August 15, 2008

Association of Canadian Engineering Companies

ACEC’s pre-budget brief offers strategies for sustainability

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

The Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) has called on the federal government to promote specific strategies to address sustainability and climate change in Canada.

“The past several years have witnessed a significant debate as to how to best position Canada in this new, greener era,” the association said in a pre-budget submission to the Commons finance committee.

“Clearly there is no one magic bullet that will enable Canada to meet its various environmental objectives. A sustainability plan for Canada must be broad-based and involve all segments of Canadian society.”

In its five-page brief, ACEC argued that the federal government “aggressively pursue” a sustainability and climate change strategy that includes three key elements. These are:

•Making a government-wide commitment to a Qualifications-Based Selection procurement process in order to ensure that the most advanced sustainable ideas and competencies are brought to every project.

•Reorienting Canada’s foreign aid budget to ensure that greater emphasis is placed on sustainable development projects such as transportation or energy infrastructure in developing countries.

•Increasing the federal government’s investment in Canada’s physical infrastructure in order to maximize its efficiency and minimize its environmental impact.

The association said Canada’s consulting engineers are ready to work with the federal government to help transform the built environment, both domestically and globally, onto a more sustainable footing.

“Given their expertise and innovative capacity, engineering firms are extremely well placed to provide solutions to Canada’s environmental and sustainability goals,” president Jeff Morrison said in a statement.

“Our member firms are anxious to work with the federal government to provide sustainable solutions.”

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