HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-07-134 - Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment: 2007 Update Work ProgramJ
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Report To: Development & Technical Services Committee
Date of Meeting: August 13, 2007
Submitted By: Jeff Wllmer, Director of Planning
Prepared By: Barbara Steiner, Environmental Planner (741-2293)
Ward(s) Involved: All
Date of Report: August 8, 2007
Report No.: DTS-07-134
Subject: Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment: 2007 Update
Work Program
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Work Program for the update to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment
outlined in this report (DTS-07-134) be approved.
BACKGROUND:
The Strategic Plan for the Environment is the primary document guiding the development of
environmental initiatives within the City of Kitchener's administration. Kitchener Council
requested the preparation of such a plan in 1991. In order to facilitate the creation and
implementation of the plan, the Environmental Committee was formed in October 1991 with
Councillor Weylie as its first chair. The plan was drafted with the input of the interested public,
as well as delegations with interest in particular environmental areas through 1991 and 1992
with the plan ultimately being adopted by Kitchener Council on September 21, 1992.
The plan is intended as a living document, to be periodically updated for use by Council,
Kitchener's administration, and the Environmental Committee in identifying, prioritizing,
budgeting for, and monitoring various environmental initiatives across all City Departments.
In addition to the public consultation prior to the plan's initial adoption in 1992, further public
input through workshops was received in 1995 resulting in a substantial revision completed in
December 1995.
Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment is guided by an overall mission statement as well
as underlying philosophies, assumptions and guiding principles which define environment in the
broadest possible sense, therefore, emphasizing environment as touching all aspects of urban
life. Further, the plan identifies seven main functional areas, affecting Kitchener's environment.
These functional areas cut across department lines within the city administration and influence,
and are influenced by, all aspects of the organization. The seven functional areas are:
• Water Resources;
• Environmental Education and Public Awareness;
• Waste Management;
• Land Resource and Growth Management;
• Energy Systems;
• Natural and Recreational Amenity Areas; and,
• Resource Consumption.
For each of the Main Functional Areas, a primary objective was identified, overall program
priorities were established, and specific strategic priorities were developed.
The Strategic Plan for the Environment is now being updated. As a preliminary step in the plan
update, a(n) (unscientific) public survey was conducted in November 2005 to better to
understand the environmental concerns of Kitchener residents, and to help focus the public
consultation for the plan's update. Initial guidance from this survey, along with consultation with
the citizen-populated advisory Environmental Committee (March 22, 2007), Kitchener
Communications staff and the City's Senior Leadership Team (June 26, 2007) has resulted in
the Work Program presented herein.
REPORT:
This update seeks to move the Strategic Plan for the Environment from a document which
primarily guides the activities of the City administration through its different departments to a
document that can refocus environmental awareness and commitment to include Kitchener's
community-at-large as well as the municipal administration.
Concern for the local environment has been reinforced throughout the life of the existing plan by
policy documents such as Kitchener's Municipal Plan (1994), the original City vision entitled
Compass Kitchener (2000) and, currently, through Kitchener policy statements such as A Plan
for a Healthy Kitchener (2006).
In addition, since this plan was originally adopted by Council in 1992, a number of policy
initiatives and amended legislation at all levels of government has resulted in a changed context
in which Kitchener's environment is managed. An updated plan will permit integration of these
changes.
Different areas of environmental concern have also arisen in recent years for the citizens of
Kitchener, most notably those connected with deteriorating air quality and related issues
involving the closer integration of our natural and built environment with public health. This was
confirmed through the first step in the plan update, a public survey to better to understand the
environmental concerns of Kitchener residents, and to help focus the public consultation for the
plan's update.
For example, when asked what were the most important environmental features in Kitchener as
well as what new issues should be included in any plan update, Kitchener residents identified
Air Quality as both the most important environmental feature as well as the issue which most
needed to be specifically addressed by an updated Strategic Plan for the Environment.
Most Important Environmental Feature
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PROPOSED WORK PROGRAM
1. Survey residents and businesses regarding satisfaction with Kitchener's environment,
the existing Strategic Plan for the Environment, and their ideas on future directions for
both the plan and the City (DONE).
2. Analyze survey results to determine environmental issues of concern and direction for
internal and external engagement and consultation (DONE).
3. The Environmental Study Group
a. Reconstitute the Corporate interdepartmental Environmental Study Group (ESG)
to accomplish internal engagement on the update, identify all current
environmental initiatives and coordinate ongoing and future environmental
projects across all divisions /departments (August 2007).
b. Establish regular meeting schedule for the course of the update. Announce this
as a permanent internal City committee that will collectively maintain the updated
Strategic Plan for the Environment as a living document.
c. Assess public consultation results with ESG (October 2007 -February 2008).
d. Form a subcommittee of ESG to commence work on draft text of the updated
plan (approx. December 2007).
4. Public Consultation Process (September 2007 -February 2008)
a. Primary objective - to gather public input to incorporate into the Strategic Plan
update. "Co-Primary" objective -educate, inspire, foster a grassroots community
discussion and potential call-to-action on important environmental issues.
b. Public consultation process and full communications plan to be divided into 4-5
specific phases based on general themes /topics identified from previous survey
results and Council direction re: Local Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) as
topics for community discussion. Consider "sponsors" for each /some sessions.
