Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-10-02ENVY1996-10-02 OCTOBER 2, 1996 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MINUTES CITY OF KITCHENER The Environmental Committee met this date commencing at 4:00 p.m. under Councillor T. Galloway with the following members present: Councillor Jake Smola. Officials Present: Ms. N. Chambers and Messrs. J. Gazzola, B. Stanley, T. Clancy, L. Gordon, R. Wyatt and L.W. Neil. Others Present: Ms. D. Hartman and Dr. J. Kay 1. ISO 9,000 / 14,000 STANDARDS (ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS) Mr. B. Stanley provided background perspective as to how the matter of ISO 9,000 / 14,000 Standards became an item for consideration this date. He noted that Isa Standards became the subject of discussion as a result of the 1995 review of the City's Strategic Plan for the Environment. It was realized that eventually the Plan itself will have less and less impact on the City and that there was a need to determine and quantify objectives. Dr. J. Kay, who was a member of the Committee at that time, suggested an Environmental Management System (EMS) and an initiative in the Strategic Plan for 1996 refers to an EMS. It was thought it might be beneficial to begin initial consideration of EMS through a presentation that would lead to a better understanding of Isa 9,000/14,000 Standards. Messrs. Jim Streeter and James Frank of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), which is a government supported body that addresses development issues, appeared as a delegation to present information relative to Isa 9,000 / 14,000 Standards. The delegation noted that their peer group addresses issues that small and medium size businesses encounter and that the Business Development Bank of Canada had gotten involved in the Isa initiative. Currently the BDC is the largest implementer of Isa Contracts in Canada with 40 registrations to their credit. They stated that the Isa 9,000 Standard was composed of eight pages of basic business statements that have a profound influence and that it was written in easily understood language. The Isa 9,000 Standard is defined as "A set of Generic Quality Assurance Standards and Guidelines that can be applied to any type or size of company". It was pointed out that if a company commits to Isa, it agrees to be audited by an outside body. The Isa 14,000 Standard is defined as a "Set of Standards which deal with Environmental Management Systems and which will integrate and deal with various business activities such as: product quality, work place health and safety, water and air pollution control, etc". Manuals must be written by and for the staff that does the work and they must be understood by the staff that use them. An overhead presentation was given which pointed out that during World War II it was necessary to develop standards for packing and shipping which later became accepted standards for this purpose. In the early 1980's, Isa moved to become the dominant world standard and in this regard, Canada has a higher penetration of Isa than the United States. The Isa 14,000 is a voluntary standard to which certification evidences a credential of commitment. Companies wishing certification must utilize the Isa format. In this regard the Companies would be required to: - Develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) which formalizes Corporate Environmental Policy and Procedures - Evaluate Environmental Performance - Earn "Environmentally Friendly" Labels for Products - Carry out "Lifecycle" Assessments for raw materials, products and wastes produced - Subscribe to the concepts of striving for "Continuous Improvement" and "Pollution Prevention" - Audit Operations for Compliance ENVIRONMENTAL COMMII-FEE MINUTES OCTOBER2,1996 - 26 - CITY OF KITCHENER 1. ISO 9,000 / 14,000 STANDARDS (ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS) (CONT'D) In reference to the City's Strategic Plan for the Environment, it was suggested it might be worthwhile setting up under the Isa. The delegation summarized the main issues of consideration respecting Isa 14,000 as: - Energy Use Environmental Link - Product Lifecycle Analysis - Conservation Practices - Waste Disposal It was pointed out that committee members and staff could register ($25.00 fee) for a presentation sponsored by Rockwell International on the morning of October 18, 1996 at the Waterloo Motor Inn where Rockwell would discuss what their company had done to meet the draft Isa 14,000 Regulations. In response to a question it was pointed out that ISO 9,000 was operationally oriented and that a municipality would be registered as Isa 9,001. Mr. B. Stanley advised that the City of Mississauga was moving towards an ISO 14,000 registration. Mr. Streeter stressed it be understood that due diligence was an essential issue and that all activity must be documented. Any audit will emphasize such issues as quality of employee attitude, regulatory requirements and job completeness. He noted that