment and economic policy framework.
  
• Implementing new policies and programs to get more near-term and enduring emission reductions.
  
• Integrating climate change with other government policies/agendas in areas such as industrial strategies, the new deal for cities and foreign and trade policy.
  
• Addressing key technical/engineering, financial and political challenges.
  
• Leadership in the international process to develop a long-term, inclusive international framework.
  
• Ensuring Environment Canada's internal capacity is best organized to provide government-wide leadership on the issue.
  
  

• To learn more about climate change, visit: http://www.ec.gc.ca/climate/home-e.html
  
  

4.1.2 Key Result: Toxic Substances

Reduce the environmental and human health impacts posed by toxic substances and other substances of concern.

Priority: Toxic substances and other substances of Concern

What is the issue?

Addressing the problem of toxic substances is complex. Toxic substances and other substances of concern can be released from many industrial, agricultural, domestic or international sources and, once released into the environment, can be dispersed to remote regions in air and water currents. These substances can be dangerous in and of themselves (e.g. mercury) or they can combine with other substances to contaminate air, water or soil. While Environment Canada focuses on reducing human production of toxic substances, some substances, such as heavy metals, occur naturally in the environment.

Other toxic substances persist in the environment and, while present in only small amounts, can affect many species and ecosystems. These substances build up in the tissues of living organisms such as the fish and wildlife that many Canadians consume. Aboriginal peoples, Inuit and others who consume these foods on a regular basis are particularly vulnerable. While toxic substances can affect all Canadians, the greatest health risk is to susceptible populations such as young children and the elderly.

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA 1999) defines a substance as toxic if it enters or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration that has, or may have, a harmful effect on human life or health, the environment and its biological diversity or the environment on which life depends.

What are we doing about it?

CEPA 1999 provides the legislative framework for preventing and managing the risks posed by toxic substances. The Act recognizes the contribution of the management and control of toxic substances and hazardous waste to reducing threats to Canada's ecosystems and biological diversity. Environment Canada has primary responsibility for CEPA 1999 implementation and jointly administers the research, categorization, assessment and management of toxic substances with Health Canada.

Our activities can best be explained through a cycle that goes from identifying and assessing risk, managing those risks both directly and through developing risk management strategies, ensuring the strategies are complied with and monitoring and reporting on progress. We also seek to influence the development of environmental technologies to ensure environmental solutions are available in the market. The main components of toxic substances management include:

• The risks posed by toxic substances are understood and substances requiring improved management are identified under the implementation of CEPA 1999 and the New Substances Program (NSP).
  
  

• Risk management to address toxic substances and other substances of concern through the implementation of CEPA 1999 and the Toxic Substances Management Policy, jointly administered by Environment Canada and Health Canada.
  
  

• Pollutants posing environmental and related human health risks are directly managed through direct action, such as the issuance of permits, conducting environmental assessments, environmental emergency planning, application of prevention and control techniques, and contaminated site remediation.
  
  

• Compliance with environmental protection legislation by focusing on educating and informing the regulated community about Canada's pollution prevention laws and regulations (CEPA 1999 and Fisheries Act section 36), and by carrying out compliance promotion and enforcement activities.
  
  

• Improve monitoring and reporting to in order to inform future government, business and citizen action on pollution prevention and control by collecting and providing information through the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), CEPA Registry, and other avenues.
  
  

What are the key management challenges at risk?

Our continuing strategy for managing the risk of toxic substances focuses on using the most appropriate tool or mix of tools to achieve the desired environmental result. The tools provided by CEPA 1999 include new measures such as pollution prevention plans, and range from regulatory action to voluntary instruments. We will continue to form effective partnerships with industry, other levels of government, including provinces, territories and municipalities, Aboriginal groups and other federal departments. The mandatory review of CEPA 1999 in 2005 will provide an opportunity to review progress, identify where modifications are warranted and identify opportunities for improvement.

Environment Canada acts as a catalyst and facilitator in forming strategic partnerships that stimulate and support corporate sustainability leadership among Canadian companies. Not only do these partnerships lead to results in the areas of protection of the environment and health of Canadians, but they also help to deepen corporate commitment to practices that align with the concept of sustainable development. Companies are profiting from "eco-efficient" technologies that help to reduce their production costs and by answering a growing demand for environmentally friendly products and services.

As part of the federal government's efforts to enhance the personal and economic security of Canadians, prevent terrorist activities and ensure the protection of the environment and human health and safety, the Department will continue to implement measures in the following areas: environmental emergencies, hazardous waste and contaminated sites, and compliance promotion and enforcement.