Learn from the City of Nanaimo's experience in reviving its downtown and waterfront

Downtown waterfronts are at the heart of many Canadian communities. For many, waterfronts were once bustling engines of a past industrial economy; some now sit vacant — void of the productivity that once supported their communities. Often derelict and sometimes contaminated, these brownfield sites create barriers between citizens and their waterfronts — and there are often challenges for redeveloping these sites. 

Watch this webinar to find out how municipalities can work through partnerships to move beyond these barriers. Speakers will describe how partnerships have been central to efforts in the City of Nanaimo, BC, in reconnecting its shoreline and downtown communities. Since 2000, the city has collaborated with local businesses, property owners, the Snuneymuxw First Nation, the Government of Canada and the Province of BC. FCM's Green Municipal Fund has supported Nanaimo's brownfield redevelopment strategy to help guide this progress.

You'll learn:

• How visioning and planning has set Nanaimo's course toward implementing successful brownfield redevelopment initiatives
• How strong partnerships with stakeholders are vital to brownfield redevelopment
• How the city set its risk tolerance in acquiring a contaminated site  

Speakers

• Bill Corsan, Manager, Real Estate — City of Nanaimo, BC
• Darren Moss, Chair of Planning, Design & Development Committee — Downtown Nanaimo BIA, and Professional Engineer, Tectonica

Request this resource

Would you like to receive this resource by email? Contact us today. In your request, please include the full name of the resource.

This is the first article in the three-part series Tips for a successful wastewater treatment plant upgrade.

The series provides a framework to help municipalities develop innovative and sustainable wastewater system projects. The articles highlight the three key phases of a project and draw on proven lessons from a dozen of the successful wastewater treatment studies and projects that FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF) has funded.

In this article, we cover the first phase: Project scoping and stakeholder engagement. Follow the tips below to develop a project scope and stakeholder engagement strategy that will work for your municipality and get your project off to a strong start.

Project scoping and stakeholder engagement

How a project is defined and who is involved in defining it set the stage for the rest of the wastewater treatment project. In this article, we outline four tips based on best practices for this phase of your project.

Tip 1: Develop a long-term vision

Begin by creating a vision for wastewater treatment in your community over the next 25 to 50 years. Use this vision to drive your short-term planning and decision making. All project plans should clearly demonstrate that the project can both advance these long-term goals and support sustainability plans for your municipality.

• Form a leadership group to participate in a value-engineering exercise.
• Use the long-term vision to attract interest and support from funders and community members.
• Invest in existing systems with the long-term vision in mind, rather than making piecemeal changes.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case study on Cranbrook, BC, to learn about their innovative approach to defining their project's scope. Consult the presentations on project scoping and stakeholder engagement from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 2: Engage early and broadly

Early in the project you must engage with a wide range of decision makers, practitioners, regulators and the public. It is critical to maintain constant communication and hold regular meetings with all the key external stakeholders to keep them informed and involved, and to gain their support for the project.

• Meet with your provincial environment department officials early in the process to learn from their expertise, gain their support and expedite the permitting process.
• Engage the community to explain the project and its benefits, and to modify the design to address their concerns. This will help you earn community buy-in and support.
• Maintain regular engagement with practitioners, decision makers and the public through appropriate communication channels.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case studies on St. Andrews, NB, Picton, ON, and Cranbrook, BC, to see how they engaged stakeholders in their projects. Consult the presentations on project scoping and stakeholder engagement from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 3: Conduct background research

Background research should include assessing the performance of current systems, undertaking optimization studies, conducting feasibility studies and reviewing what other municipalities have done. It is important to learn about other municipalities' experiences, both good and bad, and to conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of viable approaches and their costs. Conducting background research on suitable technologies and innovations is critical to your project's success.

