Like the stock market, sustainability cannot be measured by a single indicator but by a combination of factors. This leads to a dilemma in selecting a series of critical trends that will paint an comprehensive picture of the direction sustainability is taking in Canada. Some countries, notably the United Kingdom, have opted to present a group of "headline" social, economic and environmental trends as a sustainability snapshot.

A number of international initiatives are taking a similar approach. The Environmental Sustainability Index, for example, is based on a core set of 22 indicators clustered around four basic themes: health of environmental systems; human stress on natural systems; human vulnerability to environmental disturbances; and social and institutional capacity for effective response to environmental challenges.

A solid set of measurements to show where sustainability is going in Canada will require extensive consultation and debate. The Sustainability Reporting Program is proposing the following set of indicators to begin the discussion.

These measurements were selected after a review of sustainability reporting by more than 40 countries and international agencies such as the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

It is also important to remember that in a diverse country like Canada focusing on national averages such as carbon dioxide emissions or unemployment levels inevitably simplifies important regional differences.

• Population
• Energy consumption
• Pollutant emissions
  Greenhouse gases
  Ozone-depleting substances
  Acid gases
  Toxics
• Days of air pollution
• Hospital admissions and smog
• Transportation: number of vehicles, distance covered, fuel used)
• Recycling of natural resources
• Employment
• Average incomes/percentage of people below the poverty line
• Food production/number of people using food banks

A Better Quality of Life: A Strategy for Sustainable Development for the UK