Corporate Knights
magazine has released its 5^th annual Sustainable Cities
ranking at a press conference at the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities’ 2011 Sustainable Communities Conference in
Victoria, B.C.



This year Western Canada proves to be the leader in urban
sustainability, with Vancouver and Victoria tying for first place
in the overall standings as Canada’s most sustainable cities.
Mayors from both cities participated in the press conference.



The 5^th annual Corporate Knights Sustainable Cities
Ranking recognizes Toronto as first in the Big city group with a
score of 69 % (out of 100 %), Vancouver as first in the Medium city
group, and Victoria as first in the Small city group. Victoria and
Vancouver tied for first place overall in the ranking, with a score
of 71 %.



Victoria was victorious in the Small cities group in its first year
in the ranking.  It’s the only city in the ranking that
achieved a perfect score for both gender and visible minority
representation on city council

Victoria also does well in economic security, with low average
long-term household debt. The award-winning Dockside Green project
is attempting greenhouse gas (GHG) neutrality by connecting a
biomass heating system to a hotel site.

“Consistency and follow-through with plans are the keys to
success,” says Erin Marchington, Researcher at Corporate Knights
Magazine. “Vancouver and Victoria tied for first place overall
because they have successfully planned and implemented projects in
all five categories of sustainability.”



Vancouver is making strides on its
mission to becoming the greenest city in the world as the Medium
city winner for a second straight year. The city’s Neighbourhood
Energy Utility provides 70 per cent of that area’s yearly energy
needs by turning sewage into heat.

In early 2010, the city launched a residential solar hot water
pilot program offering grants to cover half the installation cost
of a system. Building codes now require all new one and two-unit
dwellings to be “solar ready” for future installment.



Toronto clinched the top big city spot for a second year in a row,
with help from the best voter turnout for municipal elections in
years-53.2 per cent. Livegreen Toronto’s program offers a number of
energy efficiency grants and programs for homeowners to retrofit
their homes or decrease their annual energy bills

And the city’s green roof bylaw- among the first in North
America-requires new commercial, institutional, and residential
developments with a minimum floor area of 2,000 m² to
have a green roof.

Cities were assessed on 28 indicators spanning five categories
of sustainability: Ecological Integrity, Economic Security,
Governance and Empowerment, Infrastructure and Built Environment,
and Social Well-Being.  

The supporting research included a survey completed by all
ranked cities and publicly available statistics at the city
level.  Overall, 17 cities across Canada were included in
the ranking, representing all provinces and territories (with the
exception of Nunavut and Newfoundland, as Iqaluit and St. John’s
declined participation).



But with a top score of 71 %, it’s clear there is room for
improvement in all cities.  The following trends give
some insight into where these improvements could be made:



Environmental Integrity:

• 50 % cities are on track to meet corporate GHG emission
  reduction targets.



• 5 of 17 cities do not have a municipal GHG emission reduction
  target currently in place.



• More than 50 % of cities that have a municipal target do not
  have current emission data available.

Economic Security:

• 40 % of the cities analyzed allocate greater than 20 % of total
  household spending to shelter.

Governance and Empowerment:

• 3 of 17 cities have a city council with 50 %
  females, 50 % male (Mississauga, Quebec, Victoria).



• 2 of 17 cities have a city council that
  reflects the % visible minorities in the city population (Victoria,
  Saint John).

Infrastructure and Built Environment:

• 2 of 17 cities meet the ideal density
  requirement for cities (Vancouver, Victoria).

Social Well-Being:

• 7 of 17 cities have more than 20% of their
  population classified as obese.

The full results and methodology of the ranking are available
online at target=”_blank”>www.corporateknights.ca/cities, as well as in
the Sustainable cities issue (Issue 34, Winter 2011) of Corporate
Knights Magazine, distributed in the Globe and Mail February 10th,
2011 in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Edmonton, Calgary and
Vancouver.