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Strategicplan for theenvironmentThink Locally. Act Locally.

Table ofContents

Think Locally. Act Locally.

Strategic plan for the environment

01 Natural heritage systemand recreational amenity areas

02 Water resources

03 Air quality

04 Land resourceand growth management

05 Energy systems

06 Resource consumptionand waste management

07 Environmental educationand public awareness

Mission

In recognition that a healthy environment is critical tosustain the present and future population of the city, theenvironmental mission for the City of Kitchener is:

To ensure an environment that is ecologically sound andsupportive of the health, safety and well-being of itsresidents by identifying and implementing policies andpractices which reflect community values and impactpositively on the environment.

Definitions

The environment is all encompassing and includes air, land,landscapes, water, plant and animal life, and anythingmade by human beings.

An ecologically sound environment implies an environmentthat is healthy and capable of sustaining all forms of life ina natural state.

Strategic plan forthe environment

Guiding principles1 PartnerWhile the city accepts a leading role, it must work inpartnership with both public and private interests withinthe community in order to achieve broad participation bythe community and, thus, the maximum benefit to theenvironment.

2 SupportThe city will encourage and support citizens and groupswho wish to become involved in taking direct action towardthe betterment of the environment.

3 CollaborateThe City of Kitchener will work towards the missiontogether with all orders of government, and within theframework of federal and provincial legislation and regionalgovernment.

4 AdvocateThe city will speak on behalf of achieving the best possibleenvironment for Kitchener to all who have a role inreaching that goal.

5 Net gainA primary objective of the mission is to achieve a net gainin the quality of the environment. The guiding principle is tofunction in such a way as to ensure no net decrease in thequality of the environment.

6 Continuous improvementSince the environment encompasses or touches upon allfacets of urban life, all city departments must be involved inusing products and implementing practices which areenvironmentally positive. In this regard, the City ofKitchener is committed to implementing the bestmanagement practices available and will strive to achievean excellent standard of environmental managementthroughout the organization.

7 BalanceThe city will work with all stakeholders to meet ourenvironmental goals within a responsible fiscal and socialframework.

The Grand River is not only the heart of Kitchener’snatural heritage system but also provides a portion of ourwater supply and assimilates our treated wastewater.

Primary ObjectiveTo develop and maintain anecologically diverse open spacenetwork which incorporates typicalnaturally occurring landscapes,significant natural features and theurban forest, all of which embodyour valued natural heritage.

1Over the last three decades, natural lands have come to beregarded by society not so much as “waste places” or“underutilized areas” waiting to be developed but, rather,as important components of the community’s naturalheritage. Our natural areas include the Grand River,streams, fish habitats, wetlands, and terrestrial resourcessuch as woodlands and open space systems.

Kitchener’s natural lands and urban forest are rich inaesthetic beauty and biological diversity. They provide awide range of public health, recreational, environmentaland economic benefits to the city and its citizens.These benefits include:

• Prevents flooding and erosion;

• Enhances water and air quality;

• Mitigates urban “heat island” effects;

• Improves community aesthetics and providesrecreational opportunities;

• Permits citizens to connect to their natural heritagewhere they live and work;

• Provides habitat for plants and animals, conservingbiodiversity;

• Creates civic pride in a community that values nature;

• Increases the quality of life for all of the reasonsnoted above.

We know citizens value natural lands. Kitchener’s ownpublic consultation processes–including the originalCompass Kitchener consultations through the 2004Neighbourhood Design survey to the 2005 KitchenerEnvironics and Strategic Plan for the Environmentsurveys–have consistently identified our natural heritagesystem and our parks as among the features of the city thatare most prized by our citizens.

Natural heritage system andrecreational amenity areas

Philosophy and underlying assumptions1. That the city administration will continue to place a

high priority on the establishment, preservation,maintenance and rehabilitation of naturally occurringand ecologically sound landscapes in the city, andthat such natural lands are a significant portion of theopen space controlled and maintained by the cityadministration.

2. Trees, including the planted ones comprising theurban forest, are valued by and valuable to ourcitizens, and their proper management represents anopportunity to integrate the natural environment intothe urban area.

