A waste opportunity: Canada can—and should—make its solid waste systems more efficient

Livable Cities

Garbage might be stinky, but it offers a refreshing source of common ground. We can all agree that generating less garbage is a good thing. We can also probably agree that we should manage our garbage in ways that reduce health and environmental risks to our communities. When it comes to managing our solid waste, […]

Getting environmental solutions and answers for Canadian municipal

The answers municipal governments have been looking for?

Livable Cities

by Rachel Samson Municipal governments are facing multiple, growing, and overlapping challenges. Yet, there are tools available to address these challenges that are not being used to their full potential.  Market-based policies such as well-designed user fees can help reduce traffic, cut water use, and improve solid waste management, while generating revenue that can be […]

Water works in Okotoks: Lessons from a small, fast-growing Canadian town

Livable Cities Technology and Innovation Water

Smaller Canadian municipalities face unique challenges when it comes to sustaining healthy water and wastewater systems. To reduce the pressure, many of them are taking multi-pronged approaches to conservation and cost recovery. As we discuss in our latest report, well-designed user fees (i.e., water rates) are effective at curbing water use, but they’re not the […]

Canada’s park paradox

Pollution

Canada’s national parks host millions and millions of visitors every year, and entry was free in 2017 as part of Canada 150. As you might expect, people have flocked in record numbers. But national parks belong to the public. Should access always be free? And aren’t more visitors, rather than fewer, a good thing? In […]

The benefits of water meters: We can’t manage what we don’t measure

Livable Cities Water

Measuring our water consumption is fundamental to sustainable water management. Water meters provide municipal water utilities with vital information on how, when, and where we use water. They also allow municipalities to charge based on how much water we use. For these reasons and more, installing water meters is Best Practice #1 in our recent […]