• Do your own research and involve local regulators, interest groups and citizens. Work with regulators and interest groups (e.g. conservation authorities) and identify the regional environmental trends and requirements (e.g. declining phosphorous limits).
• Work with operations and maintenance staff to conduct a detailed review of your current operations at the treatment facility before initiating any design. This will reduce the likelihood of repeating design approaches that are not working or of introducing an innovation that is not compatible with the current system.
• Brainstorm and discuss issues with others to see if you can identify innovative ways to use existing technologies. New technologies may not always be required to achieve your goals.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case studies on St.Andrews, NB, Barrie, ON, and Cranbrook, BC, to discover how solid background research helped their projects succeed. Consult the presentations on project scoping and stakeholder engagement from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 4: Develop a clear project scope

It is important to clearly define the needs and desired outcomes of your project before settling on a new technological solution or deciding that optimized use of existing technology will work. Be sure to develop a clear project definition that presents the scope of the project, as well as its goals, objectives, functional requirements, financial considerations and timelines.

Checklist for a successful wastewater treatment plant upgrade

Use our project checklist to ensure you are addressing the key issues in every phase of your project.

This is the second article in the three-part series Tips for a successful wastewater treatment plant upgrade. 

The articles in this series highlight the three key phases of a project and draw on proven lessons from a dozen of the successful wastewater treatment studies and projects that FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF) has funded.

In the first article in this series, we looked at best practices for project scoping and generating stakeholder engagement. In this article, we'll examine the second phase, project planning and design, and outline three suggestions for assessing options and selecting your preferred approach to your wastewater treatment plant project.

Project planning and design

It is important to take the time to get the planning stage right. Our review of GMF-funded wastewater projects revealed that insufficient investment in planning and analysis was a common and important challenge. 

Municipalities often face pressure from funders, regulators and stakeholders to move forward quickly with a wastewater project, particularly if they are not in compliance with effluent quality requirements. This can result in project design decisions that do not consider the full range of solutions available and their life cycle costs and can lead to delays and cost overruns during the construction and operation phases. 

Successful municipalities recognize that innovative and sustainable projects require an integrated approach to planning, management and decision making.

Tip 1: Use integrated teams and processes

Establish an integrated project team with representatives from each of the relevant departments in your municipality, and engage this team throughout the design process. 

Involving staff members from different departments (e.g. procurement, environment, etc.) will bring a range of new perspectives to the project and help you anticipate potential problems. The composition of this group can vary according to the size of your municipality and its structure. For example, very small municipalities may only have one operator for their treatment facility, but a larger municipality may have several layers of organization. 

Moreover, successful municipalities understand the importance of involving operations staff in every stage of the project from preliminary design through to commissioning. This integrated team approach increases all team members' understanding and sense of ownership of the project, and leads to better decisions and designs.  

• Consult operations staff members directly and regularly throughout the preliminary and detailed design process. Their input will help shape the project, identify cost-cutting activities and foster a sense of ownership during subsequent project phases and the operation of the plant.
• Use an integrated design process (IDP) and bring together internal participants from different departments and levels (e.g. administration, procurement, operations) along with key external participants (e.g. regulators, architects, engineers, contractors, users, researchers, consultants). Integrated teams and IDPs tend to create better approaches and plans, reducing the risk of unanticipated delays later in the project.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case studies on Brockville, ON, and Picton, ON, for examples of successful, integrated project teams. Consult the presentations on project planning and design from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 2: Optimize long-term returns on investment 

As owners and operators of wastewater systems, municipalities bear both the construction and the operating costs of these facilities. Thus, it is important to look beyond the initial capital costs to select the technologies and systems with the best long-term return on investment. Making the best decisions to ensure efficiency in both construction and operations is critical to achieving long-term cost savings and optimal performance.  

