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DPR – 2004-2005 – Section 2-3

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 2.3 Performance Discussion

This section reports on the NRTEE’s performance in terms of its new program activity architecture. The section also reflects the commitments laid out in the RPP 2004-2005, as well as the relevant elements of the NRTEE’s Results Chain. As mentioned previously, the NRTEE is not yet in a position to incorporate all the new performance indicators. Hence, we have applied the indicators used in previous years for the instances in this reporting period for which we cannot use the newer PAA measures.

2.3.1 Strategic outcome: Influencing policy and decisions

The NRTEE has a single, overarching strategic outcome: that the NRTEE advice influences federal policy development on environment and economy issues, as well as decisions in other key sectors. Indicators (from previous DPRs):

• Federal officials consider the NRTEE an important source of policy advice
• Federal decision-makers request an examination of other policy issues
• Decision-makers in other sectors regard the NRTEE as an important source of advice

Federal officials consider the NRTEE an important source of policy advice Because the NRTEE is one of several contributors to policy- and decision-making in Canada at the federal level, it is difficult to assess its performance with complete confidence. Moreover, influencing federal policy development can take years, if not decades, of ongoing efforts. Despite this ambiguity, a number of senior government officials have recently referred to the NRTEE’s positive impact on key policy initiatives in Canada. Examples of references to the work of the NRTEE include the following:

• In a June 2005 letter to the NRTEE Chair, Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale thanked the NRTEE for its advice regarding the February 2005 federal budget as follows: “Your organization’s research program on Ecological Fiscal Reform (EFR) and Energy has made and continues to make a positive contribution to policy development in Canada…. Budget 2005 takes action in several areas identified by NRTEE…. NRTEE’s input was extremely valuable in the budget-making process.” This passage demonstrates the relevance and impact of the NRTEE’s advice.
• In Federal Budget 2005, one finds the following passage: “Brownfields are a legacy of the poor environmental practices of the past. They are abandoned or idle properties where environmental contamination is known or suspected, and where there is an active economic potential for redevelopment. Brownfields are among the most visible types of contaminated sites, since they are often found in urban areas close to where many Canadians live and work. They include abandoned gas stations, old waterfronts and former industrial properties.” This language, particularly the definition of brownfields, reflects the influence of the NRTEE’s work to raise the profile of this issue. Indeed, this was one of the recommendations of the NRTEE National Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy (2003). And in the end, the Green Municipal Fund of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities received $150 million for brownfield redevelopment.
• In the Federal Budget 2003, the Government of Canada invested $75 million over five years and $25 million in ongoing funds to help relieve pressures on, and restore, the ecological health of the parks. The Federal Budget 2005 builds on these investments by providing an additional $60 million over five years to enhance and expand existing ecological integrity measures. These expenditures align closely with recommendations arising from the NRTEE program on securing Canada’s natural capital.
• In June 2005, the Report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, Finding the Energy to Act: Reducing Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions, included several references to the value of the NRTEE’s past work on energy and climate change and Ecological Fiscal Reform (EFR).
• The NRTEE’s work on urban issues has proved to be very relevant to progress on the New Deal for Cities and Communities. Minister John Godfrey, the Minister of State for Infrastructure and Communities, has made positive comments on several occasions.For example:
• In an address to the NRTEE board in November 2004, Minister John Godfrey described the Government's New Deal and underscored the Round Table's important role in establishing a policy framework for sustainable cities and communities. The Minister specifically mentioned the reports on indicators, brownfields and urban sustainability.
• "It is very useful that your experts generated advice and challenged us to think long-term, and in the process they educated a lot of people about the potential of sustainable communities."
• In other fora, such as the Canadian Urban Institutes 2004 brownfields conference, the Minister described the Round Table's forward looking approach to brownfields:
• "I want to recognize the NRTEE for producing a framework for partnership and action on brownfield redevelopment, and for being a catalyst in the creation of the Canadian Brownfields Network."

Federal decision-makers request an examination of other policy issues A significant vote of confidence in the NRTEE was signalled by the following requests for the NRTEE to assist in developing policy in key areas:

• On February 16, 2005, the Government requested the NRTEE to provide advice and recommendations regarding the options to be discussed during the fall 2005 Conference of Parties/Meeting of the Parties (CoP11/MoP) in Montreal.
• The NRTEE was also asked to provide its perspective on the development of a long-term energy and climate change strategy for Canada.
• To facilitate third-party input, the Government asked the NRTEE to develop options for a feebate, to consult, and to make recommendations to the Government for the next federal budget.

