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The County of Lambton developed an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) to identify its environmental, social and economic goals, and determine the ways in which it will achieve them.

Lambton County is made up of 11 local municipalities, and includes three First Nations and a mix of urban, suburban and rural settlements. The county collaborated with its largest urban centre, the City of Sarnia, to develop a complementary ICSP to serve its unique two-tiered community.

The project began with a detailed study of the county's existing sustainability initiatives, along with sustainability best practices from other regions of the country. Meanwhile, public consultations - including meetings, presentations and a questionnaire - gathered input from local groups and organizations, including the local First Nations communities.

The ICSP serves to  guide the County of Lambton to implement a range of sustainability projects, and leverage funding with various levels government.

Results

Environmental Economic Social
  • Recycling asphalt, concrete and aggregates for road construction
  • Solar power used for one of the county's long-term care homes
  • Methane collection, in partnership with local utility, from a landfill site to produce power
  • Doing more with less by recycling road construction materials
  • Cost savings through solar power use
  • Revenue creation through methane collection offsets landfill levy costs
  • Greater collaboration with local environmental groups
  • Partnerships with internal and external collaborators such as local utility
  • A sense of community and shared purpose under a common vision for sustainability

Challenges

  • Crafting an ICSP requires a lot of background information, and it can be difficult to cull out the things that are important to your municipality.
  • Incorporating culture as a fourth pillar in the definition of sustainability was challenging, but was accomplished through close cooperation  with those who are developing the Cultural Plan for the county. (The First Nation philosophy of "walking with seven generations" speaks volumes of how essential culture is to a sustainable future.)
  • The more resources (money and time) that can be dedicated to preparing the plan, the easier it will be to develop a document you are happy with in a relatively short time.

Lessons learned

  • Familiarity with similar types of plans prepared by other municipalities can be helpful.
  • Regular ICSP team meetings from the outset with staff, management and representative groups.
  • Make the ICSP as easy to read and implement as possible. Establish a simple, non-prescriptive plan and use appendices for supporting tools and to archive specific case studies.

Resources

Partners and collaborators

Project contact

Jim Kutyba P. Eng.
General Manager
Infrastructure & Development Services
Lambton County, ON
T. 519-845-5413

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