June 26, 2006
By Danielle Milley Staff Writer
PICKERING -- Pickering and its residents are working to make the city a model community when it comes to sustainability.
Ward 1 Regional Councillor Maurice Brenner, chairman of the Benchmarking Sustainability Standards Committee, made a presentation at the June 19 council meeting updating the work that's been done on the initiative in a few months.
"When you look at the short time frame and what's been accomplished, it speaks volumes of our staff and the team that's been involved," he said.
Council passed a motion last fall to create the benchmarking program and, starting in January, the committee worked on achieving its four Phase 1 objectives: to educate and inform the public about the benefits of sustainable practices; engage key stakeholders from all sectors in practical discussion on the importance of sustainable practices; facilitate feedback from the public on its priorities; and ensure concrete and practical results through Phase 1, while setting the foundation to set benchmarking and to grow the process.
Coun. Brenner said consultation began at the end of February with a series of three town halls held throughout Pickering, followed by the creation of a targeted working group in April and Sustainable Pickering day in May. He said hundreds of people have been involved through the various public events, which "gives clear consensus that the City is taking the right approach."
The key issues raised by the community during the consultation process were energy, agriculture, employment, neighbourhood and homes, education, awareness and accessibility, local identity, and transit and transportation.
A framework of five objectives has been developed to capture the various areas of interest: healthy environment; healthy society; health economy; responsible development; and responsible consumption.
The next steps for Sustainable Pickering include developing targets and indicators, pursuing partnerships, continuing to engage the community, staff orientation and education, and continuing to update the website at www.sustainablepickering.com
"The journey continues into the future; it doesn't stop tonight," Coun. Brenner said.
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