HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-09-21 - Climate Change and Environment Committee AgendaClimate Change and Environment Committee
Agenda
September 21, 2023, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
HR Learning Room - Second Floor City Hall
City of Kitchener
200 King Street W, Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
People interested in participating in this meeting can email Committee Administrator, Shannon
Lodenquai at shannon.lodenquai(a)kitchener.ca. Please refer to the delegation section on the agenda
below for the registration deadline. Written comments received will be circulated to the Committee
prior to the meeting and will form part of the public record.
*Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you require
assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994.*
Chair: Brooklin Wallis
Vice -Chair: Morgan Garner
Pages
1. Commencement
The meeting will begin with a Land Acknowledgement given by the Chair.
The City of Kitchener is situated on the traditional territory of the Neutral,
Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples.
We recognize our responsibility to serve as stewards for the land and honour
the original caretakers who came before us. Our community is enriched by the
enduring knowledge and deep-rooted traditions of the diverse First Nations,
Metis and Inuit in Kitchener today.
2. Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General
Nature Thereof
Members of Council and members of the City's local boards/committees are
required to file a written statement when they have a conflict of interest. If a
conflict is declared, please visit www. kitchener. ca/conflict to submit your written
form.
3. Delegations
Pursuant to Council's Procedural By-law, delegations are permitted to address
the Committee for a maximum of five (5) minutes. All delegations must register
in order to participate in the meeting. Delegation registration is permitted up to
the start of the meeting.
4. Discussion Items
4.1 DSD -2023-381 - Council Policy 1-590 (Grant 15 m 1
Program - Community Environmental
Improvement) - Repeal, DSD -2023-381
4.2 CCEC Sub -Committee Progress Updates 15 m
5. Information Items
NIL
6. Adjournment
Shannon Lodenquai
Committee Administrator
Staff Report
Development Services Department www.kitchener.co
REPORT TO: Climate Change and Environment Committee
DATE OF MEETING: September 21, 2023
SUBMITTED BY: Natalie Goss, Manager Policy & Research,
519-741-2200 ext. 7648
PREPARED BY: Carrie Musselman, Senior Environmental Planner,
519-741-2200 ext. 7068
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All Wards
DATE OF REPORT: September 6, 2023
REPORT NO.: DSD -2023-381
SUBJECT: Council Policy 1-590 (Grant Program — Community
Environmental Improvement) Repeal
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Climate Change and Environment Committee supports the repeal of Council
Policy I-590 (Grant Program — Community Environmental Improvement).
BACKGROUND:
Council Policy 1-590 (Grant Program — Community Environmental Improvement)
(Attachment A) was established in 2001 and amended in 2004, 2008 and repealed and
replaced in 2012. In 2015, as part of the corporate Policy Review it was recommended that
to ensure policies are up-to-date and still relevant, they should be reviewed every 3-5 years
and that each policy have a review date identified on the document.
REPORT:
When the Community Environment Improvement Grant (CEIG) program was created it was
one of the first environmental grants available to residents.
The aim of the CEIG program has been to encourage residents to actively participate in
environmental initiatives, by undertaking projects that meet the following objectives:
• increase awareness of how residents view and treat the air, water, and land
resources.
• foster a sense of environmental stewardship.
• promote community environmental awareness.
• promote and initiate the development of community based environmental projects;
and,
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
1
• support environmental research.
The grants approved have varied in nature but have primarily been environmental projects
such as school yard greening or tree planting or for environmentally focused community
awareness events.
In 2020, the program was suspended pending its review.
CEIG Review - Is the policy current and relevant?
Residents are now fortunate to have several environmental grants available, such as, the
Region of Waterloo Community Environmental Fund, the Grand River Conservation
Authority Community Conservation Grants, and the TD Friends of the Environment
Foundation Grant. A chart with additional information for each of the grants mentioned has
been included as Attachment B.
Additionally, the city now offers the Love My Hood Matching Grant through the
Neighbourhood Development Office. This grant has a similar mandate that focuses on
promoting neighbourhood greening initiatives such as community gardens, food hedges,
pollinator gardens, tree planting and more.
CEIG Review - Is the policy having the desired effect?
Both in 2008 and 2012 staff reviewed the program and implemented changes to try and
improve the program. Following these program improvements, applications submitted
continued to be suboptimal, and as such, funds were not able to be fully dispersed.
For those grants approved, funding is often not adequate to complete projects. In a number
of instances, the recipient has used the grant to leverage funding from other sources.
CEIG Review — Are staff resources used efficiently?
