Growing Up: The Story of ION Light Rail in Waterloo Region, ON, is a 2020 co-winner in the transportation category of FCM’s Sustainable Communities Awards.

In 2019, the Region of Waterloo, ON, welcomed its first passengers on the ION Light Rail Transit system. The ION system connects the Region’s three urban centres with reliable, fast transportation that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and urban sprawl, while increasing investment and development in the rapidly growing region.

Transit system connects the Region’s three cities

The Region of Waterloo is spread over seven municipalities, including the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. As Canada’s fastest-growing region in 2019, and with more than 200,000 new residents expected to move there over the next 20 years, the Region needed a public transportation option to enable residents to travel between urban areas. Increasing public transit options reduces GHGs and encourages more mixed development in urban areas, which limits urban sprawl and takes pressure off surrounding farmland and groundwater sources.       

Population growth had environmental consequences

With the growth in population, the Region was also experiencing a rise in vehicle ownership on a per capita basis and the threat of urban sprawl encroaching on sensitive environmental landscapes and farmland. To meet objectives of reducing GHG emissions and protecting surrounding rural lands, the Region had long been planning to develop a regional public transit system. After extensive public consultation, environmental assessment and research into transit technologies, the Region determined that light rail transit (LRT) could offer the most sustainable solution.       

ION system has environmental, social and economic benefits

Light rail trains use cleaner electricity instead of diesel fuel and their comfort and reliability attract riders. By decreasing the use of personal vehicles and moving more of the transit system’s ridership onto greener vehicles, the Region of Waterloo is able to decrease GHG emissions. The ION rail system connects residents to bike and walking trails and parks, supporting active modes of transportation and healthy lifestyles. Other social benefits include increasing mobility options for seniors, youth and low-income residents and reducing economic barriers to mobility.

The Region has also seen indications that the LRT is encouraging a more compact urban form, with 50 percent of new development taking place in existing urban areas. Redevelopment around the transit corridor has reduced the number of surface parking lots and their associated impact on the urban heat island, and has resulted in over 30 hectares of brownfield remediation. The new ION system has attracted investment to the region, including the Canadian headquarters for Google, and spurred further growth in residential and commercial development—which in turn increases employment opportunities and grows the municipal tax base.     

High-profile project faced pressure from political and public scrutiny

As the largest project in the history of the Region, the ION transit system was in media and political spotlights during its development. It took a long time to reach consensus on a vision, and funding for the project was ultimately decided through the election process. However, once the project was underway, having strong and consistent leadership and engaging in ongoing public communication and consultation helped the project stay on track. Vendor and construction delays also came under scrutiny, but in the end allowed the project team more time to prepare for a smooth launch that contributed to ION’s success.     

The City of Edmonton’s Blatchford project is the 2020 winner in the neighbourhoods category of FCM’s Sustainable Communities Awards. The initiative also received FCM's Inspire Award for the project that best demonstrates creativity and innovation, as decided by delegates at FCM's Sustainable Communities Conference.

A new landmark development in the City of Edmonton, Blatchford is a sustainable live-work community that uses 100% renewable energy, aims to be carbon neutral and encourages a sustainable lifestyle. Built on the 536-acre site of a former municipal airport in the heart of Edmonton, the community uses innovative systems to achieve environmental, social and economic benefits.

Neighbourhood will reduce energy use and GHG emissions

The primary goal of the Blatchford project is to develop a carbon neutral community using 100% renewable energy. The district energy sharings system can reduce overall energy consumption by 15-20% once the community is fully built. And GHG emissions from homes and buildings will be about 75% less than a traditional neighbourhood, saving about 30,000 tonnes of GHGs annually at full build out. The project is expected to realize significant economic benefits as well, and is projected to make over $200 million in profit that can be reinvested in Edmonton. 

Mixed use community focuses on people first

Blatchford supports Edmonton’s strategy to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The site is centrally located and connected to transit, which aligns with goals for development in the city core and increasing the use of public and active transportation. Based on exemplary place-making and planning criteria, land use planning for the community includes engaging public spaces, bike and pedestrian paths as well as work, education, shopping and healthcare amenities, all of which are intended to foster interaction and a sense of community. Businesses and employment in the community will contribute to its economic sustainability, and the project anticipates a positive net revenue at full build-out.

Project aims to be greener and more sustainable in every way

Blatchford incorporates environmental sustainability from the ground up. Materials from the former airport were recycled, including repurposing crushed runways for new road construction and deconstructing the former airport hangars to divert over 90% of the materials from landfill. The community’s homes are built with features such as high-performance building envelopes and high-efficiency energy systems, so they use significantly less energy for heating, cooling and hot water. A highly efficient district energy sharing system uses renewable energy sources to provide environmentally-friendly heating, cooling and hot water services to the homes and buildings. The first stage of this system uses a geoexchange field to harness the shallow geothermal energy below the earth’s surface. The community uses natural water infrastructure  techniques, such as bioswales, rain gardens, and stormwater ponds that also increase biodiversity and add greenspace for residents’ enjoyment.

