The City of Bromont, a tourist haven, is experiencing a population boom. The municipal council is taking steps to ensure that this growth occurs while respecting the environment, the surrounding countryside and the quality of life in the community.

To reach its goal, the city has adopted a sustainable development plan that sets out a vision for Bromont in 2030. Over the course of 20 public forums, residents actively participated in developing this vision - one that follows The Natural Step's sustainability framework. The five-step plan includes practical initiatives for businesses and residents and serves as a reference guide to spur the community into action.

The municipality will use the plan to identify priorities related to investment and operating costs when drafting its annual budget.

Results

Environmental	Economic	Social
Protection of water bodies and 20% of land Direct action to conserve drinking water 40% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 (compared to 2010 figures)	Diversification of the economy Promotion of ethical tourism  "Shop local" campaign	Natural and historic features recognized as valuable assests Job creation in sports and leisure sectors

Challenges

• Each municipal department should make sustainable development a priority and provide appropriate training for staff.
• The sustainable development plan will only succeed if all the stakeholders (municipality, business and industry, and residents) are fully invested in it.

Lessons learned

• An project analysis to date shows this is a costly undertaking and progress has been limited. It would be more worthwhile to focus on a long-term goal rather than focussing on what needs to be improved.
• Involving the public is especially important for defining issues and establishing a long-term vision.
• Bring in an expert panel to create a concrete action and avoid the risk of being too general, or not suitably innovative.

Resources

The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville developed a Regional Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) that provides a strategic framework for its 12 municipalities (10 members and two partners) to address sustainability objectives and priorities. The ICSP functions as a two-tier plan, operating at both the regional and local levels, with customization options that allow the municipalities to address individual priorities with local action plans. One of the largest multi-municipality ICSPs undertaken in Canada, it complements existing local community plans. The plan includes a monitoring program; and the municipalities established a governance structure to facilitate continuous improvement and annual reporting. Development of the ICSP included two rounds of public consultation, as well as online surveys and a social media presence, with support from a community liaison team. A process report, published after the plan's completion, provides a detailed overview of the methodology used to prepare the plan and serves as a useful reference for other communities.

Results

Challenges

• During action planning, many participants said that the ICSP should all-inclusive; however, many of the initial action plans were not achievable because of resource limitations.
• Although the counties launched a Facebook account for the project, it did not generate as much interest as it might have if the counties had established a pre-existing social media platform.
• In the first public consultation session, participants from the different communities were preoccupied with local issues and opportunities, and had difficulty focusing on the overall vision and principles for the region.

Lessons learned

• Develop local action plans that balance the desire to include everything with awareness of resource constraints, to better support implementation and maintain momentum.
• Employ a consultant to ensure that all voices are heard and to provide objective feedback; but budget sufficient staff time for liaison with rural communities, to ensure participation and support.
• Establish a social media presence in advance of the planning process, to foster youth engagement and ensure their participation.
• Develop a focused monitoring program that does not require too much administrative effort.

Partners and Collaborators

• Township of Augusta
• Township of Athens
• Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal
• Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley
• Township of Front of Yonge
• Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands
• Village of Merrickville-Wolford
• Municipality of North Grenville
• Township of Rideau Lakes
• City of Brockville
• Town of Gananoque
• Town of Prescott
• Federal Gas Tax Agreement

Project Contact

Ann Weir
Economic Development Manager
United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
T. 613-342-3840, ext. 5365

The Campbell River Community Plan charts a course to preserve the environment, develop the economy and manage growth. It calls for sustainable policies on housing, infrastructure, transportation, energy and emissions management, and community services. By integrating the three pillars of sustainability — society and culture, the economy and the environment — the 50-year plan will allow the community to address global warming, changes in the resource sector and challenges posed by an aging population. The city partnered with three First Nations in a planning process that involved more than 1,500 members of the community. 

Results

Challenges

• Partnerships with local First Nations — essential to the success of the sustainability plan — were complicated due to long-standing grievances.
• The three First Nations communities had not been included in previous official plans.
• The city had to draft a suite of supporting plans for transportation, agriculture, energy and emissions, and solid waste.

Lessons learned

• The council-to-council meetings with local First Nations were an important starting point.
• With so many consultants involved, it was important to have a single, accountable project manager. Keeping public consultations focused on the practical steps for the community was essential.

Resources

• Sustainable Official Community Plan

Partners and Collaborators

• GP Rollo & Associates
• Urban Systems
• Beringia Community Planning

Project Contact

Ross Blackwell
Land Use Manager
City of Campbell River
T. 250-286-5748

The City of Parksville has developed a new Official Community Plan to address issues such as smart growth, climate change, downtown revitalization, sustainable tourism and shoreline protection.

