Welcome to the latest issue of our newsletter! Once a month we compile the most timely and interesting articles on issues and trends shaping our communities.
Brought to you by the indefatigable staff at the Columbia Institute.
In this Issue:
Innovative Strategies: Ideas for Sustainable Communities
Architects' Perspective on P3s
Canadians Support Public Services
Reinventing Suburbia
Lifelong Learning in Canadian Communities
Green Collar Jobs
Kids Failing at Physical Fitness
Innovative Strategies: Ideas for Sustainable Communities
The Columbia Institute's latest publication is now available! Innovative Strategies is a collection of articles by local politicians, environmentalists, and community leaders who demonstrate how to turn progressive ideas into action. The book features articles by Environmental Defence's Rick Smith and economist Hugh Mackenzie as well as articles on a diverse range of topics, including banning plastic bags, pesticide bylaws, citizen action in Guelph, Toronto's Inner City Model School program, and the $10 minimum wage campaign. Click here for more details and to order.
Architects' Perspective on P3s
Last December, Moshe
Safdie, the world-renowned architect made headlines when he resigned from the
McGill University Health Centre hospital project. Safdie cited the government’s
decision to move ahead with the project as a P3 as a main factor in his decision
stating that in his experience P3s restrict innovation. This story gave us
a glimpse into some of the problems that
architects are facing in P3 projects. Now Brian Watkinson has written an
interesting piece for Canadian Architect that expands on this story.* For locally
elected officials concerned about P3s, this article reiterates what the critics
of P3s have been saying all along. As Watkinson points out, transferring risk to the private sector is often unrealistic,
and can threaten the integrity of the project, especially when the consortium
takes on risks it can’t really manage. Additionally, the quality of the design
suffers when P3s are used since architects are allowed little to no interaction
with end users. Instead, user requirements are replaced with requirements of the
P3 consortia for managing and maintaining the facilities. This article
demonstrates a basic truth about P3s: they privilege profit over the needs of
citizens and their right to quality public facilities.
*NB: Although Watkinson states that two-thirds of the Canadian public approves the use of P3s for infrastructureprojects, we aren't sure where he got this figure. See the following article in this newsletter for a very recent poll that suggests otherwise.
Canadians Support Public Services
A poll released by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in May 2008 shows that that majority of Canadians prefer that municipal services remain in public hands. The 1,004 random participants in the survey were given nine public services and were asked who they would trust more to provide the service: municipal government and its employees or a private corporation. 73.7% of respondents said they believed municipalities should provide and operate public services on a not-for-profit basis over for-profit corporations providing and operating municipal services. Read an article about the poll or for a breakdown of the numbers, click here.
Reinventing Suburbia
The new Ontario provincial strategy to curb the growth of suburban sprawl is discussed in this article from the Toronto Star. The strategy includes protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Greenbelt from future development, intensification targets for existing built-up areas, and a requirement that 40% of all new growth in the GTA must occur within the existing urban boundary. The article discusses how Vaughn will adapt to the new TTC subway expansion and Markham's plans to protect 250 hectars of land and its own attempts at reducing urban sprawl since the 1990s. North Pickering, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, and North York are also mentioned, as well as the opposition and ongoing protests to the strategy.
Lifelong Learning in Canadian Communities
The Third Annual Composite Learning Index, released by the Canadian Council of Learning in May 2008, is Canada's only nationwide meaure of lifelong education and the only such survey in the world. The index takes a basket of indicators which show the state of lifelong learning in Canada, including access to cultural activities, ability to participate in clubs/associations, high school drop-out rates, participation in job-related training, volunteering, etc. The 2008 edition shows that Canada's overall score is improving and that learning opportunities in rural areas are almost equal to that of urban areas. The highest ranked cities in the report are Victoria and Ottawa and the lowest is Saguenay, Quebec. Read an article about the index or click here for the full report.
Green Collar Jobs
This New York Times article reports on how the number of green jobs (those that relate in some way to fighting environmental challenges) is expected to increase in the U.S., as state governments mandate that more energy come from renewables. The article discusses the characteristics of green jobs as well as the upsides and possible downsides of a more green economy. One obvious benefit of green collar jobs is that they are not easily outsourced; buildings cannot be weatherized and solar panels can't be installed overseas. Another benefit is that they often require special skills, so the jobs are likely to provide a living wage. Conservative groups warn that the creation of green jobs will result in a net job loss as jobs are taken away from less enviro-friendly industries.
Kids Failing at Physical Fitness
Canada's Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth 2008, released by the non-profit organization Active Healthy Kids Canada, has given Canadian children and youth a D grade on physical fitness. According to the report card, 90% of children are failing to meet the guidelines outlined in Canada's Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth, which recommends 60-90 minutes of moderate physical activity everyday. However, children and youth are spendign 4-6 hours everyday watching TV or playing video games and preschool aged kids are watching close to 2 hours' worth of TV. The report puts part of the blame on the fact that the environment in our communities is not conducive to physical activity for children and youth, citing bylaws that restrict road hockey and skate boarding in public places. Read the full report or click here to read an article about the report.