CEIG has one staff resource (a Senior Environmental Planner) who has the grant program
included among their duties. Throughout the year they may answer calls or emails as they
arise, once a year they would work with communications staff to advertise the program,
update the city's website to receive applications, work with the former Environment
Committee to review applications and select recipients, and work with finance staff to
disperse the funds.
In comparison, under the Manager of Neighbourhood Development and Volunteer
Engagement the city has a dedicated team of staff who champion the Love My Hood
neighbourhood strategy and support the `resident -led, city -supported' vision through grants,
capital projects and other activities with a focus on building capacity, sense of belonging and
ensuring equitable distribution of resident -led initiatives in neighbourhoods across the city.
For grants and resident -led projects the Neighbourhood Development Office has
established a grant selection committee and internal circulation process that gathers
feedback from 15 internal divisions within 5 business days. Staff in the Neighbourhood
Development Office develop agreements, letters of understanding, and insurance packages
K
that serves as a project's road map to success that clearly outlines roles and responsibilities
and creates accountability for residents and staff.
The staff in the Neighbourhood Development Office provide strong customer service
through a dedicated phone line and email, as well as working closely with resident groups
as a single point of contact, being available as a support on a project from start to finish.
CEIG Review — Are funds used efficiently?
Currently, $5,000 is budgeted annually to facilitate CEIG with a maximum grant allocation
of $3,000 for any one project. For much of the time CEIG has been available, funds have
not been fully utilized in each given year and therefore carried over to the next.
Up to 2020, the CEIG has supported 65 grants and dispersed approximately $109,400 to
organizations (i.e., neighbourhood associations, non -profits, schools) that operate within the
city.
In comparison, the city's Love My Hood Matching Grant has a value of approximately
$150,000 annually. Applicants (i.e., informal neighbourhood -based community groups) may
request amounts up to $30,000. Projects occurring on non -city land are eligible to receive
up to $10,000 and events are eligible to receive up to $2,000.
CEIG Review — Recommendation
The city has undergone many changes since CIEG was established including new
departments whose role is to facilitate new neighbourhood grants.
To continue to provide the best grant opportunities to the community, make efficient use of
staff resources, leverage other grant opportunities including Kitchener's Love My Hood
Matching Grant, and be fiscally responsible, policies and procedures need to grow and
adapt; therefore, it is recommended that the Council Policy 1-590 (Grant Program —
Community Environmental Improvement) be repealed and residents be encouraged to
utilize the other grants available.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This report supports Environmental Leadership and Great Customer Service.
PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES:
• DTS-04-095 Environmental Stewardship Grant Program
• CRPS-08-151 Environmental Committee Recommendation: Revised Community
Environmental Improvement Grant Criteria & Submission Process
• CSD -12-041 Environmental Committee Recommendation: Revised Council Policy 1-
590 (Grant Program - Community Environmental Improvement)
REVIEWED BY: Josh Joseph, Manager Neighbourhood Development & Volunteer
Engagement
K3
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A — Council Policy 1-590 (Grant Program — Community Environmental
Improvement)
Attachment B — Environmental grants available to residents
POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
COUNCIL POLICY RESOLUTION
POLICY NUMBER: 1-590 DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2004
AMENDED: OCTOBER 6, 2008
AMENDED: MARCH 15, 2012
POLICY TYPE: FINANCIAL
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM - COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
POLICY CONTENT:
1. Purpose
Grants are provided to organizations that operate within the City of Kitchener. The purpose
of the program is:
a) to increase people's awareness of how they view and treat air, water and land
resources and encourage them to be involved in solutions to improve the quality of
those resources;
b) to foster a sense of environmental stewardship;
c) to promote community environmental awareness;
d) to promote and initiate the development of community based environmental projects;
e) to support environmental research.
2. Funding Source
Funding is available to a maximum of $3,000.00 for each project in a given year to be
funded from the Environmental Stewardship Capital Account.
3. Criteria
a) Applicants:
i. Applications will be accepted from non-profit groups, neighbourhood associations
and communities of interest. A community of interest is defined as a group of
individuals who voluntarily associate with each other because they have
identified common environmental concerns that impact the city.
ii. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to initiate and follow through on projects
by having an organizational structure in place to lead and manage the activities
and to account for finances.
KITCHENER Page 1 of 4 MARCH 2012
61
POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
iii. Applicants must submit a completed community environmental improvement
grant application form, along with all supporting documents as noted in the
application form, by the deadline to the City of Kitchener.
iv. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that provide as much public
participation and access as possible, e.g. minimum charge or no admission
charge whenever possible.