Themes to include:
THEME #1: Local Environmental Action Fund (LEAF), criteria for accessing funds.
THEME #2: Water in the Ground and in Our Streams, Rivers, Ponds and Wetlands
(Water Resources, Water Quality including Pesticide Use, Watershed-Based Initiatives,
Habitat Restoration and Creation)
THEME #3: How We Use Energy (Transportation Demand Management, Public
Transportation, Alternative Energy Use, Green Buildings)
THEME #4: Air Quality, Greenhouse Gases and Fossil Fuels including the concept of
"peak oil."
4
THEME #5: Creating Environmental Literacy (Environmental Education and Public
Awareness)
c. Schedule one public `workshop' every (approximate) 3 weeks between
September 2007 and February 2008 to focus on each of the major themes (any
in December in the first week), aiming to release the fully updated plan for April
2008 (around Earth Day).
d. Workshops open to public attendance plus targeted invitations to people with a
specific interest, perspective or knowledge on the specific area of focus. Utilize
contact list developed from survey participants.
e. General Workshop Agenda Format:
^ Introductory Video (10 mins) -Provides overall context and general background for
workshop discussions. Helps create a level playing field (e.g. What is the City's
starting point? What has already been done, is being or planned to be done?) of
general knowledge amongst attendees. Video to be created to allow for future use
after the plan has been updated. (Estimated cost of movie production = $10,000)
^ Topic Presentation (10 mins) -invite one relevant `expert' to provide a 10 minute
easy-to-understand introduction to the specific topic of the workshop to help begin /
spur the workshop discussions.
^ Breakout Sessions -Thought-provoking questions /problems / charette-style
"solve a problem" to compel discussion, facilitated by Environmental Committee
members and/or the Environmental Study Group members. Require volunteers to
help facilitate and record discussions.
f. Other consultation tools could include:
^ Dedicated email address for general comments.
^ Dedicated phone line for general comments.
^ Website presence to include significant presentation of background information
along with interactive, online feedback form.
^ Blog site established to help generate grassroots community discussion.
^ Facebook Discussion Group -depending on success of King Street Master Plan
pilot project on Facebook.
^ 4 page insert in Your Kitchener to be mailed to all households (Estimated Cost =
$3,000).
g. Summarize results of workshops. Post on website. Consider interim staff report
to Environmental / DTS Committees in February 2008.
5. Drafting the text of the updated Plan
• Take public consultation results to Environmental Study Group (ESG) for discussion.
• Form a Subcommittee of ESG in December 2007 to work on the update of the
Strategic Plan for the Environment. Include a member of Communications staff.
5
• Subcommittee to redraft plan text, and determine model to track environmental
initiatives and their progress into the future. Build in accountabilities and regular
reporting mechanism(s).
6. Take draft Strategic Plan for the Environment to the Environmental Committee for
review.
7. Finalize plan and launch around Earth Day 2008.
COMMUNICATION PLAN
1. All communications products (ie. websites, blog entries, requests for input) to be divided
into the 4-5 general themes -providing initial background information on each theme
before asking specific questions in each area.
2. General background information to be included in all communications include wider
context for local environmental action, summarizing the history of the Strategic Plan for
the Environment, the need for the update, the results of the November 2005 survey
which identify new and emerging issues, and outlining the opportunities for public input
in 2007.
3. Themes of consultations to focus on the environment being a, "local issue requiring local
action."
4. Full media plan to be developed around each of the major themes to ensure media
coverage helps to focus public attention on each of the themes for one month throughout
the entire length of the process. Take full advantage of radio and TV call-in shows.
5. Announce and publicize public consultations through the following venues:
^ Consultation kickoff (Media Event) - i.e. News conference by the Grand River or in
Victoria Park (Estimated Cost = $1,500)
^ Your Kitchener Newspaper -kick off article and four-page insert
^ Your Kitchener Newspaper - monthly front page features to reflect monthly
workshops topics (September 2007 -February 2008)
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
A total of $20,000 has budgeted for the update in 2007. Cost estimates for communications
products outlined in this Work Program (video, Your Kitchener insert, and kickoff media event)
account for $14,500 of that total.
COMMUNICATIONS:
See Public Consultation and Communication Plan sections above.
CONCLUSION:
The interdepartmental staff-populated Environmental Study Group will be
reconstituted in August 2007 and in regularly scheduled meetings will coordinate and
facilitate staff and "all-department" participation in the update.
• Community engagement and public consultation will be undertaken from September
2007 to February 2008 with concentrated theme-based sessions to be held from
September to early December 2007.
• The text of updated plan will be drafted from December 2007 to February 2008.
• An interim staff report documenting the results of the consultation and outlining the
directions for the updated text of the plan will be brought to the Environmental and
Development and Technical Services Committees in February 2008.
• Kitchener's updated Strategic Plan for the Environment will be complete and launched
to the public for Earth Day (April) 2008.
Barbara Steiner, B.Sc. Alain Pinard, M.A., MCIP, RPP
Environmental Planner Manager of Long Range and Policy Planning
Jeff Wllmer, MCIP, RPP
Director of Planning