The Living City® Report Card is a progress report on environmental sustainability in the Toronto region.
It looks at six themes – CARBON, AIR QUALITY, WATER, WASTE, LAND USE and BIODIVERSITY– and answers three important questions: How are we doing? Where have we excelled? And on what issues do we need to work even harder?
The first The Living City® Report Card was released in 2011. VIEW IT NOW.
The 2016 report card is a five-year progress report.
Change since the first The Living City® Report Card in 2011 is mixed: the Toronto region has made some important improvements, maintained past progress in other areas, and seen other indicators decline.
However, the overall picture is clear: progress toward a sustainable Toronto region is slow.
The path ahead is not easy. We face many challenges: a growing population, continued urban development, and climate change.
Nevertheless, there is reason for optimism. Many individuals and organizations are undertaking great efforts to advance environmental sustainability in our region.
By thinking and acting regionally, we will make the Toronto region a cleaner, greener, and healthier place to live. Together, we can accelerate our collective impact. Together, we will achieve more.
READ THE 2016 REPORT CARD
ABOUT THE LIVING CITY® REPORT CARD
The Living City® Report Card is a progress report on environmental sustainability in the Toronto region. It looks at six themes – carbon, air quality, water, waste, land use, and biodiversity.
The Living City® Report Card is based on the idea that an understanding of where we are now helps us get to where we want to go.
The Living City® Report Card uses a series of indicators established in 2011 by a multi-sector working group.
The Living City®: Where humans can flourish forever as part of nature's beauty and diversity. We are working toward our vision for a cleaner, greener, and healthier place to live today and for future generations.
Reduced carbon, clean air, clean water, reduction of water use and waste, sustainable land use and expanded greenspace, and healthy biodiversity.
The Living City® Report Card 2011
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and CivicAction’s Greening Greater Toronto collaborated with organizations and environmental leaders across the region to produce the first Living City® Report Card in 2011.
The Living City® Report Card 2016 Has Six Themes:
CARBON
Carbon dioxide is one of the primary greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted to the atmosphere by human activities.
Burning oil, gas, coal and other fossil fuels in our power plants, factories, homes and vehicles releases GHGs. These GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere and oceans, contributing to global warming and climate change.
There is broad consensus among scientists and decision makers that climate change is the most serious environmental threat facing our planet, its ecological systems and our way of life.
Global emissions of GHGs have reached the highest levels ever measured.
Transportation fuel use and natural gas consumption by homes and businesses for heat are the two largest sources of GHG emissions in the GTA.
Although we’re working hard to reduce our GHG emissions, there is still quite a bit of work to be done. Municipal leaders need to keep in tune with emerging federal and provincial policy frameworks to determine how their cities can influence, adopt and build upon these policies at the local level.
atmosphere by human activities. GHGs trap
heat in the atmosphere and oceans and are
causing the climate to change.
electricity generation in 2003 and
was reduced to
the most serious environmental
threat facing our society.
transit
infrastructure
AIR QUALITY
Air pollution is responsible for significant negative health impacts. Research has linked air pollution to a number of health concerns, including allergies, respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Even at low levels, air pollution can cause significant health impacts due to the long-term systematic exposure. These health impacts have a strong bearing on our quality of life and place an unnecessary strain on the health care system.
Over the past decade, concentrations of most common air pollutants have declined across Ontario. However, variations in air quality within a community can be as great as the variation between communities; and this variation is rarely measured.
We do know that when we drive our vehicles and use energy in our offices and homes, we are likely burning fossil fuels (such as gasoline, natural gas, and/or oil) and sending pollution into the air. This contributes to smog and poor air quality, which is directly linked to impacts on human health.
In order to improve air quality in the GTA, we need all levels of government to continue to encourage the development of clean industry, energy and transportation.
We also need more comprehensive and detailed local area monitoring within urban neighbourhoods to better understand how air quality is affecting people at the local level.
vehicles sends pollution into the air, which contributes
to poor air quality.
respiratory illness and cardiovascular disease
that affect our quality of life and strain the
health care system.
have declined across Ontario.