The experience of our partners suggests that you should consider two approaches: 

• Life-cycle cost analysis includes a range of techniques to look at the potential environmental impacts of a product or project and the costs of purchasing, owning, operating, maintaining and disposing of it. This approach helps decision makers compare the full costs of the various options and select the option(s) with the best long-term return on investment, rather than automatically going with the option with the cheapest upfront costs.
• Value engineering is a structured approach to analyzing projects, products or services to deliver the maximum value for the municipality. The process focusses on achieving the optimal balance between function, performance, quality, safety and cost. While value engineering is most effective when used during the design stage, most of the projects we reviewed used it during the procurement process to look for cost savings.

Use either a life-cycle cost analysis or a value engineering approach early on to identify and preselect the technology that provides the best value for your municipality's needs. Later, use the results of life-cycle cost analysis and other cost-benefit analysis to guide the tendering process.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case studies on Amherstburg, ON, and Argyle, NS, to see how these approaches were used successfully. Consult the presentations on project planning and design from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 3: Include contingencies in the project budget and schedule 

Contingency planning is important to manage delays and cost overruns due to problems with contractors, suppliers and extreme weather events. Working with specialized cost consultants to develop risk management plans will help you to create more realistic budgets and schedules. 

At a minimum, municipalities should build a 25 per cent contingency into their budgets for financing or fundraising purposes. With this contingency line in place, your municipality will be able to access the funds it needs without looking for alternative forms of financing should additional costs be incurred.

• Build in budget and schedule contingencies to deal with cost increases, extreme weather, contractor delays and other potential challenges.
• For upgrades on existing facilities, include sequencing activities so operations at the plant will be able to continue undisturbed.
• Set clear requirements to complete scheduled work before releasing payment.
• Work and communicate with the contractor and funding partners to resolve delays and deal with any additional costs without sacrificing the integrity of the project.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case studies on Waterloo, ON, Wetaskiwin, AB, Amherstburg, ON, and St. Andrews, NB, which illustrate how rigorous planning and estimating processes enabled these projects to overcome delays and increased costs. Consult the presentations on project planning and design from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Checklist for a successful wastewater treatment plant upgrade

Use our project checklist to ensure you are addressing the key issues in every phase of your project.

This is the third article in the three-part series Tips for a successful wastewater treatment plant upgrade. 

The articles in this series highlight the three key phases of a project and draw on proven lessons from a dozen of the successful wastewater treatment studies and projects that FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF) has funded.

In the first article in this series, we looked at best practices for project scoping and generating stakeholder engagement. The second article discussed how successful municipalities conducted their planning and design stage.

In this third and final article, we review the procurement, construction and start-up phase of the project and discuss four best practices to:

• Follow flexible procurement practices that place a higher weight on quality and experience, since lower-cost bids do not necessarily result in lower-cost projects.
• Communicate constantly and coordinate the activities of the stakeholders involved in the construction, operation and start-up of the project.
• Prepare training and change management plans to support operations and maintenance staff after start-up.
• Create detailed plans for testing and commissioning to ensure proper and continuous performance of the plant.  

Procurement, construction and start-up

Tip 1: Use flexible procurement processes

The best approach to selecting products, engineering consultants and service providers is a flexible, alternatives-to-lowest-bid procurement practice, such as Qualifications-based Selection (or QBS).

QBS is a competitive process for selecting a professional consulting firm based on their technical competence, experience with similar projects, personnel, local knowledge and availability. The municipality then negotiates the project schedule, budget and fees with the successful proponent. Selecting a consultant based on qualifications does not preclude consideration of price. It simply removes it from the consultant evaluation phase and introduces it after the scope of service has been determined. 

In our case studies, we saw three successful approaches to QBS procurement:  
 
Prequalify service providers and equipment based on quality
Save time by using a prequalification process to set the minimum quality of bids for selecting contractors, sub-consultants and/or equipment. In some cases, municipalities have Procurement By-laws which must be followed.

• Use a quality-based selection process so that only contractors with extensive relevant experience can receive qualifying scores.
• Preselect the equipment that will enable your municipality to use life-cycle cost analysis when comparing different suppliers.
• Provide the scope of work, drawings, specs and Request for Proposal to suppliers so they can submit an expression of interest and prequalification form.

