Sustainable communities

Canadian municipalities have a great chance to de-centralize services

by Dan Crawford

Take a critical look at any town or city across Canada and examine how its basic needs are met. Electricity is transported by wire hundreds of miles, natural gas is piped even longer distances, and water comes normally from only one source.

Our infrastructure is very much based on a centralized model. This is a model that cannot easily be made efficient. Not only are there huge loses through the transmission of these resources but there is also little incentive to use any resources found locally. Think about how much waste occurs in your own neighbourhood. We use potable water to shower and flush with, never once recycling any of it for the lawn, for instance. Rainwater is discarded instead of collected and used. Waste energy from industry normally in the form of heat is dissipated to the atmosphere instead of supplying heat to our homes. There are many instances locally where resources and energy are not being fully utilized.

As the centralized infrastructure model becomes more and more obsolete, municipalities are slowly changing towards a de-centralized design. This type of design makes the most efficient use of all resources and wastes allowing for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and increases in both efficiency and local control. This transforms a community into being self-sufficient and sustainable—a looming necessity given shifting reality.

As an individual it is important to be involved at the community level in helping to facilitate this change in how your basic needs are being met. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is by notifying your local municipality of the funding opportunities available from a body of the Canadian Government called the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

The FCM makes loan and grant money available to all municipalities to help transform their infrastructures to become more de-centralized. The next round of funding closes this fall.

For a municipality to get involved the first step is to enroll in the Partners for Climate Protection Program. This can be done by passing a special resolution at a town meeting. The supporting documentation is freely available at the FCM.ca web site on how to enroll.

The program consists of a five-milestone framework:

• Creating a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast;

• Setting an emissions reductions plan;

• Developing a local action plan;

• Implementing the local action plan or a set of activities; and

• Monitoring progress and reporting results.

Enrolling in this program opens the doors to the FCM's Green Municipal Funds which serve the purpose of stimulating investment in innovative municipal infrastructure projects. This is one of the most effective ways to get a municipal government actively planning and implementing sustainable community solutions.

Also found at the FCM website is the Sustainable Communities Knowledge Network consisting of a wealth of information on all types of projects. A database is accessible containing all the proposals that have been submitted from across the country. For anyone concerned about our current way of living, this website offers guidance and ideas on how to change it towards something that has a future.

Looking around our country it is very easy to complain about how things are being done. The only way to change it is by being actively involved, and the best place to start is locally. The FCM presents an opportunity to do just that.

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