Evidence of meeting #46 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was parks.
A recording is available from Parliament.
October 17th, 2012 / 3:35 p.m.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Mr. Chair, I would like to move my motion in public, as follows:
That, because the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) has been providing public policy makers both within Canada and around the world with exceptional and unique research for over 40 years in areas such freshwater ecosystems, and given the impending timeline in which the government will decide whether to remediate, shutter, or transfer the ELA to a third party, the committee immediately study the ELA, the research done onsite, its impacts on public policy, and the potential consequences of closing, remediating, or transferring the ELA to a third party.
I would like to vote on it in public, please.
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
3:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mark Warawa
We have a motion, which is a dilatory motion, that we go in camera.
(Motion agreed to)
[Proceedings continue in camera]
[Public proceedings resume]
3:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mark Warawa
I'll call the meeting back to order.
I'd like to welcome our witnesses from the Department of the Environment and Parks Canada to this, the 46th meeting of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.
Each witness has up to 10 minutes, and then we will have some questions for them. Welcome, and we'll begin with Ms. Poter from Environment Canada.
3:40 p.m.
Virginia Poter Director General, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment
Mr. Chair, and members, thank you very much for the opportunity to be here.
My name is Virginia Poter and I am the director general of the Canadian Wildlife Service within Environment Canada.
The topic is urban conservation, so I've tried to give a perspective on that. Urban conservation means protecting and managing the valuable ecological spaces and species in and around cities, as well as the ecosystem services that they provide. As Nature Conservancy defines it, urban conservation activities can either protect biodiversity within urban areas, or maintain or enhance the well-being of urban residences.
Biodiversity, the variety of life on earth, provides important benefits for urban centres and citizens. For example, the quality and quantity of water reaching rivers and available to urban populations is affected by landscape management in the watershed. Wetlands hold back water during heavy rain and runoff, and cleanse the water before releasing it to groundwater systems that ultimately feed the river.
Severe loss of wetlands leads to increased runoff and a subsequent decrease in water quality in the river. We don't necessarily think about what it means to lose these things until we experience the consequences. For example, experts agree that the Asian tsunami and hurricane Katrina would have been much less destructive if coastline vegetation and wetlands had not been destroyed.
The actions of individuals can have significant impact on biodiversity, positive or negative. There is declining interest in conservation and the environment among city dwellers. Connecting urban Canadians with conservation is important for fostering stronger community and stakeholder involvement in stewardship activities. Helping urban Canadians experience and recognize the value of nature and feel connected to it also builds support for conservation policies and programs at all levels of government.
Urban conservation contributes to a population that is physically and mentally healthier and more productive at work and in the community. At the same time, Canada's urban areas have a significant impact on biodiversity. The primary driver of biodiversity loss in Canada is the destruction and fragmentation of habitat. Along with increasing industrial development and conversion of agricultural land, urbanization is recognized as a major contributor to habitat loss and fragmentation.
The total area of urban land in Canada almost doubled between 1971 and 2001. Approximately 80% of the Canadian population lives in urban areas, and that number is expected to increase to 90% by the year 2050. Over 60% of Canadians live in cities of more than 100,000 people.
Although urban areas occupy barely a quarter of a per cent of the Canadian landscape, they are often situated in places that are particularly rich in biodiversity, such as coastal areas and river valleys, and where the impact of loss of habitat may be disproportionate to the size of the loss. For example, 90% of Canadians live along the southern border with the United States, which is also home to vulnerable biodiversity and ecosystems. Urban expansion can also alter watersheds, degrading water quality for aquatic biodiversity and increasing vulnerability to flooding. Historically, some ecosystems, such as wetlands and forests, have been particularly impacted by urban development.
Cities and local authorities are uniquely positioned to develop biodiversity solutions tailored to local needs and priorities. Biodiversity conservation has been traditionally viewed as the domain and responsibility of national, provincial, and territorial governments. However, municipal governments have started to recognize that their role is increasingly relevant, especially in light of increasing urbanization. This connection has been officially acknowledged in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the CBD, and reflected in the new Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity.
Cities can support biodiversity conservation in many ways through land use and urban planning, leadership and community service delivery. Best practices include green roofs, planting native species, green infrastructure, protection of pollinators, protection and restoration of species, wetlands, and forests, brownfield restorations, trees to combat heat islands, water conservation, and naturalizing schoolyards.