the Isa results in a shifting of governance from management to the level of good employees. In response to Councillor T. Galloway, Mr. Streeter advised that registration of an ISO 9,001 would typically involve approximately 250 consulting hours plus an unknown quantity of hours by company staff. Usually the establishment of a written base for policy and procedures involves in excess of 400 hours. He suggested Isa 14,000 Certification would cost more than Isa 9,000. Some costs would involve $2,500.00 for the training of auditors and $6,000.00 - $8,000.00 for the Certification Procedure by an authorized Registrar with the total cost approximating $30,000.00 direct and indirect costs. Councillor T. Galloway questioned where the City should go with this issue and whether the Staff Environmental Study Group should consider the matter and whether some staff should attend the October 18th Rockwell Seminar. Mr. B. Stanley advised that the Staff Study Group has discussed this matter and suggested it will take a considerable amount of time to evaluate implications such as legal, costs, risk management, etc. He recommended that the matter be discussed with Management Committee after which it could be brought back to the Environmental Committee for additional discussion. Councillor T. Galloway noted that the budget aspect would be a concern. Mr. B. Stanley advised that the need with respect to extra staff resources would have to be identified and suggested it would take approximately one year to review and make a decision that would be reflected in the City's 1998 Budget. Mr. T. Clancy referred to the impact of the standard wherein one organization might refuse to purchase goods from another organization not meeting the environmental standards of Isa 14,000. Mr. Streeter advised that Federal Government purchasing policy requires Isa registration. Dr. J. Kay stated that there will be companies that refuse to deal with organizations lacking Isa certification. Councillor T. Galloway thanked Messrs. Streeter and Frank for their presentation. 2. INTERNET - CITY'S ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT A draft copy of the City's Internet document was attached to the Agenda for the Committee's information. Mr. B. Stanley advised that the document was in a holding section currently while staff reviewed the material before putting it on live. He took the committee through the information in the document particularly as it relates to the Environmental Committee. ENVIRONMENTAL MINUTES OCTOBER2,1996 COMMITFEE CITY OF KITCHENER INTERNET - CITY'S ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT (CONT'D) Councillor T. Galloway noted that his e-mail address could be included along with his telephone numbers. A summary of the City's Environmental Strategic Plan was included in the document. Dr. James Kay questioned if it was desirable or possible administratively to put agendas and/or minutes on the Internet. Mr. Stanley commented that there were staffing constraints with respect to input. Councillor T. Galloway suggested a reference to the minutes could be made or perhaps to the City's ISYS program. Mr. J. Gazzola commented that the ISYS program has problems and that staff were looking at the issue of minutes. Dr. Kay advised that there were a number of word processing packages to facilitate such documentation and Mr. Gazzola advised that the City shortly would be converting from WordPerfect to Word program. Dr. Kay advised that he would be willing to share the environmental links he has with the City's HomePage. Councillor T. Galloway suggested that under the Environmental Committee component a generic reference be made to the committee application process for citizens wishing appointment to the Environmental Committee or other committees of City Council. Councillor T. Galloway questioned how the matter of hot topics was administered and was advised that it was up to staff with the information to prepare the material and forward it to Ms. D. Robertson. Councillor Galloway questioned who administers and tidies up existing material so as to remove outdated information generated by others. It was noted that this has been identified as an issue to be addressed. Councillor Jake Smola suggested that the environmental features of the City Hall building and information on environmental projects of any kind could be included in fact sheet format on the HomePage. Mr. T. Clancy advised that there was nothing documented that describes the environmental features of the City Hall. Councillor Jake Smola commented that environmental issues such as natural gas powered buses and the building cistern contained in City Hall could be described on the HomePage. Mr. B. Stanley advised that staff could talk about such issues at the Staff Environmental Study Group and bring these matters back to the Committee for further discussion. By general consent the Committee gave direction to proceed with a few modifications to the Environmental Committee information