The plan is built around sustainability goals that will guide future land use and development policies. These goals include support for mixed-use development and compact housing, alternatives to automobile transportation, increasing water and energy conservation and lowering GHG emissions.

The city plan will support the development of a "live-work" culture, protect the community's natural heritage and encourage residents to buy locally and to explore the local environment. 

With the new Official Plan in place, Parksville is poised for its future as an attractive, economically vibrant community with sustainable amenities and services for permanent residents and tourists alike.

Results

Challenges

• Many members of the public found the legal requirements for an Official Community Plan difficult to understand and were frustrated that some of their suggestions could not be incorporated.
• It is difficult to involve busy young adults in the community. The youngest residents attending public hearings were in their mid fifties.

Lessons learned

• Manage public expectations. The content of an OCP is strictly governed by the Local Government Act. Explain to stakeholders how this limits the plan to land use or community development.
• Hire an independent facilitator or consultant to manage the committees, encourage open discussion and avoid getting caught up in political issues.
• Build flexibility into the planning process. There will almost certainly be delays and requirements for additional resources.

Resources

• Plan Parksville
• Plan Parksville: A Vision for Our Future, Official Community Plan

Partners and collaborators

• Regional District of Nanaimo

Project contact

Blaine C. Russell, 
Director of Community Planning
City of Parksville, B.C. 
T. 250-954-4660

The City of Mississauga has a master plan to instill environmental consciousness in its corporate DNA. The plan outlines actions the city can take to meet the environmental goals in its 2009 strategic plan.

That means developing a transit-oriented city, making neighbourhoods more livable and connected, and helping residents and businesses make environmentally sustainable decisions. The plan has three categories of actions for the city to implement over the next decade: ways to set an example, ways to encourage others, and ways (like regulations and bylaws) to compel others. The plan includes indicators to measure the city's environmental progress

Results

Challenges

• Too short a time frame for the project.
• Building confidence among city staff that the master plan would support their programs, rather than dictate priorities.
• Changing habits among city staff and in the wider community.
• Finding the money to properly implement the plan.

Lessons learned

• Create a realistic schedule.
• Allocate sufficient resources, including a special events planner, for the public consultations. These events raise awareness of and build support for the plan.
• Budget for an editor and designer to make a reader-friendly final plan.

Partners and collaborators

• City of Mississauga
• Canadian Urban Institute
• FCM's Green Municipal Fund

Resources

• City of Mississauga Living Green Master Plan

Project contact

Mary Bracken
Project Lead, Living Green Master Plan
City of Mississauga, ON
T. 905-615-3200, ext. 4918

The City of Corner Brook developed a 10-year integrated municipal sustainability plan (IMSP) that serves as a hybrid document, combining the goals and objectives of an integrated community sustainability plan with the legislative authority of a municipal plan. It includes a vision, goals and objectives for long-term development, addressing the five pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, social, cultural and governance. It includes specific policies, regulations and implementation targets for the physical design and development of the city and identifies opportunities for partnership and collaboration. In force under the province's Urban and Rural Planning Act, the IMSP replaces Corner Brook's 1994-2004 Municipal Plan. The full plan is expressed in two documents: the Integrated Municipal Sustainability Plan and the Development Regulations.

To develop the plan, the city completed an extensive community consultation process, including public meetings and communication with stakeholder groups. Provincial government departments were also consulted. Municipal staff worked closely on the regulatory aspects of the plan to ensure that it would align with regional and provincial policy instruments.

Results

Challenges

• The process of working remotely with consulting firms located in other provinces was a challenge. Modern communication technologies cannot replace the added value of being located in the same community and the efficiency of holding face-to-face meetings to resolve issues quickly.
• The time required to complete the plan was longer than anticipated because of the complexity of prepare a hybrid document that combines sustainability goals with regulatory policies that must align with provincial legal frameworks.

Lessons learned

• Identify the appropriate type of plan for the community (anything from a simple statement of visions and objectives to a detailed, legally binding implementation document) by considering how the plan will be used and assessing the resources available for its preparation.
• Collaborate closely with the consultant preparing the plan, to ensure that every detail fits the local community.
• Allow adequate time for municipal staff to complete multiple revisions of development regulations so that the regulations are fully aligned with related policies.

Resources

• Corner Brook Integrated Municipal Sustainability Plan 2012
• National Building Code of Canada 2010

Partners and collaborators

• The city consulted several provincial government departments (including the Department of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs), municipal staff, residents and numerous community representatives of service groups, seniors, youth, environmental groups, economic boards and community development associations.