Long-term vision allows flexibility during housing market uncertainty

The primary challenge facing the project is the housing market. A soft market in Edmonton in recent years combined with unemployment and lasting economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic create uncertainties for the future of real estate. However, the community is in the early stages of development and will be developed in stages over the next 20-25 years, which gives the project the flexibility to adapt to changes in the economy, community needs and sustainable technologies well into the future. While this year has been different than expected for everyone, the long-term plans and vision for Blatchford have remained unchanged.

Inspire award guidebook and factsheet

Get an in-depth look at why The City of Edmonton’s Blatchford project was the 2020 FCM Inspire Award winner, along with the top 10 lessons learned through the project.

The Raymond Electrical Net Zero initiative in the Town of Raymond, AB, is the 2020 winner in the energy category of FCM’s Sustainable Communities Awards.

Town of Raymond, AB, is a growing community with an eye on its sustainability for future generations. With limited opportunities for revenue generation, and facing the uncertainty of fluctuating energy prices, the Town installed a series of solar panels that offset 100% of the Town’s operational electricity use and save nearly 700 tonnes of CO₂ per year, meeting environmental and economic sustainability goals for the community.

Innovation and opportunity aligned

To mitigate the uncertainty in electricity costs, the Town took advantage of provincial grants to explore alternative energy options. Inspired by a nearby town with a similar geography, the Town explored the idea of installing solar panels on municipal buildings. The investigation showed seven locations offered sufficient return on investment to proceed. The following year, a change in provincial regulations opened the opportunity for a solar PV system to offset energy from multiple sites. This enabled the Town to improve both the environmental impact and cost savings of the project by installing two more arrays, creating a large enough system to offset all their operational energy use.

Small town shows leadership in climate action

Enlarging the solar PV system to offset 100% of the Town’s operational electrical consumption was a bold investment in the community’s future. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting environmental objectives, the Town is saving money and protecting itself from rising energy costs. This enables the municipality to redirect funds to other projects that contribute to residents’ quality of life. And as the first municipality in Alberta to have net-zero electricity use in operations, Raymond plays a leadership role in demonstrating that small communities can play an important part in climate action.

Project offsets GHG emissions and air pollutants from energy generation

The Town’s nine solar PV arrays are expected to generate over 1300 MWh of renewable electricity annually, saving nearly 700 tonnes of CO₂ each year—a savings of 17,000 tonnes of emissions over the system’s minimum 25-year lifetime. Since Alberta produces 36% of its electricity in coal-fired plants, Raymond’s solar energy system will reduce annual air pollution from particulates associated with coal generation by an estimated 1300 kg per year.

The Town funded the project with a provincial rebate and a 15-year financing arrangement with the solar PV contractor. With anticipated annual savings of $130,000, the project is expected to pay back one year after the financing period ends, and generate even greater savings over the remainder of the system’s lifespan. The success of the Town’s initiative has attracted interest from a number of other municipalities, and the Town offers tours and provides peer advice and support to assist other communities with similar projects.

Town required technical support from solar PV partner

Identifying the best locations to install solar panels proved difficult for the Town, and without in-house solar PV expertise they relied on the project’s solar contractor for assistance. Without this support, researching and compiling the technical, system, energy and financial information for the project would have proven very challenging. The Town took a measured approach and implemented the project in two phases. Although the initial goal was to offset as much electricity use as possible, in hindsight, they could have saved time by setting a goal of net-zero energy consumption from the start and implementing the project in one phase.

The Campbell River Rising Seas initiative in Campbell River, BC, is the 2020 winner in the climate change category of FCM’s Sustainable Communities Awards.

Located on the coast of Vancouver Island, the City of Campbell River, BC, needed to identify the risks that rising sea levels pose to its community, infrastructure and sensitive ecosystems in the area. Following extensive public education and consultation, they developed an action plan to mitigate risks that respects community values.

Sea level rise threatens community and wildlife

The coast where Campbell River is located is battered by strong ocean currents and severe winter storms, resulting in flooding and erosion along the shore. Shoreline species are at risk, as are salmon and the associated ecosystem, and downtown businesses, residential areas and City assets near the coast are also vulnerable. Although the City is located in an area of geological uplift, the rate of sea level rise is accelerating and is expected to outpace this protection. In light of these concerns, the City developed a plan to mitigate the impact of rising sea levels on the community and coastal ecosystems.