contained in the City's HomePage. PD 96/89 - KITCHENER COMMENTS - REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF WATERLOO "DRAFT GUIDELINES" FOR THE PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS The Committee was in receipt of Planning and Development Staff Report PD 96/89 dealing with draft "Regional Guidelines for the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements (ELS)". The report points out that ElS have been required to support development applications affecting Environmentally Sensitive Policy Areas (ESPA's) since adoption of the first Regional Official Policies Plan in 1976. However, a general outline for ElS was removed from the Plan in 1995 and reference was made to a future "Implementation Guideline" for the preparation of ElS. The report discusses how most ElS had been scoped over the years and comments on the requirements for ElS. The Planning and Development Department supports adoption of the guideline for the preparation of ElS to provide clear direction to development proponents for identifying and avoiding adverse environmental impacts. The guideline will benefit both the Municipality and development proponents by specifying all agency requirements upfront. Mr. B. Stanley summarized the history of ElS and commented that the recent approach was taken in an effort to get one set of guidelines for the entire Region. He advised that staff support the guidelines as submitted and request support from the Environmental Committee. Councillor T. Galloway questioned if the Municipality was losing anything with the guideline. Mr. Stanley advised that nothing was lost and the benefit was consistency respecting this requirement. On motion by Councillor Jake Smola, the Committee approved the draft Regional guideline for the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements and recommended it be endorsed by the Planning and Economic Development Committee. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMII-FEE MINUTES OCTOBER 2, 1996 - 28 - CITY OF KITCHENER 4. CHATELAINE MAGAZINE ARTICLE - "HOW CLEAN ARE CANADIAN CITIES?" The article referenced above was attached to the agenda for information and points out that Kitchener was ranked in the top ten overall respecting air and water quality. 5. COMMISSIONER OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO Councillor T. Galloway advised that Ms. Eva Ligetti, Commissioner of the Environment, had made a presentation in the Council Chambers last week to members of City Council, the Environmental Committee and City staff. Councillor Galloway commented that as a result of the information conveyed by Ms. Ligetti, he had a better understanding of the role of the Office of the Environmental Commissioner and how the Municipality might access her office in future as issues arise. 6. FUTURE LAY APPOINTEES TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE Councillor T. Galloway advised that the Committee's term would expire on November 30, 1996 and commented on the lack of participation by lay appointees. He asked for suggestions on how interest could be generated so as to attract individuals with certain qualities to make application for appointment. Councillor Jake Smola advised that he had approached certain individuals in the past and would do so again. It was suggested that existing members target local companies who may have qualified staff with an interest in environmental issues. Mr. B. Stanley suggested that staff might approach individuals who attended previous workshops conducted by the Environmental Committee. At this point Councillor T. Galloway suggested that the City's "HomePage" be utilized to advise that applications were being accepted for appointment to the 1997 Committees effective December 1, 1996. Following the meeting, a notice of all potential 1997 Committee appointments was placed in the City's HomePage. 7. MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY RE: EXHAUST EMISSIONS INSPECTION Councillor Jake Smola advised that the Ministry of Environment and Energy had made an announcement regarding exhaust emissions and a proposed requirement for some form of inspection of pollution control equipment on older vehicles. He noted that this might be related to an annual safety inspection of the condition of older vehicles. Councillor Smola suggested that the City consider a standard for its own vehicles and develop a resolution in this regard that would be conveyed to the Province. Mr. L. Gordon advised that the City currently does extensive safety inspections at specific time or mileage intervals. Councillor T. Galloway suggested that this matter could be addressed at a future meeting by having Mr. B. Gulliver report on the City's pollution control practices in its vehicle fleet and a resolution respecting annual vehicle inspection could be considered for forwarding to the Province. 8. NEXT MEETING - November 6, 1996 9. ADJOURNMENT On motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m. Assistant City Clerk