But these declines might not
be apparent at the local level.
Local air quality monitoring
is needed.
the GTA have decreased over
the last decade
transit infrastructure
WATER
Water is one of the most important substances on earth. Clean, safe water in our region’s rivers and streams and in Lake Ontario is critical to our economic, social, and environmental health.
Clean water is necessary for commercial activities such as agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing. It is also important for recreational activities such as swimming and boating.
The biodiversity of our streams and lakes depends on clean water, and so does our own health and well-being. Clean water is a precious and limited resource that should be valued and protected.
Water management is central to environmental sustainability. Despite the fact that water is a limited resource, Canadians are among the highest consumers per person in the world.
Poor water management in urban areas can lead to flooding, water pollution, contamination of drinking water and damage to local ecosystems.
For example, in some areas untreated and uncontrolled stormwater flows directly into streams, carrying contaminants and increasing stream flow volume and speed. This impacts the aquatic ecosystems and increases the risk of flooding in our local waterways.
Opportunities to improve water management include full-cost pricing for water to encourage water conservation, and incorporation of low impact development (LID) techniques into stormwater management.
frequency and power of unpredictable
thunderstorms, leading to more floods.
vulnerable areas. All rivers flood, but our rivers flood
more often because of stormwater runoff from
urban areas.
region (where communities existed
before modern policy that prevented
development in floodplains).
work to prevent and mitigate
riverine flooding. The TRCA Flood
Forecasting and Warning program
is used across the Toronto region.
reduce the risk from flooding
management
helps prevent flooding and
protects water quality.
pipes that pour into rivers, streams and Lake Ontario. Without
proper stormwater management to detain and treat
stormwater before it enters our waterways, we risk:
that tries to mimic the natural water cycle. Green
design for stormwater control. LID filters, evaporatos, cools,
and retains stormwater runoff instead of going directly into
streams and lakes.
in new and existing urban areas
infrastructure approaches, including LID
Erosion
Damage to local ecosystems
depends directly on the quality of water
that they live in or drink.
phosphorus and metals are the
same or decreasing.
Chloride, from road salt, is
increasing. E.coli bacteria
remains an issue, and
microplastics are a new threat.
Low Impact Development (LID) practices
safe alternatives
and carries pollutants to our streams and lakes.
a Blue Flag status
stormwater runoff instead of going directly into
streams. Techniques include rain gardens and
permeable pavements.
from natural ecosystems and increases
infrastructure and energy costs for
municipalities.
consumers of water per person in
the world.
In the GTA, water consumption is high
and the demand will continue to increase
due to our growing population.
setting prices for water that include the entire cost
of pumping, cleaning and distributing, plus
environmental costs.
Ontario is plentiful for now, but can
be jeopardized by overconsumption
and pollution.
WASTE
Almost everything we do creates waste. Waste is often stored in landfills, which produce carbon emissions, take up valuable land, and represent a wasted use of valuable materials that could have been reused, recycled, or resold.
As our population continues to grow, we will continue to create waste. Our current consumption levels are unsustainable and will impact the kind of world we will leave for future generations.
Although there have been some small gains in individual municipalities, waste management for the GTA as a whole has not improved over the past five years.
Effective waste management contributes to preserving our environment and making our region more sustainable.
We need to focus our attention to the on making waste diversion a priority, particularly in multi-unit residential buildings. This includes making waste diversion easier for residents and building tenants by increasing opportunities for recycling, reduction, and reuse of materials.
contributes to preserving our
environment and making our region
more sustainable. Our landfills have
limited space, so waste diversion
is important.
improved over the last five years.
people put in their garbage bags
could be diverted from landfill.
options in MURBs
across the GTA
LAND USE
As the population of our region continues to grow, managing the way we use our limited land becomes increasingly important.
We need to accommodate our growing population while also protecting our natural infrastructure and the services it provides. We need to create a more walkable, transit-oriented and self-sustaining region.