Action plan relied on extensive public consultation

To get a picture of flood risks, the City engaged coastal engineers to model extreme marine and weather conditions and factor in projected sea levels, and worked with ecological specialists to evaluate risks to shoreline ecosystems. With this information, they developed guidance for construction and development in the municipality, and identified a variety of flood mitigation measures. The City then conducted an extensive public education and engagement process that included developing primers explaining sea level rise, adaptation best practices, local options and recommended strategies. The primers were presented at a series of public participation events where the project team gathered input and identified interventions for their action plan that had the highest high community value.

The City also consulted and collaborated with the neighbouring Wei Wai Kum First Nation, since their reserve is within the flood risk area, and many potential interventions would be located partly or wholly on reserve land. Receiving buy-in from this key partner was crucial to the project’s success.

Project provides flood protection and preserves wildlife

The City’s action plan includes monitoring at-risk plant species to track sea level impacts over time, and replanting sensitive species in sites with more favourable conditions. Actions that protect the salmon habitat received the highest importance rating from residents, so addressing foreshore ecology alongside flood prevention had both environmental and social benefits. Innovative solutions include creating small bays on City property to dissipate wave energy and provide valuable foreshore habitat without creating an erosion risk. Interventions to protect infrastructure and buildings may be slightly more costly now, but will show benefits over time. For example, the seawall along a new road has been designed to be incrementally raised as required without needing to re-engineer the base.

Long-term nature of the problem makes it hard to maintain focus

Since sea-level rise is slow-moving, investments made now will mainly benefit future generations—an approach that is hard to achieve over short political cycles. To address this problem, a schedule to review and update the Rising Seas plan has been added to the City’s environmental workplan to ensure it is not forgotten.

The project was also challenged by a lack of funding at the outset, so the City conducted preliminary mapping, calculations and photography in-house, an approach that could be applied by other coastal communities with sufficient LiDAR (a digital mapping tool) or other topographic data. The City also relied on a co-op student for initial field research, particularly a detailed survey and visual record of the coastal area at risk. The preliminary work provided a sufficient assessment to pursue grant funding and hire professional coastal engineers.

The Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Program, a project of Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and nine partner municipalities (City of Toronto, Regional Municipality of Peel, City of Brampton, City of Mississauga, Town of Caledon, Regional Municipality of York, City of Richmond Hill, City of Markham, and City of Vaughan), received an honourable mention in FCM’s 2020 Sustainable Communities Awards.

Cities and communities across Canada face challenges in retrofitting aging infrastructure and mitigating the effects of climate change. The Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Program (SNAP) is a program that helps communities accelerate sustainable urban renewal and climate action through projects tailored to neighbourhoods’ needs and circumstances.  

Collaborative approach brings municipal governments and stakeholders together

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and its nine participating partner municipalities saw a need for innovative approaches to expedite municipal infrastructure renewal, sustainability and climate action plans. The program helps local governments achieve high-level municipal plans and objectives by implementing retrofit projects customized for a particular neighbourhood, such as initiatives aimed at managing stormwater, restoring urban forest, and reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. SNAP involves collaboration between TRCA, municipal government representatives and a broad range of local stakeholders. By consulting with local stakeholders, the process benefits from local knowledge, helps build relationships and empowers communities to find innovative solutions that achieve shared goals.

Significant environmental benefits realized through SNAP programs

There are currently eight SNAP initiatives in various stages throughout TRCA jurisdiction that, together, have resulted in over 10,000 trees and shrubs being planted, eight significant green infrastructure projects including bioswales, stormwater ponds and wetlands and 32 green infrastructure, urban agriculture, energy, water and waste initiatives in multi-dwelling residential and commercial properties. In addition to their primary goals, these projects also improve air quality, help address urban heat islands and increase groundwater infiltration by reducing hard surfaces and increasing vegetation and tree cover.

Focus on local interests generates social, economic benefits

SNAP projects generate a variety of social benefits, such as fostering social connections and a sense of belonging, providing skills training and increasing residents’ access to healthy food options through urban agriculture. Economic benefits vary by project. For example, better stormwater management reduces the risk of basement flooding, home energy and water retrofits lower utility bills and local food production cuts grocery bills. Moreover, the SNAP program enables delivery of multiple municipal objectives with limited public budgets, through strategies such as cost-sharing arrangements, finding innovative funding sources and leveraging planned capital projects.    

SNAP team working on implementing many lessons learned

Over its 10 years, the SNAP process has exposed a number of valuable lessons, many of which come down to the need for collaboration, cooperation and coordination. To address a need for supportive municipal policy to rationalize diverse program delivery, SNAP developed a screening tool to evaluate neighbourhood investments and program development. The project team has observed and documented successful tactics for overcoming barriers, such as inter-departmental silos, procurement policies that limit public-private partnerships and misalignment of short-term funding cycles with long-term goals. The program has also refined its socio-economic metrics framework to better evaluate and report co-benefits and multi-year tracking. In response to the tendency to address present day problems with short-term solutions, SNAP is tracking the success of social innovation tactics to inspire future-ready solutions.     