Decision-makers in other sectors regard the NRTEE as an important source of advice Municipal. At the October 2005 Canadian Urban Institute’s Brownfields Conference in Toronto, Mayor David Miller (Mayor of Toronto), Jeff Steiner (President and CEO of the Toronto Economic Development Corporation), and Ahab Abdel Azziz (Environmental Lawyer, Osler Hoskin Harcourt) all spoke publicly of the value of the NRTEE work on brownfield redevelopment. Provincial. Following the NRTEE’s workshop on brownfields and liens in March 2005, the Alberta Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Shirley McClellan, noted that the NRTEE workshop report “provides an important starting point for discussion.” She undertook to “forward the report to [her] ministerial colleagues in Alberta Environment and Municipal Affairs.” The Government of New Brunswick, which has launched an initiative aimed at addressing issues of liability surrounding brownfield sites, relied heavily on the NRTEE’s brownfield strategy for background information and advice. National. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) reviewed their 10- year-old work on liability/contaminated sites principles. The NRTEE’s National Strategy, partially responsible for instigating the initiative, was used as a key point of reference in the discussions. International. The OECD cited NRTEE advice in its Environmental Performance Review (2004). The aim of the OECD Review program is to help member countries improve their individual and collective performances in environmental management. The Review specifically notes that the federal government promotes increased awareness of economic instruments through the NRTEE. It also refers to the value of the NRTEE’s work with regard to systematically tracking eco-efficiency indicators for energy, water and waste; it then suggests that this approach could be promoted by governments and industry associations. Evaluation feedback on the NRTEE as a source of policy advice The 2004-2005 case study evaluations of the completed Brownfields and Nature programs elicited mixed results regarding the NRTEE’s role as a source of policy advice. With regard to the Brownfields evaluation, some respondents said that although the materials produced were informative and did encapsulate the issues, they generally did not serve as a source of advice. The respondents also noted that, although this is not within the scope of the National Strategy, stakeholders and governments need more detailed information on the technical, financial and legal risks in order to make legislative changes. With regard to the Nature program, although some respondents noted that the NRTEE is indeed a source of advice, others stated that the NRTEE would not be the first place to go to for advice on these issues. Further evidence of the impact of the NRTEE’s work is presented in Section 2.4.

2.3.2 Program activity result: Increased awareness and understanding

To align itself with the overarching single Strategic Outcome, the NRTEE has identified a single program activity: Provide advice on environment and economic issues. Expected result: An increase in awareness and understanding by decision-makers (in federal government and other key sectors) about problems, opportunities and practical solutions relating to the environment and the economy Indicator: Percentage of decision-makers who report an increase in awareness and understanding Because of the newness of this indicator, the NRTEE is not in a position to indicate percentages. However, we present alternative evidence of success below. In 2004-2005, the NRTEE continued its efforts to promote increased awareness and understanding. It was successful in raising awareness of sustainable development issues within federal government and key stakeholder groups. Examples are listed below.

• After the March 2005 Brownfields Liens workshop (see Section 2.3.3 below), the Round Table received several letters that illustrate its success in raising awareness. For example:
• The Prime Minister noted that “the Government of Canada will carefully consider the recommendations that [the NRTEE] provided relating to the removal of Crown liens and tax arrears.”
• Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Environment, thanked the NRTEE “for bringing this information to [her] attention.”
• The New Brunswick Minister of Environment and Local Government noted that staff from her department had attended the workshop and found it to be “stimulating and productive.”

Similar letters were received from officials in the governments of Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Quebec.

• The Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada referred to the NRTEE’s work regarding Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators (ESDI) and the boreal in its annual report to Parliament, entitled The State of Canada's Forests 2003-2004.
• New Brunswick officials report that the NRTEE National Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy is used as a resource by government officials. Also employed as an educational tool for private sector and municipal representatives, it provides background on the brownfields thinking and educates people regarding the issues.
• The case study evaluations of the Brownfields program found that the success of the NRTEE brownfields work was marked the National Strategy document, which continues to be referenced and circulated by stakeholders in the process. Although some informants said they were already knowledgeable about the issues, they also noted that participation in the NRTEE process allowed them to gain a better understanding of other perspectives and their interactions.

Post-workshop surveys It is customary to invite participants to complete evaluation surveys after NRTEE multi-stakeholder workshops. One specific survey question compares levels of understanding of a particular issue before and after the workshop. An analysis of the findings from workshops conducted in this reporting period suggests that participants found a modest increase in their understanding as a result of their participation (see box). But it must be noted that most participants at the workshops were already fairly knowledgeable about the issues under discussion.

The workshop surveys conducted during this reporting period also suggest that participants felt that the information provided by the NRTEE would be somewhat, or moderately, useful for raising awareness and understanding in their organizations (see the box below).