3. That the city will interact closely with the public,neighbouring municipalities, the Regional Municipalityof Waterloo, the Grand River Conservation Authorityand the provincial government to conserve andenhance Kitchener’s natural heritage.

4. That the city administration will continue to recognizethe importance of the Grand River corridor as asignificant natural resource and a major recreationalamenity.

5. That the natural heritage system along with a linkedopen space network offering recreationalopportunities should be considered the maincomponents of a city-wide green infrastructure justas valuable as other city-owned assets such as roadsand sewers, critical to a high quality of life, anddeserving of careful planning, management andadequate resourcing.

Overall program priorities1. To develop and implement an effective natural area

conservation program within the municipality.

2. To reintroduce, enhance and maintain the naturalenvironment in the urban area.

3. To promote a culture of stewardship throughout thecommunity and with all of our partners.

Kitchener maintains over 1,300 hectares of natural landsand parks ranging up to more than 50 hectares in size.Natural areas make up 65 per cent of our park system.

Primary ObjectiveTo ensure the integrity and long-termsustainability of the city’s surfacewatercourses and municipal watersupply through the protection andenhancement of essentialhydrological, hydrogeological andecological functions using bestmanagement practices, conservationstrategies and public education.

2Water is one of our most precious resources.

Ensuring the quality and quantity of water in Kitchener isintegral to an ecologically sound natural environment andto the public’s understanding of a healthy and livable urbanenvironment. While Ontario is generally considered awater-rich area, we must safeguard our water systems. Inmanaging water resources, we must also remember thatwater exists in a variety of forms and performs numerousfunctions which must all be considered to ensureecological integrity.

Kitchener gets much of its drinking water fromgroundwater sources. Also, the city of Kitchener hasnumerous creeks that feed into the Grand River whichreceives and must assimilate our treated wastewater, andprovides a drinking-water resource for this region as wellas downstream communities. Both ground and surfacewater sources must be protected for human consumption.

Water is also found in creeks, wetlands and ponds. Thesewaters provide habitat for many species, providerecreational opportunities and provide ecological servicessuch as the filtering of pollutants.

Water resources

Philosophy and underlying assumptions1. That the quality of the city’s surface watercourses and

the municipal water supply are vitally linked andintegral to the concept of an ecologically soundenvironment and to the public perception of a healthycommunity.

2. That in cooperation with the Regional Municipality ofWaterloo, the City of Kitchener will continue to be aleader in the area of water conservation.

3. That the city administration will maintain an opendialogue with the Grand River Conservation Authorityand the Regional Municipality of Waterloo for theexchange of information regarding the management ofthe water resource.

4. That the city administration will work cooperativelywith neighbouring municipalities, the RegionalMunicipality of Waterloo and the Province of Ontarioto arrive at an acceptable plan for the long-termprotection of the ground- and surface-water supply.

5. That the city administration will continue to place agreat emphasis on the proper and sustainablemanagement of its wastewater collection system,stormwater management facilities and waterdistribution system.

Overall program priorities1. To contribute to an interdisciplinary and inter-agency

approach to the sound management of the city’ssurface watercourses and associated hydrologicaland ecological functions.

2. To protect and conserve the natural hydrological andhydrogeological functions within the city so as toensure the quality and continued replenishment of thegroundwater supply.

3. To improve the quantity and quality of the city’spotable water supply while maintaining an efficientdistribution network.

4. To monitor and publicize city initiatives to conserveand enhance water resources.

5. To build public awareness, educate and provideexpertise to the community on conserving andenhancing water resources.

Kitchener has more than 10 separate and unique creeksystems ultimately feeding into the Grand River on thecity’s east side.

Primary ObjectiveTo improve air quality and, thus, tominimize the associated risk topublic health.

3Air quality remains one of the pressing problems of moderncities, and Kitchener is no exception. Emissions producedthrough the combustion of fossil fuels for industry,transportation, space heating and power generationdegrade air quality, contribute to climate change, and canadversely affect human health. To effectively improve airquality in Kitchener, emissions reduction will need to comefrom all sectors.

