Sustainability Reporting Program
Reporting to Canadians on the trends that
shape our future10 Astor Avenue
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4G 3M2
Tel: (416) 425-0005 Fax: (416) 425-0019
March 1999 UPDATE
Startup Funding Secured
The Sustainability Reporting Program (SRP) has received startup funding from the Laidlaw Foundation, Environment Canada and the Department of Foreign Affairs. York University, Pollution Probe and a number of individuals have provided a large amount of in-kind support.
The startup phase of the project to create Canada’s first sustainability reporting system began in January 1999. It includes detailed project design, proposal writing, fund raising, prototype web site design and research on key trends, such as consumption, population growth and basic ecosystem changes.
Initial Project Design Nearing Completion
A SRP working group is close to finishing the draft design for a sustainability reporting system for Canada. The design is based on information from a wide range of sources, including:
- The June 1998 design workshop at York University.
- A review of state-of-the-art sustainability reporting in over 40 countries and numerous municipalities.
- Expertise of the SRP Steering and Advisory Committee members.
- Research and experience on monitoring sustainability by international organizations, such as the OECD and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
Traditional state of the environment reporting, the genesis of this project, tends to focus on a number of issues, such as solid waste generated, median income, amount of CO2 emissions, or quantity of freshwater used. Sustainability reporting includes this information, and links it to other economic, environmental or social factors to illustrate impacts more clearly in the context of sustainability goals. This helps decision makers by exposing important, potentially overlooked cause-effect relationships, and by identifying important trends.
To illustrate relationships within the sustainability context the draft project design will use the driving force-existing conditions-response reporting format as its initial framework. The draft design will be tested on a web site that has been provided by the York Centre for Applied Sustainability at York University.
Fundraising Efforts Intensified
While the startup funding is adequate to carry out basic design of the reporting system and create a modest web site, a full-scale project will require more funding. The Laidlaw Foundation, which has provided $10,000 in seed funding, has committed to provide another $30,000 in matching funding, if we can raise a further $90,000. The challenge now is to find substantial funding.
A detailed SRP proposal has been prepared for submission to potential funders. The document explains the need for the program, and describes the project’s mission, objectives, methodology, activities and organizational structure. The proposal outlines the program in three phases, starting this winter and developing to the stage of an ongoing web site and the first printed report by next year.
Discussions on funding have been held with several Federal Government departments and with the Canada Millennium Partnership Program. Program Director Michael Keating and Steering Committee members are now looking for other potential funders.
Making Connections with Other Expert Groups
The SRP is based on the principle of a group of experts from different fields contributing to a sustainability reporting system. The network continues to grow. One of our major partners, Environment Canada, acts as chair of the Federal Government’s Interdepartmental Network for Sustainable Development Strategies.
We have also been in discussions on information sharing with such groups as the Policy Research Secretariat of the Privy Council Office regarding their Project on Trends, a major research effort to determine the megatrends that will shape our future in the coming decade.
Upcoming Project Review and Indicator Selection Workshop
Representatives from many sectors and from all regions of Canada will be invited to participate in a SRP project review workshop in the spring. The workshop will be a chance to provide input on sustainability issues in Canada, suggestions for sustainability indicators, and feedback on the draft reporting design and web site. The date and location of the workshop will be determined by funding availability and the potential to "piggyback" on an existing event.
June 1998 Workshop Results Available
A four-page summary of the June 1998 workshop is now available. The report, based on over 60 pages of notes and flip charts, presents views from the nearly 40 workshop participants on program characteristics, target audience, areas of concern, points governing indicator selection, network building and the editorial process.
For more information, please contact:
Michael Keating, Director, Sustainability Reporting Program
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