V. Applicants seeking continual support for a project are encouraged to seek other
funding sources but may reapply every three years.
vi. A limit may be placed on the number of applications considered from schools or
school related entities in a given year.
b) Projects:
i. Each project for which funding is requested must demonstrably meet Council's
strategic objectives as documented in the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan for the
Environment and other policy documents, namely: Natural Heritage Systems and
Recreational Amenity Areas, Water Resources, Air Quality, Land Resources and
Growth Management, Energy Systems, Resource Consumption and Waste
Management, and Environmental Education and Public Awareness.
ii. Projects must consider inclusion and accommodation of persons with disabilities.
iii. Projects should normally be completed within one calendar year from the date
the application is approved.
iv. Projects that conflict with or are in direct competition with projects performed by
the City will not be supported.
V. Projects provided by the applicant for which funding is requested must be
provided directly to the citizens of Kitchener.
c) Financing:
i. Projects that bring additional external financing, material or human resources to a
project through partnerships are favoured over projects that are only sponsored
by the City of Kitchener.
ii. Funding for consultants or professional salaries will only be eligible if provided
within the context of a partnership with other funders. Applicants must be
operating for City of Kitchener residents. A pro -rated contribution may be
considered where residence of participants is mixed with other municipalities.
Such fees may be allowed to a maximum of $500.00.
KITCHENER Page 2 of 4 MARCH 2012
C.1
POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
iii. Where applicable, proof of adequate liability insurance should be presented by
the applicant requesting the grant.
iv. Projects that are the responsibility of other levels of government Municipal,
Regional, Provincial or Federal will not be eligible for a Community
Environmental Improvement Grant.
V. Projects having received funding through the City's Budget process, Tier 1 or 2
Community Grants or Community Garden Grant will not be eligible for a
Community Environmental Improvement Grant.
vi. Community Environmental Improvement Grants are intended for one time
funding only for a specific project.
vii. Projects that distribute funds to other organizations will not be considered, e.g.
fundraising events.
viii. Costs that are associated with ongoing business activity and not a specific
requirement of the proposed initiative will not be eligible for a Community
Environmental Improvement Grant, e.g. office supplies, telephone/internet fees,
salaries, in-kind donations or volunteer time, travel and accommodation costs
etc.
d) Revisions:
i. Any changes to the project timeline, nature and or content of an approved project
shall be subject to a revised proposal being submitted to the Environmental
Committee which will forward a recommendation to City council as to whether the
previously approved funding should be withdrawn.
ii. Failure to submit a revised proposal may result in the withholding or repayment
of funds.
e) Recognition:
i. Applicants receiving funds from the City of Kitchener will recognize the City's
contribution. The City will provide its corporate logo and corporate name for use
in promotional literature and material that may be prepared by the
organization/group for which a grant has been received. Such promotional
material and literature is to be developed in accordance with the City's Corporate
Standards Manual. The format of the recognition will be negotiated by staff and
the organization/group.
ii. Applicants receiving a grant must give a presentation to the Environmental
Committee at the June Committee meeting. A final report detailing grant
KITCHENER Page 3 of 4 MARCH 2012
r�
POLICY NUMBER: 1-590
SUBJECT: GRANT PROGRAM —COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
expenditures, summary of activities undertaken, environmental outcomes
achieved that include photographs, copies of media coverage received or written
feedback must be submitted within one month of the completion of the project or
at the November committee meeting, whichever occurs first.
iii. All project documentation and photographs become the property of the City of
Kitchener for use on its website or other educational material or events.
4. Grant Submission Process
a) All grant requests will be reviewed and evaluated by the Environmental Committee and
City of Kitchener staff.
b) Community Environmental Improvement Grant applications will be received once per
year, normally in mid-September (specific deadline dates will be published annually).
c) A sub -committee of the Environmental Committee will make grant recommendations
based upon input from Environmental Committee members to allocate resources within
budget.
d) Applicants will be notified of the sub -committee's grant recommendations prior to
consideration by the Environmental Committee, normally in October (specific deadline
dates will be published annually).
e) Applicants who request a grant will be afforded the opportunity to address the
Environmental Committee or appropriate Standing Committee of Council as a delegation
pursuant to Council's Procedural By-law; delegations are permitted to address the
Committee for a maximum of five (5) minutes.
f) Generally, grant recommendations will be brought forward for consideration by Council
at an appropriate Standing Committee of Council meeting, normally in November or
December (specific date will be published annually).
g) All decisions made by the appropriate Standing Committee of Council must be ratified by
City Council before they are final. The Committee's decision from this meeting will be
considered at the next regularly scheduled meeting of City Council.
h) Formal notification of successful grant recipients and amounts will be sent to applicants
following decisions by Council.
i) Payment of grants will occur after Council approval.
KITCHENER Page 4 of 4 MARCH 2012
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