Discover the outstanding environmental initiatives that received FCM’s 2020 Sustainable Communities awards. The awards are given in eight categories, plus the Visionary Award that was added this year to honour the 20^th anniversary of the Green Municipal Fund.

Below you will find short case studies and TED-style video presentations about each winning project. Find out about the successes and challenges of each winning project and learn best practices your community can apply to develop your next sustainable initiative.  

2020 Sustainable Communities Award winners

• Asset Management: City of Vernon, BC — City of Vernon Drainage Infrastructure Prioritization Plan
• Brownfields: City of Montreal, QC — Rehabilitation of the Pointe-Saint-Charles industrial park (PEPSC)
• Climate Change: City of Campbell River, BC — Campbell River Rising Seas
• Energy: Town of Raymond, AB — Raymond Electrical Net Zero
• Inspire Award and Neighbourhoods: City of Edmonton, AB — Blatchford
• Transportation – co-winners
  • Region of Waterloo, ON — Growing Up: The Story of ION Light Rail in Waterloo Region
  • Town of Cochrane, AB — Cochrane On-demand Local Transit
• Waste: Town of Canmore, AB — Canmore Food Waste Collection Pilot
• Water: Corporation of Loyalist Township, ON — Amherstview Water Pollution Control Plant Constructed Wetland
• Visionary Award: Regional Districts of Central Kootenay, East Kootenay, and Kootenay Boundary, BC — Accelerate Kootenays

Honourable mentions

• Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and nine partner municipalities including: City of Toronto, Regional Municipality of Peel, City of Brampton, City of Mississauga, Town of Caledon, Regional Municipality of York, City of Richmond Hill, City of Markham and City of Vaughan —Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Program
• Town of Paradise, NL — Octagon Pond Brownfield Redevelopment Project

The City of Vernon, BC, Drainage Infrastructure Prioritization Plan is the 2020 winner in the asset management category of FCM’s Sustainable Communities Awards.

In recent years, the City of Vernon, BC, has been challenged by climate-related events, including flooding, landslides and wildfires. To mitigate future impacts, the City applied a climate change lens to evaluate the vulnerabilities of their drainage network. This enabled them to prioritize their flood mitigation planning process.

City used asset management approach to evaluate drainage system

The City of Vernon is located in the North Okanagan region of BC, where climate change projections show increasing precipitation and more frequent storm events that include heavy rain. By applying an asset management approach and assessing their drainage infrastructure through a climate vulnerability lens, the City developed a risk assessment framework, mapped overland water flow paths and developed a prioritized list of drainage projects that can be incorporated in the City’s capital planning.  

Detailed topographical imaging used to show water flow paths

To collect the information they needed to assess risk, the City partnered with a provincial initiative to capture LiDAR data (a digital mapping tool) for the entire Okanagan Lake watershed. This let them affordably access the data they needed to calculate the most likely water flow paths from the moment a drop hits the ground until it reaches a receiving body of water. By modeling a once-in-a-hundred-year rainfall event, the City predicted flooding and related impacts on infrastructure.  

Outcomes include protecting watershed and optimizing infrastructure investments

Almost all stormwater drainage in the City flows into creeks that lead to Okanagan Lake, and these streams have been shown to have poor water quality. The Drainage Infrastructure Prioritization Plan identifies and prioritizes works that will prevent further impact on the watershed and other natural assets, as well as critical infrastructure assets such as roads. Infrastructure that may be affected by climate change in the years to come is identified as higher priority, such as within environmentally sensitive areas, or proximal to areas of higher population. Overland flow paths through steep slopes that have the potential to cause erosion are also high priority for protection or improvement. Overall, the plan will help the City direct funds to projects that provide multiple benefits and reduce the highest risks. By linking the economic impact of drainage infrastructure failure to risk, the City can make better-informed decisions about infrastructure investments and the risks to service delivery.    

Data collection and management proved challenging

With nearly 5,000 individual storm sewer segments and 16,000 unique overland flow routes in the city, managing large amounts of data proved to be the project’s biggest challenge. The project team developed a methodology that combined GIS data with information from available reports and designs in order to estimate flow rates. While the method did not capture the subtleties of detailed hydrologic modelling, it was adequate for the comparative assessment required. Finding topographic data that covered the study area was another challenge, which the project team overcame through its partnership with the Okanagan Basin Water Board to capture LiDAR. In the future, the City expects to face challenges related to overland flow routes. With a high level of impervious areas in the city already, the city will have to inform residents and developers about how water moves through the region and work together with them to restore natural flow paths and protect existing ones.