Maintaining good air quality is a society-wideresponsibility, and all orders of government have importantroles to play in protecting the public from the dangers ofpoor air quality. Provincial and federal efforts to improve airquality are vital, but the role of our municipality’sgovernment is also important. Local communities arevulnerable to the impacts of air quality and thus have astake in efforts to reduce emissions.

The City of Kitchener’s administration and citizens can helpaddress trans-boundary air quality issues and help solveglobal problems such as climate change by acting locally.Downloading of responsibility by the provincial governmentsince the mid-1990s has meant that the associated costsare often the responsibility of municipal governments.

Air quality

Philosophy and underlying assumptions1. That poor air quality results in increased hospital

admissions, heart attacks and strokes, respiratoryillnesses and premature deaths particularly in urbanareas.

2. That improved air quality will result in Kitchener being,and being perceived as, a healthier community.

3. That a plan to address Kitchener’s air qualitychallenges will provide a vision of a responsible,innovative, healthy and energy-efficient communitytowards which we can all strive.

4. That air quality initiatives should strike a balance toenable our local economy to flourish even as wereduce our polluting emissions.

5. That we endeavour to make the successful transitionto a less polluting, healthy community without placingan unreasonable burden on the City of Kitchener.

6. That the city administration will work cooperativelywith neighbouring municipalities, the RegionalMunicipality of Waterloo, the Province of Ontario andthe federal government to implement policies andprojects to improve air quality in Kitchener andbeyond.

Overall program priorities1. To lead by example, build public awareness, educate

and encourage the community to implement measuresto reduce polluting emissions in cooperation with allorders of government and all appropriate partnerorganizations.

2. To contribute to reduced emissions from majorKitchener sources within the regional area includingmotor vehicles, non-residential (industrial,commercial, institutional) sources and emissions fromwhole urban communities.

3. To develop and implement air quality managementprograms at a very local (e.g. site-specific) level.

4. To monitor and publicize city initiatives to improveair quality – i.e. lead by example.

Air quality has emerged as a significant environmentalissue for Kitchener citizens in recent years. While our airquality is influenced by activities beyond our border, westill have control over about half of this pollution.

Primary ObjectiveTo develop and maintain a land-useplanning process which allows thecity to coordinate and implement itsgrowth-related projects and policiesin a sustainable and cost-effectivemanner.

Today, we are seeing much more rapid growth in ourcommunity. We are now at a point where the populationforecasts for Kitchener indicate that we could grow by about30,000 people over the next 10 years. The city needs to bestrategic about how to best accommodate that growth.

Growth management is a method of ensuring proper andorderly development when accommodating future growth.This typically involves a strategy or plan that sets out thechallenges facing a certain area, how those challengesmay be overcome, and techniques to implement thesolutions – all with a greater community vision in mind.

In terms of what growth management means morespecifically for Kitchener, it includes an analysis of ourcapacity for residential and employment growth, and adetermination of our best course of action to strategicallygrow in the right locations, at the right pace, and with thebest coordination, prioritization and monitoring that isaligned with the provincial and regional growth plans. It isabout maximizing the use of our resources.

Growth management in Kitchener involves emphasis onconserving our natural environment, strategic infrastructureplanning, provision of parks and leisure facilities, meetingour social and cultural goals, and contributing towards asafe, healthy and complete community.

4Land resource andgrowth management

Philosophy and underlying assumptions1. That managed growth will continue to be achieved by

balancing new growth areas with intensification andre-urbanisation within the existing city fabric.

2. That the city administration will support andimplement the provincial and regional growthmanagement policy framework.

3. That planning for the city’s physical development willinvolve a high degree of inter-agency cooperationbased on sound resource management principles andthe employment of leading-edge environmentalplanning techniques.

4. That the city administration will interact closely withneighbouring municipalities, the Regional Municipalityof Waterloo and the Grand River ConservationAuthority to promote a coordinated, long-term visionfor the management of the land resource.

