Report to: General Committee                                                 Report Date: February 21, 2008

 

 

SUBJECT:                          Markham Conservation Committee

PREPARED BY:               Mavis Urquhart, Manager, Environmental Leadership x 7502

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

That Markham Staff Report, Markham Conservation Committee, dated February 21, 2008, be received;

 

And that Markham Conservation Committee be re-named the Markham Environmental Advisory Committee and a revised mandate be adopted that focuses on sustainability, environmental policy, planning and promotion of environmental awareness in the community (new MCC mandate - Attachment 3);

 

And that the Markham Environmental Advisory Committee (formerly the Markham Conservation Committee) report annually to General Committee with an Action (work) plan, proposed budget and on their accomplishments and expenditures for the previous year;

 

And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Not applicable

 

PURPOSE:

To review a request for name change by Markham Conservation Committee and to review the mandate and terms of reference for the Committee.

 

BACKGROUND:

On April 26th, 2007, Markham Conservation Committee requested a name change and General Committee requested that the Commissioner of Community and Fire Services report back on a potential amendment to the committee’s mandate and terms of reference. This report addresses that request.

 

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

Markham Conservation Committee (see Attachment 2 - MCC mandate)

This Committee is seeking a name change and General Committee has requested a review of their terms of reference and mandate. This Committee was established in 1993 and they have funding ($11,540 from a trust fund account), which is primarily used for Earth Day celebrations and tree planting.  Some of the projects they have undertaken include:

  • Promoted Earth Day
  • Promoted Nation Wildlife Week
  • Promoted Pitch in Week
  • Established Bur Oak as a bicentennial tree
  • Restoration of Cedar Valley

They have representation on the Cycling and Pedestrian Committee Advisory Committee, the Environmental Issues Committee and the Markham Centre Advisory Committee. They now have requested a name change to the Markham Environmental Advisory Committee. Ontario Nature (Federation of Ontario Naturalists) has defined environmental advisory committees (EACs) across Ontario, as “local citizen groups involved in environmental decisions” and the common thread is involvement in land use planning for nature conservation. Ontario Nature published a document on these committees (Protecting Nature Close to Home – A Guide to Municipal Environmental Advisory Committees in Ontario) that describe EACs as independent committees with expertise that advise Council on a variety of issues, including environmental aspects of land use planning, and other local environmental issues such as waste management, tree protection, water quality, wetlands and environmental education (see Attachment 1).

 

Markham’s Conservation Committee has a role to play assisting the Planning Department by providing feedback and commentary on significant environmental policy initiatives and studies and they often support the Town’s planning studies by participating on Study Stakeholder Advisory Committees, including the Town’s Small Streams Study and the Environmental Policy Review and Consolidation Study.   In 2007, they also successfully organized the Town’s Earth Day.

 

Their existing mandate and work is generally consistent with other EACs and the description as defined by Nature Ontario, although some committees appear to do a broader range of work than others, depending upon the interests/expertise of their members.

 

Staff has no objection to the name change and has proposed some amendments to update the Committee mandate (proposed MCC mandate - Attachment 3). With such a broad mandate, however, it is recommended that the Committee develop an Action (work) plan for presentation to General Committee setting out projects they will deliver and that they work with Planning staff to ensure their representation on stakeholder groups for environmental studies. Funding required for completion of any projects should be identified for approval and should come from the existing available funding. At the same time, the Committee can report on their accomplishments from the previous year, along with their expenses. Administrative support is provided by the Clerks Department.

 

A single dedicated staff resource for MCC cannot be provided given the broad cross corporate nature of the Committee’s mandate and limited staff resources. Advice and support, however, can be provided by those departments undertaking environmental projects, as needed, depending upon project(s) or studies they are involved in. Projects undertaken should also not overlap with the work of other committees/working groups and must be consistent and support Town policy and initiatives.

 

The former MCC mandate has been changed to:                      

  • Identify overall Committee Mission/Goal
  • Eliminate Conservation Authority representative (this position has been vacant for a number of years)
  • Eliminate 1 Council representative (as per Council resolution Feb. 13/07)
  • Set out reporting protocol
  • Clarify the mandate

 

A future option that this Committee may wish to explore, depending upon their interests, is to establish themselves as a member of Green Communities Canada, which is the national association of non-profit organizations that deliver innovative environmental programs and services. Some of them have charitable status. Their mandate is to:

  • Conserve resources
  • Prevent pollution
  • Protect and enhance the natural ecological process

 

Green Communities are locally planned and managed with its own staff, office budget and board of directors and are locally incorporated. They have partnerships with others such as electric and gas utilities, municipal governments, government agencies at the provincial and federal levels, financial institutions, and community organizations. These organizations are found throughout Canada. Some of their programs, services and project that could be undertaken include:

  • Home Energy visits
  • Water Conservation
  • Recycling programs
  • Pollution prevention Workshops on Greening your Business

 

Information from their website is appended to this report as Attachment 4.  

 

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)

As of September 2007, the available funding for the Markham Conservation Committee is $11,540 (trust fund account).

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Promotes community environmental outreach and involvement.

 

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Not Applicable

 

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

Not Applicable

 

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Clerk’s Department

Planning Department

Operations Department

Legal Department

Financial Services Department

 

 

 

RECOMMENDED

                            BY:    ________________________          ________________________

                                      Mavis Urquhart,                                 Allan Seabrooke,

                                      Manager,                                            Acting Commissioner of

                                      Environmental Leadership                   Community and Fire Services

 

 

ATTACHMENTS:

1 - Ontario Nature – Description of an EAC

2 - Markham Conservation Committee mandate - existing

3 - Markham Conservation Committee mandate - proposed

4 – Green Communities information