Use alternative service delivery
A conventional procurement approach typically involves hiring one firm to design the wastewater system and then a second firm to build it. In some cases, a third firm will be hired to operate the facility. Consider an alternative approach and seek a single bidder to either design and build (DB) or design, build and operate (DBO) the system.
 
Optimize project design and cost
Work with your successful bidders to see if changes in the project design or tender details could reduce the project cost without compromising its performance.

• Present bidders with the opportunity to operate the facility and offset their upfront capital costs against future income, or to finance the project and make money on the investment.  The builder-operator will be more likely to choose the appropriate construction methods while keeping in mind the operating costs.
• Work with the design/build team to determine what aspects of the project can be eliminated or modified without impacting the project goals.
• Consider modifying the project schedule to reduce costs.  

Overall, it's important to evaluate the procurement options and select the ones that are most appropriate for your project and organization. Selecting the right method will also help you build a case for the decision makers so they understand the need for quality and don't automatically pick the lowest bid.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read our case studies to see how Kapuskasing, ON, used a quality-based selection process for suppliers, Picton, ON, implemented a design-build contract and St. Andrews, NB, adjusted the project schedule to reduce costs. You may also want to consult the presentations on procurement, construction and start-up from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 2: Use effective communications and project management

Effective communication and project management are major success factors for your project. It is important to maintain constant communication and active coordination with all parties involved in the project design, construction and operation, including contractors, consultants, operators, city departments and decision makers.

Recommended communication tools and methods include:

• Ongoing, transparent public engagement and communications through the municipal website, press releases and media events, open houses, newsletters, community events and social media.
• Frequent, integrated project management meetings with all internal and external parties involved in the design, construction and operation to coordinate activities, proactively identify and address potential issues, and share project updates.
• Regular reporting to council, funders and regulators on the status of the project. Some municipalities retain a project management firm to lead that process, which allows for a number of individuals to share their expertise.
• Using experienced project managers, either from within the municipality or from an external project management firm.
• Appointing a Project Champion to work with the design team, with broad authority for day-to-day decision making and to delegate authority to the senior administration to award contracts within pre-approved budgets.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read our case studies to see how different approaches worked for two municipalities: Cranbrook, BC, appointed a Project Champion to lead a team of city staff, while Brockville, ON, retained a project management firm. Consult the presentations on procurement, construction and start-up from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 3: Develop a comprehensive training and change plan

The success of your state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant, delivered on time and under budget, will depend on having qualified staff who know how to operate and maintain it. 

Prepare staff members to manage the new system by developing training materials and clear guidance. Start training your plant operators during the construction stage so that they are familiar with all the changes and requirements. Throughout this process, it is important to build a sense of ownership among operations staff and to share the rationale for adopting any new procedures.

• Develop detailed databases, manuals and built drawings.
• Involve operations staff in the design, construction and commissioning processes.
• Develop training curriculum and change management plans.
• If possible, make the operations manuals available electronically on tablets for the staff to carry with them as they are working around the plant, rather than consulting cumbersome paper manuals for technical details.
• Update the operations and equipment manufacturer's product information as soon as updates are issued.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case study on Amherstburg, ON, to see how operations staff benefit from using tablets to gain easy, timely access to the manuals they require. Consult the presentations on procurement, construction and start-up from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Tip 4: Prepare detailed testing and commissioning work plans

Emphasize planning for testing and commissioning at the beginning of the project to minimize shutdowns and ensure performance. This is particularly important when dealing with the expansion of an existing facility that needs to keep operating during the testing phase.

• Conduct constructability reviews to establish the appropriate sequencing to maintain continuous operations during an expansion.
• Develop detailed work plans, complete with contingency planning, when taking major process units in and out of service.
• Provide temporary facilities and/or controls as required for the continuous operation of the plant during construction.
• Physically confirm the operability of any existing equipment, such as valves and gates that will be used for tie-ins and commissioning. If this equipment has been sitting idle, it may not function as required when needed.