5. That the city administration will continue to place agreat emphasis on the provision of services andfacilities in a cost-effective, equitable and efficientmanner.

Overall program priorities1. To improve the quality of city life by informing

community development, the provision of services,and the development of infrastructure with theprinciples of environmental conservation andsustainability.

2. To chart out new corporate directions with respect togrowth, change, urban structure and overall cityvision including the promotion of intensificationopportunities for accommodating growth and thecreation of complete communities that are walkableand transit-supportive.

3. To work closely with the region and otherstakeholders to promote intensification and findsolutions to intensification challenges.

The new University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy inKitchener’s downtown embodies new principles ofstrategic growth—intensification, re-urbanization andthe rehabilitation of a former industrial site.

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Primary ObjectiveTo achieve continual reductions in percapita energy consumption and topromote a sustainable energy uselifestyle through public education andthe increased use of renewableenergy sources and newtechnologies.

As Kitchener grows and concerns increase regarding theeffect of poor air quality, greenhouse gases, climatechange and shortages of fuel, citizens have identified aneed to look into how we use energy.

A growing population requires us to explore alternativeoptions for transporting people and goods, heating thespaces in which we live and work, and generatingelectricity to run the ever-increasing array of householdappliances and the machinery used in commercial,industrial and institutional settings. In this, Kitchener is nodifferent than any other jurisdiction across Ontario, Canadaand around the world.

Very much related to concerns with respect to air quality,Kitchener’s citizens have identified a desire for action withrespect to energy use. For example, the Who Are YouKitchener? survey in A Plan for a Healthy Kitchener (2007 -2027) demonstrated that 70 per cent of citizens in Kitchenerwant the city to invest in innovative transit systems andbike trails, whereas only 28 per cent are looking for aninnovative network of roads.

Energy systems

Philosophy and underlying assumptions1. That all uses of energy cause some form of pollution

either within or beyond Kitchener and that the cityadministration will support measures to reduce suchpollution.

2. That a “sustainable energy use lifestyle” implies theuse of energy so that it is not consumed at a rategreater than that of its production.

3. That the basic necessities of life need not besacrificed to achieve reductions in energyconsumption and that lifestyles may be maintainedand even enhanced through the wise use of energy.

Overall program priorities1. To lead by example, build public awareness, educate

and encourage the community to reduce energy useand/or switch to alternative energy sources.

2. To achieve reductions in the amount of energy usedthroughout Kitchener.

3. To maximize the use of alternative energy sourceswhich have less of an environmental impact.

4. To continually reduce the use of non-renewableenergy sources.

5. To introduce a complete demand-side managementprogram within the city’s gas and water utility.

6. To monitor and publicize city initiatives to reduceenergy consumption.

Kitchener’s hybrid-vehicle fleet uses 46 per cent lessfuel than other fleet vehicles of the same size andsimilar purpose.

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Primary ObjectiveTo reduce resource consumptionand pollution at city facilities andproperties through the use ofrenewable resources, theimplementation of effectivemonitoring programs, and theemployment of efficient operatingpractices including state-of-the-artwaste management.

Reducing both the resources we use and the waste wegenerate can be easily accomplished by making changesto everyday activities. The principles embodied in The 3 R’shierarchy demonstrates this. First, Reduce resourceconsumption, then Reuse. And when the first two actionscannot happen, Recycle.

Several more R’s can also be added to this list. Initially,prior to even reducing resource consumption, we shouldRethink the use of all resources–i.e. Is there a moreenvironmentally friendly way of doing things, or do wereally need to do it? And similar to Reuse, we shouldRepair wherever feasible–this might mean preferentiallypurchasing repairable equipment so we do not end upunnecessarily sending items into the waste stream.

Just as the wider Kitchener community is attempting toreduce resource consumption and decrease the amount ofmaterial going to landfill through rethinking, reusing,repairing and recycling, the city administration’s ownapproach to resource consumption and wastemanagement must strive to achieve the same objectives atour own facilities and properties.

