Sustainable Growth and Development

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Canada Can Achieve Sustainable Growth and Development

According to the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, Sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

This is primarily what the ‘Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change’ is about; Sustainable Growth and Development. In order to achieve Kyoto objectives, it takes people. People with understanding of what is happening, People of vision to see what needs doing and People with resolve to make changes happen. We need National, Provincial and Community leadership. Politicians cannot and very often will not enact the proper measures needed unless enough of the Canadian electorate can see the way to environmental sustainability and are willing to adapt to the new lifestyles required to achieve the necessary objectives.

Change will happen, of that there is no doubt.

When that change happens and how that change comes about is the question. Will Canada agree to an orderly transition and adaption to measures needed to combat Global warming? or will most refuse until the situation becomes critical and Canada is forced into a more abrupt and costly change? Adapt now while the prospects are reasonably bright or wait till the world's ecology deteriorates even further and global warming becomes perhaps irrepairable.

Quality before Quantity

Whether living in smaller town, mid-sized city or a major urban centre, all Canadians desire; quality affordable housing, green spaces and parks, a clean healthy environment, modern infrastructure, quality health care, good public transit, ease of access to travel, personal security, quality education, community services, strong local economy, thriving business community, a variety of nutritious foods, good sports and recreational facilities, recycling programs, cultural programs with libraries, theatre and the arts. Plus a few more that could be named, along with family, friends, and freedom, about sums up the ingredients that make up quality of life.

How extremely priveledged we are to be living in Canada; 3/4 of the world's population will not realize any of what many Canadians take for granted. We can maintain and even improve on the quality of life we enjoy. Some may call it having to sacrifice a modicom of luxury but for near all Canadians there will need be a lifestyle change, for many in Canada, a welcome change for the better.

The Changes Required

Housing and Development

“Developments on the fringes of an ever more spread out city are remnants of the old way of urbanization. For growth to be smart, we need to stop building low density, single use, auto-centric communities.” Lawrence Herzog, Inside Edmonton

1. Preserve the Green Space, Forest and Woodlands, and Farmland that remain.
It is imperative that we enact measures that guarantee stopping our conventional land use patterns of sprawl. The most crucial component of Sustainable Growth is preservation. Nature controls more pollution and green house gases than any man made measure technology can invent and produce. What is presently ‘Green’ must stay green. Especially in urbanized areas, Canada cannot afford to lose any more natural greenspace. It is imperative that we enact measures that guarantee stopping our conventional land use patterns of sprawl.

Proposal: The areas within communities that are presently being used as residential, commercial or industrial are the boundaries of the community. No further expansion for any reason. The present amount of “Green Space” within a community may not decrease.
Discuss This Topic

2. Discourage the construction of single family housing.
The single family home on a private lot is typically the most desired form of housing. The problem is; they are expensive, overly expensive. Single family homes are drastically overpriced due to popularity. They are more expensive to maintain for the homeowner. They are more expensive to service for the community. They have a much larger foot print on the landscape.

Proposal: No new single family residences may be constructed. In order to build new homes, a developer must acquire a minimum 3 existing adjacent single residences and build a minimum 9 home units of which 3 must be of 3 bedrooms or more. New construction may only take place according to a “livable” community plan.
Discuss This Topic

3. Promoting compact development, increase well designed density, which will lead to more livable communities.
Not just the homes people live in, but the shops, recreation and schools should all be included within walking distance. Promote mixed-use and transit-oriented designs along existing transit corridors making public transit more feasible, and where residents can walk or bike to more destinations lessening the dependency on polluting automobiles. Increased population will also make small retail and neighborhood orientated commercial businesses more economically viable.
Discuss Compact Development

4. Promote the use of “green building” construction methods which would lead to greater energy efficiency, resulting in less energy consumption, and increase the use of recycled materials, so that less waste is sent to the land fill.
Discuss Green Construction

5. Promote the incorporation of alternate, non-polluting energy sources into new construction. Solar, Geothermal, Ground/water source heat pumps. These methods of heating use very low amounts of energy from public generation.
Discuss Alternate Energy

Limiting the Extent and Potential of Pollution

6. Make mandatory that all communities must have at minimum, secondary treatment of sewage. Urban living generates sewage and waste water that is usually, not always, treated and then discharged into near by bodies of water. Sewage contains contaminates and chemicals that pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems and species. Pollutants can remain environmentally damaging even after passing through conventional sewage treatment. Municipal sewage and wastewater, including residential, commercial and industrial wastewater, is the major source of contamination of the marine environment.
Discuss Secondary Sewage Treatment

7. Make mandatory that all communities must have Surface Water Runoff Plots. Areas of land, arranged so the portion of rainfall or other precipitation flowing off and from buildings, road ways, and parking lots and all other non-natural areas and structures which maybe carrying soluble materials and soil may be measured and released at a rate not exceeding what would naturally occur back into streams, rivers lakes or ocean. The quality of water in our streams and lakes and ocean inlets must be kept secure from impurities that are unfortunately part of urban and industrial practices.

National Land and Water Information Service
Discuss Surface Water Runoff

8. Make mandatory that all parking lots and industrial areas incorporate Storm water Remediation and or Storm water Runoff Separators. Storm water runoff and waste water becomes contaminated with a variety of petroleum products, as well as with toxic materials.

Controlling Runoff from Confined Livestock Areas , runoff can be prevented from entering a surface watercourse
Discuss Storm Water Remediation

9. Promote the Development of energy production from garbage including incineration and landfill methane capture. Methane is produced in landfill and is a major source of greenhouse gas. Utilization of methane results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, conservation of fossil fuels and fuel cost savings. Revenues from methane emission can contribute to the development of environmentally sound waste disposal facilities.
Discuss Landfill Methane Capture

10. Promote the Development of energy production from Biomass sources. Throughout Canada there are many biomass sources that are the result of agriculture and forestry and are considered waste. They are often burned as a method of getting rid of them. The open burning of forestry non-usables and crop residues and non-crop herbage should not permitted. Smoke from burning affects people's health, road safety and the environment.

The Costs of Stubble Burning

• Loss of organic matter
• Increased potential for soil compaction
• Greater potential for erosion (wind and water)
• Loss of valuable nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sulphur, calcium and magnesium)
• Damage to soil structure (poor drainage and less efficient transfer of water and nutrients to the crop)
• Lower microbial activity in soils

  Discuss Biomass Energy

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