Learn what other municipalities have done

Read the case studies on Barrie, ON, and Waterloo, ON, to understand how physically testing equipment and developing detailed work plans helped them ensure performance of their plants. Consult the presentations on procurement, construction and start-up from our online workshop series on wastewater best practices.

Checklist for a successful wastewater treatment plant upgrade

Use our project checklist to ensure you are addressing the key issues in every phase of your project.

Discover practical and cost-effective sustainability solutions for your community

Many of today's innovative best practices in sustainability seemed radical just 10 years ago. In a series of six articles, we explore inspiring projects and sustainability solutions being implemented in cities and towns of all sizes across Canada. 

Read the whole series to find new ideas to bring to your municipal council, learn more about concepts you may already have heard about, and find resources to help you implement these solutions in your community. 

Articles in the series

How to gain $1.2M in value from wastewater

• Learn about Cranbrook, BC's award-winning project to reclaim wastewater for irrigation. Part of a series on sustainability ideas for Canadian communities. 

How Saint-Hyacinthe turns waste into biogas

• Learn how a Quebec community creates biogas plus environmental and economic benefits from organic waste.

Do you have aging suburban infrastructure?

• Learn how Brampton, ON, is preparing its older suburbs for climate change. Part of a series on sustainability ideas for Canadian communities.

Why net-zero energy helps reduce emissions and costs

• Net-zero energy buildings are designed to produce as much energy as they consume. Learn how this can help your community reduce greenhouse gases and costs. 

Cut GHG in half with low-carbon design

• Explore an important sustainability approach Canadian municipalities can use to lower GHG and infrastructure costs, and increase affordable housing.

How to quadruple bike use in your region

• Follow Ottawa's lead and integrate transit and cycling to increase bike use year-round. Part of a series on sustainability ideas for Canadian communities.

This series was inspired by "From Crazy to Common Sense: 'Radical' Ideas Whose Time Have Come," a workshop held at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' 2016 Sustainable Communities Conference.

Session summary

Cities and communities across Canada have brownfield sites in their municipality — former commercial or industrial sites that are vacant or underutilized, and suitable for redevelopment.

Watch our webinar recording to learn how your community can take on brownfield projects and programs to redevelop these sites, from engaging stakeholders and developing a brownfield strategy, to implementing solutions and tracking your successes.

During this webinar, you'll:

• Learn about best practices in brownfield redevelopment
• Discover key steps for brownfield renewal initiatives
• Hear about FCM's brownfield revitalization resources and funding

Who should watch

Municipal staff in the brownfields sector, as well as staff from the economic and urban planning departments. Elected officials interested in learning more about brownfield redevelopment can also benefit from the webinar.

Speakers

• Alex Cool-Fergus, Project Coordinator, Knowledge Services, FCM's Green Municipal Fund
• Benjamin Koczwarski, Advisor, Programs Outreach, FCM's Green Municipal Fund

Webinar

Read the transcript.

This checklist outlines the best practices for your municipality to follow to ensure a successful wastewater upgrade project. It is based on a three-part article series that provides a framework to help municipalities develop innovative and sustainable wastewater system projects.

It highlights important points to consider during each of the three phases of a successful project:

1. Phase 1: Project scoping and stakeholder engagement
2. Phase 2: Project planning and design
3. Phase 3: Procurement, construction and start-up

Use the checklist as a guide to ensure that you are addressing the key issues during each phase of your project.

Phase 1: Project scoping and stakeholder engagement

How a wastewater treatment project is defined and who is involved in defining it set the stage for the rest of the project.

Phase 2: Project planning and design

Innovative and sustainable projects require an integrated approach to planning, management and decision making.

Phase 3: Procurement, construction and start-up

Building your wastewater facility requires a mix of careful planning, coordination and flexibility.