In 2010, Environment Canada, in partnership with ICLEI Canada, published Cities and Biodiversity Case Studies Series showcasing best practices in urban biodiversity management and protection. It highlights some of the internationally recognized leaders among Canadian cities such as Edmonton, Montreal, and Calgary, but also smaller cities that are committed to consider biodiversity in their plans and programs, such as Guelph, Wolfville, and Trois-Rivières.
For example, the City of Guelph is working towards completing a pollination park to provide habitat and protection for such pollinating species as bees and hummingbirds, and to act as a model upon which future parks can be based.
The City of Edmonton has made education on the importance of biodiversity a major local effort. The city has mainstreamed biodiversity and recognized the roles different stakeholders and community groups can play.
Through extensive re-greening programs to restore fragile and damaged landscapes, the City of Greater Sudbury is an example of what is possible through reintroducing nature to the city.
The City of Montreal is active in local and international networks working to share knowledge, lessons learned, and innovative approaches to protection of urban biodiversity.
The City of Toronto has implemented bird-friendly development guidelines and a green roof bylaw with the help of community groups, stakeholders, and academics.
Federal, provincial, and territorial governments can contribute to local efforts in a variety of ways. Their role may include setting national goals and targets, providing scientific and technical support, education and outreach, stewardship funding, building dialogues and partnerships, and developing place-based eco-regional approaches.
They can also support local action by sharing knowledge and information. Reports such as the Ecosystem Status and Trends report Caring for Canada's Biodiversity and State of the Environment Report in the Northwest Territories are good examples. The Province of Quebec also published a guide on biodiversity and urbanization in 2010.
In response to the Convention on Biological Diversity's new strategic plan, Canada is developing domestic biodiversity goals and targets for 2020. Recognizing the important role of local governments, one of the targets proposed by a federal-provincial-territorial working group focuses on integrating biodiversity conservation into municipal plans and strategies.
Environment Canada also has a variety of programs and partnerships that support urban conservation. They include: BioKits developed by the Biosphère to encourage Canadians to go outdoors and discover biodiversity in their neighbourhoods, parks, and urban spaces; the EcoAction community funding program; the ecological gifts program; the natural areas conservation program; and the habitat stewardship program.
Environment Canada is also engaged in many place-based initiatives that touch cities and communities, for example, ecosystem initiatives in the Great Lakes Basin and along the St. Lawrence.
In the 2011 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada committed to developing a national conservation plan, NCP. The government has been engaging a broad range of partners and stakeholders to explore how we can build on our successes and find new ways to work together to advance Canada's conservation objectives.
In the spring of 2012 this committee undertook a study on the development of a national conservation plan. The study recommended that connecting urban Canadians to nature and urban conservation should be an important part of the NCP.
Today, the government tabled its response to the committee's study on the NCP, and in it we agreed with that finding. Urban conservation would be a key part of an NCP. working with provinces and territories, municipalities, and other partners and stakeholders. As we continue our efforts to develop the plan, there is no doubt that the testimony and findings of this study on urban conservation will provide additional helpful input.
As Canada's urban areas continue to grow in both population size and geographic area, it will be increasingly important to focus on long-term conservation programs and initiatives that maximize urban biodiversity and the benefit it provides.
Thank you very much.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mark Warawa
Thank you so much.
Next we will hear from Mr. Campbell.
You have up to 10 minutes.
3:45 p.m.
Andrew Campbell Vice-President, External Relations and Visitor Experience, Parks Canada
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members, for this opportunity to speak with the standing committee today regarding the study of urban conservation practices in Canada.
My remarks today will focus on Parks Canada's contribution to and role in urban conservation. This contribution extends from Parks Canada's mandate, which is as follows:On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity...for present and future generations.
The mandate inspires the work that we as Parks Canada undertake across the country in urban, rural, and wilderness areas. We welcome visitors to a network of 44 national parks, 167 national historic sites, and four national marine conservation areas which we protect and manage.
Parks Canada was established in 1911, creating the first national parks service in the world. The early visionaries of our parks system recognized that connecting with the natural world can be a deeply meaningful and moving experience and that it can bring enormous benefits to the natural world and systems, as well as the economy. This remains true today.