Comment from a Participant in an EFR Workshop “In my opinion, the workshop was highly informative, interesting, and very well organized. Those whom you invited to participate seemed to be well informed and thoughtful. I learned much from the experience. In particular, I found the discussions down-to-earth and realistic. I believe that the NRTEE initiatives on climate change and energy are a breath of fresh air - a sharp contrast to much of what seems to emanate from official circles.” (Professor, Department of Economics, McGill University Further information on the NRTEE’s efforts to raise awareness and understanding is presented in Section 2.3.3

2.3.3 Results and outputs by sub-activity

The NRTEE’s work is further divided into two sub-activities: Sub-activity 1.1: Produce advice Sub-activity 1.2: Promote advice Results and outputs from sub-activity 1.1: Produce advice Sub-activity 1.1 Crosswalk: Produce advice through research and stakeholder consultation

RPP 2004-2005		Performance 2004-2005
Plans	Expected Results	Expected Results from Program Activity Architecture (PAA)	Outputs
Produce analysis and recommendations in five areas Convene and consult national stakeholders	A significant body of new knowledge and advice that has been validated	New knowledge is created	*    riginal research, case studies and analysis * Reports and recommendations * Task force meetings * Stakeholder consultations * NRTEE plenaries

In 2004-05, the NRTEE created a body of new knowledge in the five areas outlined below. In doing so, it fulfilled its RPP plans to produce analysis and recommendations and to convene and consult national stakeholders.

Current programs The table below provides a summary of the work and outputs related to current programs. Additional information is available on the website at www.nrt-trn.ca.

Program/ Initiative	Update and Outputs
Conserving Canada’s Natural Capital: The Boreal Forest	Task force meetings and three multi-stakeholder consultation meetings were held (in Quebec, Alberta and BC); three case studies and additional research papers were produced. (See NRTEE website at http://www.nrt-trn.ca/eng/programs/ Current_Programs/Nature/nature_e.htm) The program was successful in developing new contacts and networks with Aboriginal organizations across the boreal region, including provincial departments, industry associations and Aboriginal organizations. The State of the Debate Report was scheduled for release in 2004-2005; completion has been delayed until the fall of 2005. The process was delayed partly because of the need for more extensive consultations with stakeholders, particularly Aboriginal groups, regarding Aboriginal issues - to ensure that the report reflected the current realities and challenges.
Ecological Fiscal Reform and Energy	Task force meetings and stakeholder consultations were held throughout 2004-2005. Three case studies  were released in support of the process. (See the NRTEE website at http://www.nrt-trn.ca/eng/programs/Current_Programs/EFR-Energy/ EcologicalFiscalReform_e.htm.) The State of the Debate Report was scheduled for release in 2004-2005; completion is scheduled for summer of 2005. Achieving compatibility with other NRTEE energy and climate change work, coupled with the organizational impact of accommodating the February 2005 referrals on climate change, has led to delays in the final production of this report. The success of the EFR program was directly responsible for the new request from Finance Canada for recommendations on feebates.
Capital Markets and Sustainability (CMS)	The CMS Program has been responsible for production of significant original research. A high level task force to advise and guide the program was struck in 2004. Its scoping and consultationsessions, which have engaged over 160 influential stakeholders, have elicited a broad range of inputs. Among those who have provided input are the Executive Directors or Chief Investment Officers of major Canadian pension funds and the Chairmen of various securities commissions; CEOs and other high-level executives of large Canadian companies; Canadian bank executives; DM and ADM-level representatives of various federal government departments; and the heads of Canadian social investment and civil society organizations. The CMS Program also engaged in, and advised on, a number of major international initiatives including the UNEP Finance Initiative, the UN Secretary General’s Initiative on Principles of Responsible Investment, and the Institutional Investors’ Summit on Climate Risk held at the UN in New York City. Research reports are available on the NRTEE website at http://www.nrt-trn.ca/eng/programs/Current_Programs/Capital-Markets/Capital-Markets_E.htm. The State of the Debate Report is scheduled for release in Fall 2005/Winter 2006.
Energy and Climate Change: Phase 1	This program was initiated in 2003, when the Prime Minister asked that the NRTEE study priority areas with high potential for long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and also explore the linkages between energy, climate change and the economy. Activities in this reporting period included preliminary research and a series of scoping workshops and interviews with senior officials in federal and provincial governments, with private sector decision-makers from the oil and gas industry, with venture capitalists, and with representatives from ENGOs and the electrical utilities. This initiative was subsumed under the February 2005 referrals from the Prime Minister. Work completed to date has provided for a seamless transition to the new energy and climate change work. (See Section 1.4.2 and http://www.nrt-trn.ca/eng/programs/Current_Programs/Energy-Climate-Change/ECC_e.htm)
Green Budget	The NRTEE took steps to streamline its “green” budget recommendations and presented a more focused approach to the Minister of Finance. For the Federal Budget 2005, NRTEE’s submission was entitled Fiscal Policy for Long-term Carbon Emission Reductions: Briefing Notes and Budget Advice.  The Green Budget submission may be replaced in the future by more predictable referrals from the Minister of Finance, similar to the February 2005 request for information on Feebates.

