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Highlights |
You are here: Environment Canada On-Line - 2003
Environment Canada remains committed to delivering timely, accurate, and relevant environmental information and services to a diverse range of clients and partners through all delivery channels, including the Internet. We are pleased to provide Canadians with this report on how Environment Canada is making effective and innovative use of its Internet presence to reach out to Canadians and provide them with the services they are seeking. Here are this year's highlights:
Changing How We WorkWe understand that only by transforming our business processes will we increase the relevance of our services to clients and citizens. Service is based on the premise that the better we can "connect" EC's science, policies, regulations, information and advice to Canadians, the more effective Canada will be in achieving environmental results and its goal of sustainable development. Environment Canada is committed to managing and sharing knowledge creatively and encouraging innovation to better serve Canadians now and in the future. Through effective engagement and dialogue with our partners and clients, supported by effective enabling technologies, and leveraged by the sharing and adoption of best practices, we are changing how we work. Constructive dialogue with our clients and stakeholders, involving multiple government structures, jurisdictions and communities of interest, helps us shape the services we provide to genuine needs rather than simply assuming what those needs might be. Strategic Alliances and PartnershipsEnvironment Canada has a long history of developing strategic alliances and partnerships in order to provide Canadians with environmental information they need and want so they can make responsible decisions about their environment. We continue to work with other government departments and partners. We are working with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) in their development of a Science and Technology Cluster on the Canada site which will provide single window access to government science and technology information and with Health Canada on the Canadian Health Portal which provides single window access to health-related information and services that cross federal, provincial/territorial and non-government boundaries. Environment Canada also contributes to the Public Safety Portal which provides information and services on public safety and security in Canada. The Species at Risk (SARA) Public Registry is an online service that provides access to information and documents developed under SARA. It supports public participation in decision making, by providing an opportunity to comment on SARA related documents being developed by the Government of Canada. The SARA Public Registry is the result of a collaborative effort among many partners and stakeholders including Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency. The National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) Network is federal-provincial monitoring program, which collects air quality data from across Canada. The Network permits partners to more readily enter and share data on air quality which will translate to Canadians accessing better information related to air quality within their local areas. In collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Environment Canada has launched a rejuvenated Hinterland Who's Who program to continue to provide the public with reliable information about wildlife. Canadians Involved With Their EnvironmentWhether you like plants, have an interest in weather information, or are a fan of the great work earthworms do, there is a way for you to become involved through a number of volunteer programs available on-line. NatureWatch is a suite of community-based "citizen science" monitoring programs through which Environment Canada collects data on indicators of ecosystem health. For instance, IceWatch provides Canadians with a practical way to report on and learn how climate change is affecting our environment. PlantWatch enables "citizen scientists" to get involved by recording on-line the flowering times for various plants species. The information is processed instantly to Web maps showing bloom dates across Canada, so your observations make a real-time difference! Efforts over the coming year will be on providing Canadians with one-window access to all these volunteer programs. Since proclamation of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in June 2003, the SARA Public Registry not only provides Canadians with information regarding the Act, but also provides Canadians with an on-line forum to provide comments on documents being developed by the Government of Canada under the Act. The development of the Registry itself was based on extensive consultation and focus testing conducted across Canada with a number of stakeholders including Canadians so that the system would meet user needs. Government On-LineEnvironment Canada remains committed to meeting its targets for the 2005 Government of Canada deadline for the Government On-Line Initiative. Work continues on the Weather On-Line Initiative to provide single window access to weather forecasts, warnings and other environmental information tailored to a number of audiences. The FreshWater On-Line Initiative provides Canadians with one-window access to water-related information and tailors the information to specific clients. For example, the Teacher's Corner offers educators a variety of publications to teach students of different ages the importance of water to our ecosystems, approaches