Parks Canada is also the largest provider of natural and historic tourism products in Canada. We protect ecosystems with a total land area the size of Germany. These destinations, of incredible accomplishments in nature and conservation, form the cornerstones of the Canadian tourism industry. A recent report reveals that the economic contributions made by Parks Canada and the millions of visitors to Canada's national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas are widespread within the Canadian economy. They create jobs and provide revenues generated for local businesses all across the country. In 2008-09 these benefits contributed more than $3.3 billion to the Canadian economy.
Beyond this contribution, Parks Canada also provides to Canadians clean air and clean water, as Virginia said, through the conservation of large treasured places, be they rural or urban. For example, the protected watershed of Banff National Park supplies life-giving drinking water, provides recreational opportunities, and supports farmers and industries well beyond its borders.
Parks Canada places also provide sustainable ecosystems that are home to, or migratory areas for, many species, such as warblers and monarch butterflies in Point Pelee National Park. These species are in turn a key link in the ecological chain that ends in urban areas.
You could reasonably look at the provision of clean air and water and the economic benefits of natural areas as an incredible contribution, but in fact these make up only a fraction of what Parks Canada provides to Canadians in terms of urban conservation. One could argue that Parks Canada's largest role in urban conservation is to provide, through the opportunities of experiencing nature first-hand, an increased public awareness of sustainable development and natural heritage and an inspiring sense of pride in taking conservation action. This is a cornerstone of what it is to be Canadian.
There is a large body of research that demonstrates that exposure to natural environments helps people cope with stress, illness and injury, and improves concentration and productivity.
Notwithstanding these benefits, the reality is that the percentage of Canadians who have direct connections with their natural and cultural heritage is shrinking. The trend reflects some of the larger changes under way in Canada, such as an increasing urban society. For instance, more than 80% of all Canadians now live in metropolitan areas. Our demographics are also changing significantly. We are more ethnically diverse than ever before, particularly in the large cities. We are more technology dependent. Trends and leisure time have significantly shifted. Also, city residents are on average much younger than rural residents.
Parks Canada is thus in a unique position in providing Canadians with a genuine understanding of the importance of preserving and experiencing Canada's natural treasures. Several national surveys reveal significant differences in attitude between visitors and non-visitors regarding the value of protecting natural areas. For example, if you have visited a protected area, you will be more likely to readily support the continued protection and enjoyment of natural areas. There's a direct link between awareness, experience, and conservation.
The agency is continuing to establish new national parks. In fact, in recent years the number of protected areas has increased by over 50%. These include iconic areas such as Sable Island, Nahanni, the Gulf Islands, and Naats'ihch'oh. These places inspire Canadians by fostering an awareness of conservation in urban Canadians.
At the same time, the government has directed Parks Canada right now to undertake the process to establish Rouge national urban park, which is a unique concept. It includes the conservation of natural and cultural assets, sustainable agriculture, opportunities for learning, and a wide range of recreational activities.
No other country has come close to Canada in recent years to increasing the amount of protected areas and Parks Canada has every intention to build on this record. In providing new Canadians with a sense of urban conservation, national parks and historic sites, such as Banff National Park and George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site, now host citizenship ceremonies. We work with the Institute for Canadian Citizenship to provide opportunities for new Canadian citizens to experience and connect with Canada’s natural heritage through the cultural access pass.
Working with young Canadians is also important in raising the awareness, as we have seen through the My Parks Pass program, which offers free admission to Parks Canada places to hundreds of thousands of grade 8 students or students in deuxième secondaire each year across the country.
Volunteering is also a sought-after activity in Parks Canada places. Whether it be removing invasive species in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, assisting with a variety of research projects with the citizen scientists in Banff National Park, or assisting in bullfrog studies in the St. Lawrence Islands National Park, urban Canadians are having the opportunity to participate and take action.
Another important role is that Parks Canada establishes partnerships with a wide range of organizations, such as NGOs, private companies, and community groups, to enable a greater number of Canadians to experience the richness of national parks and historic sites directly from within our special places or in urban areas where our partners are present.
For example, the learn to camp program organized in more than 100 places across Canada for the past two years, including at the Halifax Citadel and Fort Langley, has engaged thousands of young people, many of them new Canadians, in their first camping and outdoor experience. This was accomplished thanks to partnerships we have with Mountain Equipment Co-op and the International Mountain Bicycling Association.
Parks Canada also works collaboratively with urban institutions such as the Calgary Zoo, the Vancouver Aquarium, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Canadian Museum of Nature to focus on conservation, with a call to action for experiencing the habitat of magnificent animals first-hand. By visiting a national park and taking action in their own homes, Canadians can help these species to thrive in the wild.