Plenaries

The NRTEE convened three plenaries of Round Table members, two in Ottawa and one in Regina. The fourth plenary, scheduled for February 2005 in Victoria, BC, was cancelled due to the major changes in the organization announced on February 16. New program areas: Long-term Energy and Climate Change Strategy - new reference Toward the end of the reporting period, the NRTEE became engaged in a new climate change and energy program as well as a study of feebates. This was in response to a direct request from the Government. (See Section 1.4.2 Major Milestone in 2004-2005, above.) Exploration of possible program areas The NRTEE undertook preliminary explorations of a range of other issues under the environment-economy umbrella, all as part of a planning exercise to identify new program areas for future examination by the Round Table. The outputs from these included research and analysis, reports and recommendations. The following areas were explored:

• Municipal Solid Waste Management
• Urban Freight Transportation
• Canada’s Oceans (Estimating the Economic Value)
• Food Production and Supply
• Freshwater
• Regulation and Environmental Technologies
• Disaster Management and Sustainability

Follow-up to completed program: Workshop on Liens and Tax Arrears on Brownfield Sites In March 2005, the NRTEE, partnering with the Canadian Brownfields Network, convened a one-day workshop of expert stakeholders. The goal was to produce detailed recommendations related to the removal of liens and tax arrears on eligible brownfield sites. About 40 participants from three levels of government and the private sector participated in the event. The workshop was a direct result of the NRTEE’s earlier work on the brownfield redevelopment strategy for Canada. The report from this workshop, entitled Greening Canada’s Brownfields: A National Framework for Encouraging Redevelopment of Qualifying Brownfields through Removal of Crown Liens and Tax Arrears, was very well received. Results and outputs from activity 1.2 : Promote advice Sub-activity 1.2 Crosswalk: Promote advice to federal clients and other sectors

RPP 2004-2005		Performance 2004-2005
Plans	Expected Results	Results (adapted from previous DPRs)	Outputs
* Brief senior government officials, etc. * Deliver regional information sessions *Raise awareness in wider audience	Senior decision-makers in the federal system briefed on these areas of critical importance to Canadians	A diversity of strategies employed to reach target audiences	*Government briefings *Information events *Media: print, radio, other *Website *E-briefs and newsletters

In 2004-2005, the NRTEE used diverse strategies to reach target audiences. The goal was to ensure that decision-makers, the media and the public-at-large recognize the NRTEE as a leader in providing objective views and analysis relating to the “state of the debate” on the environment and the economy in Canada. The strategies included government briefings and a range of targeted communications activities involving the NRTEE website, information events, media, regular e-briefs and newsletters. These are discussed below.

Government briefings/meetings with senior government officials In the DPR 2003-2004, the NRTEE noted that it would work to strengthen and regularize its contact with senior federal officials in order both to increase their awareness of the issues and to better align the NRTEE’s advice with government initiatives. Several new approaches were implemented to meet this goal. For example, at the November 2004 Plenary meeting in Ottawa, members of a panel of Deputy Ministers were invited to share their perspectives on their departments’ priorities and to engage in discussion with Round Table members. The following officials participated:

• George Anderson, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada
• David Fransen, Assistant Deputy Minister, Industry Canada
• Samy Watson, Deputy Minister, Environment Canada
• Arthur Carty, National Science Advisor to the Prime Minister
• Larry Murray, Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Sue Kirby, Assistant Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

At that time, members also heard from Johanne Gelinas, Commissioner for Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Auditor General of Canada, and from the Honourable John Godfrey, Minister of State for Infrastructure and Communities. The NRTEE Acting President and CEO, together with the NRTEE Chair, met frequently over the course of the year with senior officials from a range of federal government departments. These discussions included meetings with both the Minister and Deputy Minister of Environment. Communications activities A summary of the NRTEE’s communications activities is presented in the table below.

