Oakvillegreen Conservation…

Oakvillegreen Conservation Association supports the province’s leadership in developing a regulation for municipal asset management planning. Such a regulation will establish a more structured framework for what to include in asset management plans and strengthen the work already being undertaken by municipalities across the province.

We strongly urge the province to integrate green infrastructure into the new regulation. Like other infrastructure, green infrastructure benefits from an asset management approach that helps ensure long term sustainability and delivery of benefits to residents (level of service). Specifically, we ask that you: 1) Include green infrastructure in the definition of "Core Infrastructure Assets"; and 2) Make green infrastructure a mandatory component of municipal asset management policies, strategies and plans. 3) Identify best practices for green infrastructure in each of the key areas: Infrastructure asset inventory, levels of service, life cycle management and financial strategy.

Green infrastructure can be a cost-effective complement (or alternative) to grey infrastructure, a relationship that is specifically cited in Ontario’s PPS 2014. It is also an important and underutilized tool for increasing community resilience to the effects of climate change, such as urban heat island effect and extreme weather events.

Including green infrastructure as a required component of municipal asset management policies, strategies and plans would prompt municipalities to consider the services provided by green infrastructure when making costly infrastructure decisions, and help them manage their existing assets sustainably. It would also help align the new asset management planning legislation with the growing number of provincial policies that recognize green infrastructure as an important tool for communities.

Need for municipal support An increasing number of municipalities across the province recognize the value of implementing green infrastructure practices and are looking for leadership on how best to do so. The recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference included a session on green infrastructure practices, and Ontario’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is currently updating its stormwater guidance manual to include a requirement to reduce runoff volumes using green infrastructure (low impact development). The new asset management planning regulation should keep up with the emerging policy context and integrate green infrastructure assets because they have the same needs, and require the same provincial support and guidance as conventional infrastructure assets. Effective management of green assets also requires collaboration and information-sharing among municipalities, which the province is best-positioned to foster. Furthermore, in addition to the guide, establishing best practices in the key areas would create a very valuable, more user

- friendly tool for municipalities big and small.

Green infrastructure assets should not be an afterthought. They are an important type of infrastructure that complements grey, conventional infrastructure, and should be considered and integrated into asset management planning in order to drive sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure spending.

Sincerely,

Karen Brock
President, Oakvillegreen 2089 Nipigon Drive, Oakville,ON L6H 4G3

Since 2000

- Oakvillegreen's vision is to make Oakville a living city with enhanced natural diversity, stronger connections between natural areas, and healthier green spaces. Our programming reconnects people to the natural environment in their neighbourhood and across their community and increases their awareness of the importance of nature and moves them to action to protect, enhance and restore Oakville’s natural environment.

[Original Comment ID: 210247]