to water resource management, and to answer a wide range of questions on different aspects of water. WildSpace is an interactive Web site that allows visitors to explore the province of Ontario's species and spaces, particularly birds and their habitats, by combining thematic layers of information on digital maps. Users can search for information either by selecting wildlife species by name (Species Search) or by selecting an area on a map (Spaces Search). Great Lakes Kids is a fun and interactive Web site that provides youth ages 8 – 13 with information on the Great Lakes environment through games, puzzles, quizzes and videos focused on a variety of topics including Great Lakes facts, pollution, wildlife, and species at risk. Great Art for Great Lakes - "Virtual" Classroom Resource for Environmental Information is a virtual resource that offers environmental education, creativity and fun all in one classroom activity. It encourages students to explore and express ideas about the environment and is designed to give substance to the idea that citizenship responsibilities, at all ages, include responsibility for the environment. Improving the Way We Deliver our Products and ServicesEnvironment Canada provides environmental information services to a wide range of clients, including Canadians, industry, business, students, educators and many others. Services to clients are available by telephone, mail, in-person, and through the Internet. Through the Green Lane web site, Environment Canada continues to provide a well established link to environmental information and services, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is the primary channel through which Canadians access Environment Canada's information and services. Our Internet presence is continually reviewed to ensure the information is up-to-date and responsive to the needs of Canadians. Recent changes include enhanced search capabilities and navigation features to make the site more accessible and easier to use. Environment Canada continues to comply with the Common Look and Feel requirements for federal Government Web sites as well. Measuring Our ProgressEnvironment Canada is moving forward on its Government On-Line agenda in many other ways: The Weather Web site continues to grow in popularity amongst Canadians. We average 300,000 visits per day with major peaks on significant weather days, such as 430,000 visits per day as hurricane Isabelle approached Canada in September 2003. While there is a multitude of weather sites available, Environment Canada continues to be seen as the official source of weather information by its clients. Even in this time of financial restraint and with limited resources, Environment Canada continues to not only maintain but strives to improve the dependability and capacity of the Web site to meet the challenges of providing real-time access to weather forecasts, warnings and other environmental information tailored to a number of audiences including the Canadian public and the media. Significant work has taken place to renew the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). Active consultation with industrial and commercial companies on how to streamline their electronic reporting on releases, disposal and recycling of pollutants continues. This ensures that the reporting system remains client-focused and efficient. As part of our efforts to improve the access to environmental release information, we developed the NPRI Communities Portal which provides Canadians with different data search capabilities, including an interactive on-line mapping tool to help them find out more about pollutant releases, disposal, recycling and pollution prevention in their community by companies and organizations in Canada. This portal provides Canadians with the tools to make knowledgeable decisions related to their health, environment, and quality of life. Environment Canada must respond, in many cases rather quickly, to a number of regulatory requirements. The Environmental Emergencies (E2) Initiative, for instance, establishes a nationwide system for the on-line notification and reporting of environmental emergencies. This notification is required by the Environmental Emergencies Regulations which came into effect November 18, 2003. Interactive Web sites and other electronic tools are vital components in the Georgia Basin Action Plan (GBAP). The Stewardship Centre Web site allows people to not only learn, but to share their experiences in conserving land, water and wildlife habitat. The QUEST model allows decision-makers to explore paths to ecosystem sustainability in the midst of urban development. Web mapping tools, such as the Cowichan Valley Integrated Data Management and the Natural Areas Atlas for the Victoria Capital Region, provide information on land-use trends and endangered ecosystems. Over the next five years, GBAP and its partner agencies will build on this progress, and strengthen the collective capacity to protect and restore ecosystem health while working cooperatively to provide economic opportunities and enhance human well-being. While these examples illustrate that Environment Canada has embraced the Internet as a way of providing environmental information and services, our work is far from over. The needs of Canadians vary and change over time, so we too are in a state of evolution and change – the one constant being our commitment to provide Canadians with the right services in the right way. For more informationPrevious Reports:
Mail: Telephone/Fax: Email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca |
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