Project contact

Colleen Humphries
Supervisor of Planning
City of Corner Brook, NL
T. 709-637-1553

This is part of a series of case studies on wastewater projects funded by the FCM's Green Municipal Fund. Each case study provides technical information, project details and tips on best practices.

Project overview

The Town of St. Andrews, NB, upgraded its wastewater treatment plant to meet environmental standards, improve quality of life for residents and create capacity for growth. To increase capacity while minimizing costs and the environmental impact of construction, the town chose to make one of its two existing facultative treatment ponds deeper and add a lining to the pond, rather than build a new pond. The town also introduced submerged aeration and UV disinfection systems and installed a monitoring and control system. The upgrades are part of a broader, ongoing wastewater plan that includes separating the town's storm sewer connections from its sanitary collection system and encouraging citizens to remove foundation drains from their sanitary sewer service lines. 

Reasons for the project

• The town needed to increase the capacity of its wastewater treatment plant to allow for growth.
• Some equipment was reaching the end of its service life.
• The system was not in compliance with Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations and standards set by the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government.

Innovative aspects of the project

• The upgrades will lead to significant improvements in the watershed and allow the community to grow in a sustainable manner.

Best practices and key lessons

The municipality's experience with this project demonstrates some best practices and key lessons that can inform similar projects.

Engage early and broadly

• The town met with the provincial Department of Environment and Local Government early on to gain support, expedite the permitting process and learn from its expertise.
• During the scoping stage, the town engaged with local residents to explain the project and its benefits and obtain feedback. The town ended up modifying the design to address residents' concerns.
• For a small municipality, obtaining community buy-in and support is particularly important when a project involves borrowing funds or increasing user fees to pay for upgrades.

Conduct background research

• As a smaller community, it was important that the town do its own research, rather than simply rely on a consultant, in order to explore a full range of options and make the best choices for the community. The research helped the town identify new technologies, estimate costs and learn from other municipalities' experiences.

Include contingencies in the project budget to avoid schedule delays

• The project was delayed because of weather, contractor delays and cost overruns.
• The bids received by the town were significantly higher than anticipated in the project budget (close to $4 million compared to the budget of $3 million). This was compounded by the fact that the project had been pre-approved by the Building Canada Fund for funding that would cover two-thirds of the original (lower) budget. The town was responsible for all the additional costs, which would have doubled its financial contribution to the project. To move forward, the town worked with the contractor and a design consultant to modify the project design and schedule, reducing costs without sacrificing the integrity of the project.

View of lagoons for Town of St. Andrews, NB, wastewater treatment facility. (Credit: Town of St. Andrews)

Project benefits

This project yielded a number of environmental, social and economic benefits. 

Environmental benefits

• Decreased energy use and greenhouse gas emissions: The plant upgrades have yielded a 26 per cent reduction in annual power consumption.
• Improved effluent quality: Water quality now meets regulatory standards.
• Reduced chemical residuals: With the introduction of ultraviolet disinfection, water discharges are now cleaner.
• Protected biodiversity and ecosystem: The quality of the discharge has improved, benefitting the surrounding ecosystem and leading to greater aquatic health.
• Decreased noise pollution: The previous mechanical aerators created an extremely loud howling sound that disturbed neighbours and people in the nearby campground. Replacement of this system has reduced noise pollution in the community.
• Decreased odour pollution: The improvements to the treatment process have eliminated the odours perceived by local residents and pedestrians.

Social benefits

• Protection of public health: The quality of the discharge has improved, benefitting the natural environment and, in turn, improving human health.
• Improved staff health and safety: The upgraded wastewater treatment plant meets health and safety regulations, creating safer working conditions for municipal staff.
• Community beautification: The project improved the aesthetics of the treatment site by making the facility more compatible with its surroundings.
• Improved service delivery: The upgraded plant has a greater water treatment capacity.

Economic benefits

• Decreased operating costs: The plant's upgraded technology is more efficient, reducing operating costs.
• Decreased maintenance costs: The new equipment will be less likely to break down, resulting in less downtime and reduced maintenance costs.
• Increased potential to attract new residents and businesses: The increased wastewater treatment capacity will allow the town to attract new growth and support sustainable development.
• Local business development: The improved effluent water quality may contribute to the return of shellfish harvesting in the local area, which has been suspended for many years due to poor water quality in the Chamcook Lake and the larger Passamaquoddy Bay. In addition, increased presence of larger marine life, such as sea birds and whales, will attract visitors and may represent a source of income for local tour boat operators.

Project contact information

Chris Spear
Treasurer/Deputy Clerk
Town of St. Andrews, NB
T. 506-529-5250

Dan Bartlett
Water & Sewer Technician
Town of St. Andrews, NB
T. 506-529-5255