Better land use planning can improve traffic congestion, air quality and other quality of life dynamics, while also reducing water and energy waste, and preserving natural features.
In the GTA, the rate of urban sprawl has decreased and “green building” has increased since the last report card. But farmland in the region continues to be lost, and the amount of greenspace per person has declined. The urban forest has limited diversity and has been affected by insect pests and extreme weather events.
To improve our regional sustainability, we need to build complete, compact and green communities, invest in green infrastructure, and strategically acquire, restore and protect greenspace and agricultural land.
is an important part of our local economy
and our cultural heritage.
region continues to shrink as
development advances into our
rural areas.
agriculture into the urban
environment
impact on environment and human health
by efficiently using energy, water and other
resources.
One of the greatest benefits of green buildings
is their decreased energy use, which helps
reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
and fastest growing green
building industry in Canada.
green building policies
report energy & water consumption
emissions are generated by
buildings.
they represent only a small fraction of all new
development in the region.
in office buildings
livable, improves our health, and protects our
regional biodiversity.
Greenspace helps to improve air quality,
provide shade from UV radiation, muffle noise,
and keeps the city cool on hot summer days.
size and quality of the greenspace system is
not increasing at the same rate.
greenspace system
through land acquisitions
is often not adequate to support the
greenspace system.
continues to grow rapidly and
we must accommodate this
growth in a sustainable way.
GTA decreased in 2001-2011 compared to
1991-2001, suggesting that we have slowed the
rate of urban sprawl.
into new communities at the edges of the
region, where there is limited public
transportation.
land uses. They have efficient, effective transit systems and
accessibility to local services and jobs. Compact communities
lessen the impact on the environment by reducing our
dependence on cars and the pollution we generate by travelling.
Remove pollutants from the air and water
Reduce stormwater runoff
Cool communities and save energy
Improve our health and wellbeing
Provide recreation opportunities
of trees : maple, cedar and ash. This low diversity makes
it vulnerable to insect pests and disease. The invasive
pest the EMERALD ASH BORER is killing tens of
millions of trees across the province,
including many in the GTA. A changing
climate with more ice storms and
droughts can also weaken and
damage the urban forest.
protect and expand the urban forest
to increase diversity
significantly fewer health conditions
in city blocks with 10 or more trees.
critical component of our
green infrastructure.
BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity, the wide variety of living organisms and their ecosystems, provides us with irreplaceable services, like clean air and water, pollination of crops, and moderation of floods and storms.
Biodiversity is a reflection of ecosystem health, which is essential to our own health and well-being.
In the Toronto region, biodiversity is changing: tolerant stream fish seem to be replacing more sensitive species, and the biodiversity of native plants and animals appears to be declining.
These changes are largely due to the negative impacts from urbanization.
Impacts from urbanization include stormwater runoff (altered water flow amounts, speeds and patterns), water pollution (including warm water), invasive species, and habitat loss and fragmentation.
To improve this aspect of environmental sustainability, we need to incorporate better stormwater management to help enhance water quality and flow, protect and restore coldwater streams, and strategically acquire, restore and protect more forest and wetland.
biodiversity. It also mitigates floods and
improves air quality.
is declining.
tracts of forest and wetland
natural cover
support a wider range of native
plants and animals
is natural cover
with a higher proportion of forest
and wetland
natural cover:
Soil compaction
Recreational pressures
Invasive species
Light and noise pollution
health. Every species depends on other
species to survive.
birds and frogs were similar for
this time period compared to
the last.
more forest and wetland
Sites
Sites
species found in
species found in
The invasion of non-native species
Pollution
Climate change
businesses, municipalities and conservation
authorities in on-the-ground projects that protect
and manage habitats and species diversity.
our streams and lakes.
In many parts of the GTA, stormwater flows
directly into streams.
Redside Dace and Brook Trout
are found in fewer areas due
to urbanization.
devastate aquatic ecosystems.
Round Goby and Grass Carp have
been found in our waterways.
is INCREASING
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