Mr. Chairman, I believe that understanding the links among awareness, experience, and engagement are crucial to the committee's study of urban conservation. Canada remains a country of wide open spaces, but our population tends to cluster in cities. Television and the Internet have become the primary links to nature and history for a growing number of Canadians. While these media are certainly powerful, they are no match for personal experience.
The key to urban conservation lies in encouraging Canadians to experience their heritage in person. National parks and other protected areas serve as the cornerstone of this approach to conservation. The general public, along with many of our partners and stakeholders, supports Parks Canada's efforts to connect with Canadians using innovative methods. These results are encouraging, and they're precisely why the government has directed Parks Canada to continue to introduce new opportunities for Canadians to connect with their natural cultural heritage.
The creation of the Rouge national urban park, as I have said, is a case in point. We hope that the Rouge national urban park will be for the residents of the greater Toronto area and beyond a window into Parks Canada and our natural world and all that Canada has to offer. I will be pleased to tell you more about the Rouge national urban park in coming weeks.
I hope that what I have provided today demonstrates how Parks Canada fulfills several key roles in urban conservation. Parks Canada provides clean air and water through large protected areas, as well as the necessary corridors to connect nature to both urban and rural areas. Finally, we play a crucial role in presenting places to urban Canadians that foster within them the desire to conserve the environment and take pride in doing so within this great country.
Thank you. I look forward to any questions members may have.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mark Warawa
Thank you so much.
We will begin our seven-minute round with Ms. Ambler.
I want to remind each of us that there is a scope. I'd ask that your questions be guided by that scope, as follows. One, what is urban conservation? Two, what could be the goals of connecting urban Canadians with conservation? Three, what are the best practices in Canada for urban conservation? Four, what urban conservation initiatives are currently in use, and what are the best practices and challenges for the same? Five, what are the economic, health, biodiversity, and social benefits associated with urban conservation? Six, how do we define a protected space? Seven, what's the role of the federal government in urban conservation?
If you would keep these in mind in your questions, that is what the witnesses are prepared to answer.
Ms. Ambler.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Thank you to both of you for coming today and kicking off our study on urban conservation. I think we're all very excited about this topic, no one more so than I am. I represent an urban riding, but it's situated on Lake Ontario and the Credit River runs through it. I'm sure my colleagues are tired of hearing that. That's how I preface every question. I'm very proud of it, and it's a beautiful place to live. I'm very interested in this topic.
Also, the chair mentioned the scope of this study, that we are talking about best practices, and I was wondering if you could provide specific examples.
One of my questions is going to be about brownfield remediation in particular. The reason I ask is that a particular project is beginning in south Mississauga, and brownfield remediation is going to be a big part of it. We're looking at new ways of doing it. Perhaps you know of an old way that works well and something which you could tell us about. I'm assuming Ms. Poter is the better person to ask, but I could be wrong.
Please answer as you see fit.
4 p.m.
Director General, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment
I confess I don't have a lot of background on brownfield remediation.
I am aware that Sudbury has undertaken a great deal of work. I can remember being quite a young child a number of years ago, going through Sudbury and seeing, I would say, almost a bleak landscape. When you go to Sudbury today, it is quite beautiful, quite green, with lots of open spaces, natural areas, which speak to a healthy community and a lot of very clever city planning.
I am aware that they put a lot of effort into that. I'm not in a position to advise how Sudbury went about doing it. All I can speak to is the result that seemed to be quite good. It might be useful to get somebody from Sudbury to provide a bit of background on that.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Thank you. That's a good starting point. I appreciate that.
Mr. Campbell.
4 p.m.
Vice-President, External Relations and Visitor Experience, Parks Canada
I will add one thing. Certainly along the Lachine Canal, which is a Parks Canada site, we have had to work on remediating a number of brownfield sites with the City of Montreal and others. Certainly, there is a series of best practices used by different cities in other areas in cleaning them up. I don't have them in front of me today, but we could send you the work we've done along the Lachine.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Thanks. I'd appreciate that.
I remember hearing at one point that the project at Waterfront Toronto used some very sophisticated on-site remediation techniques and the latest research. I believe it was first done in the Netherlands, and we imported the technology and used it here.
Thank you. I will be looking into that more myself.
