Stratégie gouvernementale de développement durableOverview and obligations of McGill

A brief history•The Sustainable Development Act, is a central

element of the Sustainable Development Plan of Quebec▫Presented to the public in the fall of 2004,▫Extensive public consultation in 21 Quebec

cities▫A parliamentary committee in 2005. ▫Entered in force in 2006▫December 12, 2007, the Premier of Quebec,

tabled the Government Sustainable Development Strategy 2008-2013

Why

•The Sustainable Development Act gives the Québec government the ability to meet its international commitments.

▫ At the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg (2002), Québec pledged to develop and implement a sustainable development strategy.

McGill’s Existing Commitments• 1990 Talloires Declaration

"to ensure that all university graduates are environmentally literate, and have the awareness and understanding to be ecologically responsible citizens", and

"to set an example of environmental responsibility"

• 1991 Halifax Declaration added its voice to those many others world-wide that

were deeply concerned about the continuing widespread degradation of the Earth's environment, about the pervasive influence of poverty on the process, and about the unsustainable environmental practices so widespread.

Québec’s Vision:

• The Québec government will create a context for innovation and renewal of practices first within Québec’s public service

▫ then with consultation and approval of the following expand to municipal organizations, educational, health and social services

networks.

Elements of the Act• Establishes a definition of sustainable

development for Québec; • Introduces 16 principles to guide the actions of

the public service;• Commits departments and agencies to identify

actions they will take to help reach the governmental objectives and annually report results of their undertakings;

• Introduces evaluation and accountability mechanisms to measure sustainable development progress.

Principles when framing your actions

▫ Health and quality of life

▫ Social equity and solidarity

▫ Environmental protection

▫ Protection of cultural heritage

▫ Economic efficiency

▫ Participation and commitment

▫ Access to knowledge

▫ Subsidiarity

▫ Inter-governmental partnership and cooperation

▫ Prevention

▫ Precaution

▫ Biodiversity preservation ▫ Respect for ecosystem support

capacity

▫ Responsible production and consumption

▫ Polluter pays

▫ Internalization of costs

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013

•Strategic Direction (9 orientations)▫ Produce and consume responsibly*▫ Inform, sensitize, educate, innovate*▫ Sustainable land use*▫ Economic efficiency▫ Encourage community participation▫ Preserve and share collective heritage▫ Reduce and manage risks▫ Respond to demographic changes▫ Prevent and reduce socioeconomic inequality

*Priority

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Produce and consume responsibly*

Apply environmental management measures and a policy of environmentally responsible acquisitions.

Promote reduction of the amount of energy, natural resources and material used.

Increasing the share of renewable energy with less impact on environment (biofuels, biogas, biomass, solar energy, wind, geothermal, hydropower, etc.).

Apply more écoconditionnalité and social responsibility in public assistance programs and encourage their implantation in the programs of the financial institutions.

Provide the necessary benchmarks for the exercise of responsible consumer choice and to promote certification of products and services.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Inform, sensitize, educate, innovate*

To increase awareness of the concept and principles of sustainable development, encourage sharing experiences and skills in this area as well as the assimilation of the knowledge and know-how to facilitate implementation.

Draw up and periodically update the portrait of sustainable development in Quebec.

Support research and new practices and technologies contributing to the sustainable development and maximize returns for Quebec.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Develop and manage the region so

sustainability is integrated * Integrating the requirements of sustainable

development into strategies and management plans for regional and local development.

Enhancing the sustainability and resilience of urban, rural or territorial and aboriginal communities.

Ensuring access to basic services to reflect the current realities of regional and local authorities, in the interests of fairness and efficiency.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Economic efficiency

Reveal more externalities associated with the production and the consumption of goods and services.

To promote the use of economic, fiscal and non-tax incentives, in order to include the production and consumption of products and services in a sustainable development perspective.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Encourage community participation

Increasing involvement of citizens in their community.

Increasing the incorporation of concerns of the citizens in decisions.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Preserve and share collective heritage

To strengthen the conservation and enhancement of scientific and cultural heritage.

Ensuring the protection and promotion of heritage and natural resources in the respect of the ability of support ecosystems.

Intensify cooperation with national and international partners on integrated sustainable development projects.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Reduce and manage risks

Further develop and the promotion of a culture of prevention and establish conditions conducive to health, safety and the environment.

Better prepare communities to cope with events that may be harmful to health and safety and mitigate the consequences.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Respond to demographic changes

Encourage family life and facilitate reconciliation with working, studying and personal living.

Raise the standard of living.

Increasing productivity and the quality of jobs which involves environmentally and socially responsible measures.

To improve the demographic balance of Quebec and its regions.

Transmit to future generations healthy public finances.

Québec’s Stratégie 2008-2013▫Prevent and reduce socioeconomic inequality

Increase schooling, graduation rates and qualification of the population.

Increase participation in ongoing education and the qualification of labour.

Preventing and combating poverty and social exclusion.

Supporting initiatives in the sector of the social economy aimed at integration of lasting employment to persons removed from the labour market.

Our actions

•These principles and other comparable ones are being integrated into McGill’s practices.

▫Adoption of the McGill Environmental Policy

▫The McGill University Physical Master Plan establishes that new buildings and major renovations carried out by the university shall be built according to state-of-the-art sustainable design practices.

Mechanisms to measure progress•Promote reduction of the amount of energy,

natural resources and material used. (Québec objective)

▫McGill must reduce energy use by 14% before 2010 compared to 2003 baseline. Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sports

•Adopt a system of sustainable development indicators ▫Except for energy use, others not yet

identified.

Evaluation and accountability

•Sustainable Development Commissioner reporting to the office of the Auditor General of Québec to ensure the transparent evaluation of results.

▫Reporting format not defined.

Obligations

•Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs

▫McGill Sustainable Development Strategy

2008-2013.

▫due March 31, 2009