Highlights

Changing how we work

Increasing collaboration with partners

Reaching out to Canadians

Improving the way we deliver our products and services

Measuring our progress

For more information

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 Environment Canada On-Line - 2002

With more Canadians on-line very year, it became clear that simply creating web sites and digitizing information was not enough. We had to re-think service delivery altogether. While we remain committed to delivering timely, accurate and relevant information and services to our full range of clients and partners, we have focused on using the Internet to deliver our services in the most innovative and efficient manner.

Here are this year's highlights:

• Changing how we work: At Environment Canada, we want to see a Canada where people make responsible decisions about the environment and where the environment is sustained for the benefit of present and future generations. This goal can only be achieved if we are successful in generating, acquiring and disseminating our knowledge in order to deliver innovative and responsive services to Canadians. The recently adopted "Knowledge in the Service of Canadians Charter" demonstrates our commitment to enhance our services by managing and sharing knowledge creatively and by encouraging innovation, not just on-line, but in every aspect of our work to better serve Canadians now and in the future.
  
  
• Increased collaboration with partners: While we have always worked with partners, both inside and outside government, we have doubled our efforts to share our knowledge and to work cooperatively in bringing information to Canadians. Sustaining the Environment and Resources for Canadians (SERC) cluster provides a one-window access to environmental information from five federal natural resource departments and brings together information on-line to illustrate how the quality of life of Canadians can be improved while maintaining Canada's rich natural legacy.
  
  
• Engaging Canadians through technology: We have committed to providing new ways for Canadians to involve themselves with the environment. Volunteer programs, such as Naturewatch, Frogwatch, and WormWatch have allowed us to transform the way we engage the public, working both to inform and be informed.
  
  
• Government On-Line: Substantial work has been undertaken to re-design the 80,000 pages of our Web site, the Green Lane, so that any interested individual may access our site regardless of physical or system abilities. In complying with the Common Look and Feel requirements of government, our site is now easier to access and navigate.
  
  

 Changing how we work

We understand that only by transforming our business processes will we increase the relevance of our services to clients. Recently, Environment Canada adopted a "Knowledge in the Service of Canadians (KISC) Charter" that demonstrates our commitment to manage and share knowledge creatively and encourage innovation to better serve Canadians now and in the future. We have deliberately integrated our approaches to people, knowledge and service into all of our work.

KISC is about building the capacity of our people to think creatively and do things in a way that will make a difference for Canadians. Through effective engagement and dialogue with our partners and clients, supported by the most effective enabling technologies, and leveraged by the sharing and adoption of best practices, we are changing how we work and strengthening our contribution to sustainable development.

 Increasing collaboration with our partners

Environment Canada has continued to seek strategic partnerships, within government and with our stakeholders. The Department has led in the development of the Sustaining the Environment and Resources for Canadians (SERC) cluster, as well as participating in the development of numerous other Government of Canada portals such as the Marine Portal and the Canada Health Portal.

SERC brings together information to illustrate how the quality of life of Canadians' can be improved while maintaining Canada's rich natural legacy. Further, it provides a one-window access to environmental information from five federal natural resource departments.

Environment Canada will continue to channel relevant information and services through the Canada Site and other subject clusters to ensure seamless access to environmental information. The Department has a "no wrong door" approach on how citizens can find what they want.

 Reaching out to Canadians

New technologies and tools are creating a demand for innovative ways for citizens to be engaged, directly or indirectly, in shaping programs, services, and policy. Environment Canada has focused its energy on developing and implementing initiatives to "transform" its relationships with others and the way it conducts its business.

The Department will continue to use the Internet to engage Canadians through volunteer programs such as Naturewatch, Frogwatch, and WormWatch. By reaching out to Canadians, we will not only engage them in what we do, we will also gain valuable insight into their evolving needs and expectations. This will provide us with the information we need to further tailor our products and services.

 Improving the way we deliver our products and services

From the individual citizen to large corporations, Environment Canada deals with Canadians directly through multiple channels. Our clients can reach us by telephone, mail, in-person, and through the Internet. Environment Canada is posting more and more of its information on-line, providing Canadians with easy access to its programs, services, and knowledge 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Green Lane is an important component of our on-line presence, providing a well-established link to the public. It constitutes the primary channel through which the public can access Environment Canada's products and services. Significant effort is being invested in ensuring that our site is responsive to the needs of its users.

Client surveys and feedback from users have indicated that navigating a large, complex site like the Green Lane can be difficult for some users. In response, a client-focused subject classification system was implemented, providing links by topic to all Environment Canada information, products and services. An improved full text search function was implemented and an automatic subscription service that allows members of the media to automatically obtain departmental press releases and media advisories by email was added to the site as well.

 Measuring our progress

Environment Canada continues to move forward on its Government On-Line agenda:

• A client-centred youth site was launched. Designed to be flexible and to grow and evolve over time, the site seeks to improve service and outreach to youth by better managing knowledge related to their needs and interests. The result is a client-focused site that is specifically targeted to youth.
  
  
• A weather portal for media moved from the test phase and was made accessible to all media across Canada. Media can now access user-defined weather data, forecasts, warnings and information they require for their work. In a commitment to continuous improvement, a survey was completed recently, and the results will be reviewed to enhance and improve the site shortly.
  
  
• Significant work has been undertaken to renew the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). We have actively consulted with industrial and commercial companies to streamline how they report electronically on releases, disposal and recycling of pollutants. The result is a reporting system that is more client-focused and more efficient in providing the public with access to NPRI data on-line.
  
  
• Environment Canada worked in partnership with the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to develop the "Source to Tap" Web site. Canadians can now find out information related to water quality in their home province and across Canada.
  
  
• Environment Canada has worked to re-organize information on The Great Lakes Portal so that visitors can now find information they want based on the audience they most identify with. The "just for you" portion of the site groups information together for specific audiences and the "get involved" section highlights ways that Canadians can get involved in environmental activities.
  
  
• Substantial work has been undertaken to re-design the 80,000 pages of our Web site, the Green Lane, so that any interested individual may access our site regardless of physical or system abilities. In complying with the Common Look and Feel requirements of government, our site is now easier to access and navigate.
  
  

While these selected examples illustrate that Environment Canada has embraced the new media, more remains to be done. We are in a state of evolution and change. Throughout this transformation, our focus will remain on our clients to ensure we are providing the right services in the right way.

 For more information

Previous Reports:

• Environment Canada's 2001 report on Government On-Line

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