I'll move on to a more practical question. In many cases, as is the case with the project in south Mississauga, there are what we might call unsightly landmarks that we have to work around when we're promoting or creating urban conservation areas. They're a fact of life, like the Lakeview water treatment plant, for example. It's 67 acres, and it's not going anywhere any time soon because it cleans the water and supplies water for all of Mississauga, Brampton, parts of Caledon, and recently we've made a deal to supply clean water to York region as well.
We need to work around these types of things. Do you think it's possible? Do you think this in any way compromises our goal of urban conservation? What advice would you give us on how to promote urban conservation and connect city people with nature while still being realistic about what kinds of things need to be done in cities?
4:05 p.m.
Director General, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment
I'll start, but when it gets hard I'm going to toss it that way.
I think it is possible to design a city, and in most instances you are not going to start from scratch. People are already living in cities, and cities are growing. I think the cities that are most successful are the ones that think ahead to where they want to be in 20, 30, 40, years. Features like waste treatment plants and roads are necessary infrastructure for us to be able to live in places like cities. Successful urban planning has to incorporate the needs for these things.
I am not an urban planner, but when you are considering it, I think you might have a plan that focuses a bit more on, say, open spaces, green spaces, and on how to connect those. Maybe if there's an unsightly area, you'd think about having a bit of a green space around it to try to mask it or to provide a break between it and where the people are actually living. Those are some of the issues I think city planners would want to think about.
A city like Edmonton is very well thought out. They have conservation corridors. They've put a lot of thought up front into how to create a city that is very liveable but which still provides a conservation outcome and the services that all of us as city dwellers need and want.
4:05 p.m.
Director General, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment
I think so.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Thanks to you both. I have some questions coming out of your testimony.
Ms. Poter, you spoke about fragmentation. You talked about the doubling of urban land in that time period. That's a very interesting, and I think alarming, fact when we're considering how to go about conserving space in urban areas, because what is urban? It might be rural today, but in a couple of years it might not be.
How do we plan for the protection of urban spaces that aren't yet urban? Do we earmark land that we think might be enveloped by urban sprawl? How do we actually plan for that?
4:05 p.m.
Director General, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment
I'll take a stab at this. It's a hard question.
I would preface my comments by saying that most land use planning is within the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories. I think what we can do as federal officials and a federal government is provide information that can inform how provinces and territories might wish to think about planning the land we are going to be living on in a city or maintaining it as rural.
Certainly from an Environment Canada perspective, within the Wildlife Service, we could look at areas that are important for birds, for example. For example, we've been producing bird conservation region plans and have been working to develop which areas we want to focus on for conservation outcomes, as opposed to other areas that are perhaps still important, but are perhaps of a lower quality habitat for birds.
I think a role that federal governments can play is to provide information. I'm speaking about one type of information. Other parts of government would also have information that would be helpful to provinces and territories as they're planning where urban expansion will be and so on.
At a federal level, we can also facilitate that dialogue about best practices. I've spoken quite a bit about Edmonton. Montreal has a very good reputation for having thought through how to build conservation and biodiversity into the city.
How do we connect a city that might not be as far along in its thinking in that regard? That's a role I think governments can play, to facilitate that type of dialogue.
Another thing that can sometimes help is to provide tools and best practices. In some cases we've done that through the habitat stewardship program. We provided some funding to help develop a green bylaws tool kit, some model laws. Certainly that's not how you should do it, but if you are thinking about doing it, that's how you might go about it.
4:10 p.m.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
I'd like to pick up on that. Clearly we have jurisdictional issues about all kinds of things in Canada because of it being a federal state. I think about something like the stewardship program. I think about how we can show leadership through access to resources. For example, we could say that there's a pot of funding that's accessible if they do urban planning in a certain way. There are those kinds of carrots versus sticks.
The stewardship program is an example, but are you aware of other programs that work in that way to encourage urban conservation?
4:10 p.m.
Director General, Canadian Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment
Within Environment Canada, one program we have is the EcoAction program. It's not just for cities; it's for Canadians looking to promote eco-friendly practices and whatnot. People can come in and apply for the program, and, depending on what their proposal is, they can be funded. I don't know that we would tell them which projects are most likely to be funded. We would probably discuss the outcomes we're looking for, and how these outcomes might be achieved by the players who are close to the issue. But I don't think we'd be wanting to be in the reverse situation. We would ask how we could help them to achieve certain outcomes.