Resource consumption andwaste management

Philosophy and underlying assumptions1. That environmentally friendlier products will

continually be developed and marketed at increasinglycompetitive prices.

2. That the implementation of an environmentallyconscious resource-consumption program will resultin increased savings to the city administration andreduce the impact of the city’s operations on theurban environment.

3. That waste management issues will continue to be apriority for residents, business and industry, and thecity administration.

4. That the city administration will seek to meet, andwhere possible, exceed mandatory waste reductionobjectives through cooperative efforts with privatecontractors and/or the Regional Municipality ofWaterloo recycling program.

5. That the city administration will strive to remain on theleading edge in the development of innovative plansfor reduction, reuse and recycling.

Overall program priorities1. To reduce resource consumption within the city

administration through rethinking and/or reducing use,repairing and reusing, and through recyclingpractices.

2. To implement a system of ordering, purchasing andresource consumption which results in the leastenvironmental impact including the purchasing ofrecycled and recyclable products and the purchasingof products which are produced through the use ofrecycled renewable resources.

3. To continually achieve further reductions in theamount of waste destined for landfill.

The Blue Box was invented in Kitchener in the early1980s. Today, more than 4.6 million households acrossOntario have access to recycling.

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Primary ObjectiveTo promote an environmentallyhealthy lifestyle through thedevelopment of strategies to increaseenvironmental literacy, theimplementation of effectivemonitoring programs and theintroduction of cooperative publicoutreach initiatives.

Kitchener’s citizens should be as well prepared as possibleto participate in informed dialogue and meaningful actionsto contribute to an ecologically sound and healthy localenvironment.

To move towards environmental sustainability in Kitchener,we all need to develop deeper awareness andunderstanding of environmental issues which will promoteeffective communication among all who live and work here.

Humans are part of the ecosystem in which they live, andwe are dependent on the healthy functioning of our naturalsurroundings which give us clean air, water, soil and all ofthe other resources we sometimes take for granted.Everything is connected to everything else – including us.

If we have a deep understanding of the inter-connectedness of all life and the environment on which alllife depends, we become literate in how we must conservethe natural environment so that we meet our needs withoutcompromising the ability of future generations to meet theirown needs.

On an international level, the United Nations haddetermined environmental literacy is important enough tomake 2005 - 2014 the Decade of Education for SustainableDevelopment. In Kitchener, city council has identified theenvironment as a priority. In order to encourageenvironmental literacy, it is important that we shareinformation about the initiatives the city has undertakenwhile encouraging residents to look at their ownrelationship with the environment around them.

Environmental educationand public awareness

Philosophy and underlying assumptions1. That the city administration will continually seek to

educate all its employees regarding environmentallypositive and safe work and management practices.

2. That the city administration, through implementation of apublic education and outreach program, will act onopportunities to work cooperatively with schools,businesses, community organizations and other ordersof government to foster environmental stewardship andpromote lifestyle practices conducive to individual andcommunity health.

3. That the city administration will continue to expand itssystems for monitoring the long-term cumulativeenvironmental impacts of urban development andpollution, and for monitoring the effectiveness ofmeasures to avoid, mitigate and/or compensate for thoseimpacts.

Overall program priorities1. To commit to an ongoing and effective employee

awareness and education program respectingenvironmentally friendly work practices.

2. To have the city administration lead by example withrespect to environmentally friendly initiatives.

3. To promote and, where possible, introduce cooperativeeducation and public-awareness programs aimed at thedevelopment of an environmentally healthy lifestyle.

4. To continue to expand coordinated programs formonitoring the long-term cumulative impact of varioushuman activities on air, land and water resources withinKitchener.

5. To continue to investigate the feasibility of implementinga comprehensive environmental management systemwithin the city administration.

6. To publicly celebrate environmental success stories.

Monarch Woods is a 14-hectare woodland park which isincorporated into the urban fabric of the city, offeringcitizens a chance to experience, and learn about, natureclose to home.

Planning DivisionCity of Kitchener200 King St. W.PO Box 1118Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7

Telephone: 519-741-2426Fax: 519-741-2624Email: planning@kitchener.ca

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