Communications Activities Summary (2004-2005)

Website Number of visitors to the Website: 296,679 Average length of stay: 28 minutes Average number of visitors/day: 812 Number of NRTEE PDF documents downloaded: 152,575 Top four downloaded reports: Cleaning up the Past, Building the Future: A National Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy for Canada. English: 21,014; French: 2,159  Environment  and Sustainable Development Indicators for Canada - A State of the Debate Report. English: 5,795; French: 9,403 Environmental  Quality in Canadian Cities: The Federal Role - A State of the Debate Report. English: 3,476; French: 4,664    Securing  Canada’s Natural Capital: A Vision for Nature Conservation in the 21st Century – A State of the Debate Report. English: 3,509; French: 4,563

Speaking Engagements  GLOBE 2004, Vancouver: Hosted a panel entitled Capital  Markets: Examining the links between sustainable development and financial performance in Canada    International Association of Ecological Economists (ISEE), Montreal: Hosted a panel and provided speakers on Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators (ESDI) McGill University, Resource and Environmental Economics, Montreal: Addressed an economics class on natural capital and the ESDI Initiative Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA)’s annual Solar Forum, Ottawa: Presented on Saskatchewan NDP caucus briefing, Regina: Presented on Enabling the Green Economy which included preliminary findings from the EFR & Energy program OECD World Forum on Key Indicators, Palermo, Italy: Presented on the NRTEE’s ESDI Initiative Canada’s Sustainable Technologies & Services Summit 2004, Ottawa: Hosted a panel entitled Canada’s Energy Future, and participated on the Eco-efficiency panel Fueling  Our Future: Strategic Energy Policy Opportunities for Canada, Ottawa: Presented on The Energy-Environmental Equation  House  of Commons Standing Committee on Sustainable Development and Environment Presentation, Ottawa: Presented preliminary recommendations stemming from the EFR & Energy program Canadian  Council of Forest Ministers’ Sustainable Forest Management Working Group, Saskatoon: Presented on Conserving Canada’s Natural Capital: The Boreal Forest program  Midi  de la foresterie de l'UQAT, Rouyn-Noranda: Presented on « Les interventions de la société                     Canada  Local Canada Global: The Environment, Society and the Canadian Financial Sector, Toronto (organized by the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme Finance Initiative [UNEP FI], in collaboration with RBC Financial Group): Presented on the Capital Markets and Sustainability program Senate  Standing Committee on Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, Ottawa: Presented on the EFR & Energy program civile dans les dossiers de la foresterie» Ecological Fiscal Reform and Energy:  Integrating Fiscal Instruments into the Search for Solutions to Climate Change Issues

NRTEE  Information Booth at Conferences  GLOBE  2004, Vancouver People and the Planet: Changing Values for a Sustainable Future, Calgary International Association of Ecological Economists (ISEE), Montreal Canada’s Sustainable Technologies & Services Summit 2004, Ottawa

Media  Clippings  Opinion editorials – 3 Print articles (including op-eds) – 141 Radio interviews – 17 TV coverage – 7

Newsletter (Review) and Electronic e-Briefs The NRTEE sent out four editions of the NRTEE Review, averaging 9,852 individuals per Review (total number of Reviews distributed to mailing list during the year = 39,406). The electronic e-Brief (an electronic e-mail update on current events and program information) was sent out four times during 2004-2005, averaging 6,500 individuals per distribution.

The NRTEE website is clearly an important tool for disseminating key information to stakeholders and members of the public. It serves as the primary source for information on current NRTEE programs as well as for NRTEE e-Briefs, past program evaluations, and information on the Round Table, its members, current issues and upcoming events.

The table below illustrates that the largest source of traffic on the web site is the federal government, our primary client for advice.

Per cent of traffic on NRTEE web site by sector
Federal Contacts	38.0%
ENGO	10.1%
Industry/Trade Associations	10.0%
University Contacts	9.0%
Provincial Contacts	12.6%
Business	9.0%
Sustainable Development Research Institutes	5.0%
Labour Federations / Unions	1.7%
Members of Parliament	1.6%
Municipal	1.7%
Lobby Firms	0.7%
International Organizations	0.3%
National Councils for Sustainable Development	0.3%

The website’s Virtual Library feature enables people to easily access over 300 NRTEE documents on sustainable development. All NRTEE publications obtained through the Virtual Library are free of charge. The Round Table’s signature series, the State of the Debate reports, continues to have strong brand recognition.

The NRTEE publications continue to be marketed and distributed on a partial cost-recovery basis through Renouf Publishing Co. Ltd. The new climate change reference from the government resulted in a significant demand for information about climate change, the NRTEE, and how the Round Table plans to tackle its new assignments. Materials, largely aimed at internal communications with members, were quickly produced and disseminated in both official languages.