Municipalities across Canada are gathering to explore ways to make cities greener. Oshawa’s municipal representative, councillor Louise Parkes, is attending a Federation of Canadian
Municipalities (FCM) conference in British Columbia to learn more about sustainable communities. Delegates to the conference are learning information regarding energy and environmental policies and strategies, sustainable transportation, Brownfield remediation, infrastructure design and efficiency, and sustainable water and waste management.“As Oshawa moves forward, it is imperative that our technologies, social institutions and residents’ honour, support and cooperate with nature’s inherent ability to sustain life,” says Parkes, who was selected by the FCM to attend the conference.

“I am committed to developing Oshawa’s natural and economic assets to stimulate growth and employment. During the conference, there will be a tour of the National Works Yard, home to one of the first buildings in Canada to receive LEED Gold Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an accreditation currently being sought by the City of Oshawa with the revitalization of City Hall. LEED allows buildings to decrease their impact on the environment, increase energy and water savings and increase occupant productivity.

“Sustainable development will not be brought about by policy alone,” says Parkes. “Sustainable development must be embraced by society at large as a guiding principle, and it has an impact on the many choices each citizen makes every day. This requires profound changes in thinking, in social structure and economics, and in consumption and production patterns.” Delegates will also visit Whistler, world-renowned as the site of the alpine and Nordic venues for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games, and tour the Whistler Public Library and the Olympic Athletes’ Village.

“There are a number of initiatives that are underway in Oshawa that set us apart, including the work that is being done by Friends of Second Marsh,” adds Parkes. “The Second Marsh is not only the largest remaining urban wetland in the GTA but the largest wetland between the Niagara Peninsula and Presqu’ile. It is a valuable resource to the Oshawa area and contributed greatly to the city winning the highest level award from the 2001 to 2005 Communities in Bloom competitions.”

This project contributes to the overall clean-up of the Great Lakes, demonstrates technology to rehabilitate fish and wildlife habitat, addresses environmental issues common to most coastal Great Lakes Wetlands and their connecting watersheds serves as a model, promoting the value of cooperation, partnership and environmental citizenship.