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Table 9: Sustainable Development
1) Health Canada's Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) Goals
Health Canada's new Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) for 2007-2010 A Path to Sustainability builds on the success of the previous strategy, maintaining identical themes;
Theme 1: Helping to create healthy social and physical environments.
Theme 2: Minimizing the environmental and health effects of the Department=s physical operations and activities.
Theme 3: Integrating sustainable development into departmental decision-making and management processes and advancing the social pillar of sustainability.
Under theme one are 37 targets relating to clean air, clean water, sustainable communities, protection of the environment and human health and food safety. Under theme two are 11 targets on fleet management, building energy, procurement, training, business travel and environmental stewardship. Under theme three are 3 targets relating to the integration of SD principles into decision making. For each target there are associated outputs and outcome measures.
2) Federal Sustainable Development Goals
To strengthen coherence and accountability across departmental SDS's, six government wide, long term sustainability goals were developed in a process led by Environment Canada. Where possible, departments were asked to align their targets to the federal goals. The design of Health Canada's strategy underlines our commitment to this coordinated federal approach: 40 of our 51 targets are aligned to federal goals.
Federal Goal | Number of corresponding HC Targets |
---|---|
I) Clean and secure water | 7 |
II) Clean air | 4 |
III) Reduced green house gas emissions | 8 |
IV) Sustainable communities | 17 |
V) Sustainable use of natural resources | 1 |
VI) Improved decision making for SD | 3 |
3) Departmental Expected Results, Actual Results and Measures for 2007-08
Our strategy extends over a three year period ending March 31, 2010. Each target has its own timeline for completion, some in the first year, some in the second and so forth. Some targets extend beyond the three year time frame. Below is a select list of targets by theme that were anticipated to be completed or have made significant progress by the end of the 2007-08 period.
Expected Results | Actual Result & Measures |
---|---|
Target 1.2.2: Starting April 2007, development and application of water management plans by Health Canada to reduce the risks to health on passenger conveyances. Supports Federal Goal I |
Health Canada has developed and applied water management plans to reduce the risks to health on passenger conveyances. Potable Water Management Plans were approved and implemented with 9 major Canadian airline carriers, representing 80% of the Canadian industry. |
Target 1.2.7: Starting April 2007, HC will coordinate tools to assist and support federal drinking water purveyor departments. Supports Federal Goal I |
Health Canada has coordinated tools to assist and support federal drinking water purveyor departments, including a federal information sharing network supporting increased awareness and collaboration. |
Target 1.3.1: By March 2008, Health Canada commits to promoting sustainable development and environmental management via the distribution of an awareness package to all nursing stations across the country. Supports Federal Goal IV |
In 2007/08, "Taking Action for Sustainable Communities" fact sheets were distributed to all regions with nursing stations and the fact sheets were then distributed to 63 nursing stations across the country. |
Target 1.3.3: By March 2010, Health Canada commits to conducting phase one environmental site assessments and environmental compliance audits at all health centres to identify and assess environmental issues as part of a broader campaign to reduce environmental and health risks at health facilities. Supports Federal Goal IV |
In 2007/2008, concurrent phase one environmental site assessments and environmental compliance audits were completed at 45 Health Centres located across the country and subsequently final reports outlining the findings were developed. |
Target 1.3.8: PMRA will encourage the Canadian public to report pesticide incidents by implementing a process for voluntary incidents reporting by 2007. Supports Federal Goal IV |
In 2007-08 Health Canada encouraged the Canadian public to report pesticide incidents by implementing a process for voluntary incident reporting. Thus far, 1,100 incidents were reported by registrants and a web-based voluntary reporting form was recently posted on the web. |
Target 1.3.12: Based on the results of CEPA categorization process, HC will undertake 5 risk management strategies from December 2006-July 2007 with the aim to complete approximately 15 risk management strategies annually thereafter to 2010. Supports Federal Goal IV |
Health Canada has prepared Risk Management Scopes for substances used in the Chemical Management Plan, based on the results of Canadian Environmental Protection Agency categorization process. |
Expected Results | Actual Result & Measures |
---|---|
Target 2.2.1: By March 2008, Health Canada commits to conducting energy audits at two health facilities to model energy fluxes in order to identify energy saving options. Supports Federal Goal III |
In 2007/2008, energy audits were conducted at three health facilities subsequently final reports outlining the findings were developed. |
Target 2.4.1: HC will join with other government departments and the Canada School of Public Service to design and deliver new Government of Canada Sustainable Development training material. Supports Federal Goal VI |
2007-08 saw the development and launch of the first corporate SD training course at the Canada School of Public Service. Health Canada lead the ten department initiative of the Interdepartmental Network on Sustainable Development Strategies (INSDS) to develop the curriculum. Over 50 analysts and planners have already taken the course |
Target 2.6: By April 2008 Health Canada will develop a policy on responsible use of paper and a supporting action plan for implementation at the departmental level. Supports Federal Goal V |
The policy on the responsible use of paper has received approval and will be presented at the next Departmental Executive Council-Operations meeting for the final approval. |
Expected Results | Actual Result & Measures |
---|---|
Target 3.1.1: By the end of 2008, as a pilot, HC will apply a sustainable development lens to select policies and programs. Supports Federal Goal VI |
During 2007-08 a draft SD lens for assessing policies and plans from an SD perspective was developed and piloted. The pilot was conducted on two files in the Health Policy Branch with complex social and economic dimensions. The lens was also informally piloted on early drafts of the Health Canada Science and Technology Strategy. |
Target 3.1.2: By the end of 2008, Health Canada will convene a workshop on the social aspect of sustainable development to help frame SDS V. | An initial round of internal consultations for SDS V was conducted in early 2008 on topics including gender, vulnerable populations and global health security. Approximately 50 staff participated. |