1. SMART SALT PRACTICES - MOTION
PRATIQUES
EXEMPLAIRES POUR L’ÉPANDAGE DE SEL –MOTION
COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve that the City of Ottawa
continues to illustrate environmental leadership and stewardship by:
a. working
closely with the provincial Smart About Salt Council;
b. adopting
staff training programs to encourage smart salt practices for city parking lots
and public facilities;
c. phasing
in a requirement for City contractors to be certified in smart salt usage;
d. hosting
a public-private Smart Salt Summit in the Fall of 2011 to share best practices
in salt management with BOMA and other local public institutions;
e. providing
information for residents on the City website for smart salt usage for
residents and private property.
RECOMMANDATION
DU COMITÉ
Que le
Conseil approuve que la Ville d’Ottawa continue d’agir comme chef de file en
matière de gestion environnementale et applique les mesures suivantes:
a. une
étroite collaboration avec le Conseil pour l’application intelligente du sel;
b. l’adoption
de programmes de formation du personnel visant à encourager les pratiques
d’application intelligente du sel dans les parcs de stationnement municipaux et
les installations publiques;
c. la
mise en place progressive d’une exigence que les entrepreneurs de la Ville
soient homologués en matière d’application intelligente du sel;
d. la
tenue d’un sommet public-privé sur l’application intelligente du sel à
l’automne 2011 pour un échange de pratiques exemplaires en gestion des
sels de voirie entre la BOMA et d’autres institutions publiques locales;
e. la
diffusion sur le site Web de la Ville de renseignements en matière d’application intelligente du sel sur la propriété des
résidents et sur les propriétés privées.
DOCUMENTATION
1.
Committee
Coordinator report dated 30 June 2011 (ACS2011-CMR-TRC-0017).
2.
Extract of draft
Minutes 10, Transportation Committee meeting of 7 September 2011.
Report
to/Rapport au :
30 June 2011 / le 30 juin 2011
Submitted by/Soumis par : Rosemary Theriault,
Committee Coordinator
Contact Person/Personne resource: Councillor/Conseiller Rainer Bloess
(613)
580-2472, Rainer.Bloess@ottawa.ca
|
City Wide/
À l’échelle de la Ville |
Ref N°:ACS2011-CMR-TRC-0017 |
SUBJECT: SMART SALT PRACTICES - MOTION
OBJET : PRATIQUES
EXEMPLAIRES POUR L’ÉPANDAGE DE SEL –MOTION
REPORT
RECOMMENDATION
That
the Transportation Committee recommend to Council that the City of Ottawa
continue to illustrate environmental leadership and stewardship by:
a. working closely with the provincial
Smart About Salt Council;
b. adopting
staff training programs to encourage smart salt practices for city parking lots
and public facilities;
c. phasing
in a requirement for City contractors to be certified in smart salt usage;
d. hosting
a public-private Smart Salt Summit in the Fall of 2011 to share best practices
in salt management with BOMA and other local public institutions;
e. providing
information for residents on the City website for smart salt usage for
residents and private property.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité
des transports recommande au Conseil de la Ville d’Ottawa continue d’agir comme
chef de file en matière de gestion environnementale et applique les mesures
suivantes:
a. une
étroite collaboration avec le Conseil pour l’application intelligente du sel;
b. l’adoption
de programmes de formation du personnel visant à encourager les pratiques
d’application intelligente du sel dans les parcs de stationnement municipaux et
les installations publiques;
c. la
mise en place progressive d’une exigence que les entrepreneurs de la Ville
soient homologués en matière d’application intelligente du sel;
d. la
tenue d’un sommet public-privé sur l’application intelligente du sel à
l’automne 2011 pour un échange de pratiques exemplaires en gestion des
sels de voirie entre la BOMA et d’autres institutions publiques locales;
e. la
diffusion sur le site Web de la Ville de renseignements en matière d’application
intelligente du sel sur la propriété des résidents et sur les propriétés
privées.
BACKGROUND
On 29 June 2011, the Transportation
Committee received a Notice of Motion with respect to smart salt practices in
the City of Ottawa. A full copy of the Motion
is attached as Document 1 to this report.
DISCUSSION
Over the years,
the City of Ottawa has significantly optimized how it uses salt on winter roads
and sidewalks to minimize the effects of salt on the local environment through
the use of technologies (i.e. GPS data collection, electronic variable salt
rate controllers, infrared pavement temperature gauges) and procedures (i.e.
Good Housekeeping Procedures at Works Yards).
Smart salt practices offer environmental benefits as well as
opportunities to reduce the municipality’s salt costs.
Currently, the
province has a Smart About Salt Program, which focuses
on salt use by private contractors and property managers, the best practices of
salt management for use on public parking lots and private parking lots and to
help reduce salt use while ensuring that public safety is not compromised. The Smart About Salt
Council is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to the protection of
drinking water and the environment through programs that will more effectively
manage winter salt used to de-ice private roads and parking lots.
As per Section 7 of Specific
Responsibilities in the Terms of Reference, the Transportation Committee shall
recommend to Council ways to manage the City’s transportation system so that it
minimizes environmental impacts, including effects on water resources and
vegetation, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and potential for noise
pollution.
RURAL
IMPLICATIONS
Concerns
related to salt application in proximity to private drinking water wells were
raised by the public during the Rural Summit II consultation. An effort to minimize salt usage without
reducing safety is a benefit to communities in rural Ottawa.
CONSULTATION
Community
Sustainability Department
The Community Sustainability Department
recognizes the importance of protecting our environment and especially the
health of our watershed. The department is supportive of the report
recommendations which when implemented will help to minimize the environmental
impacts of road salt.
Public Works Department
The Public
Works Department is supportive of the report recommendations and will work with
the provincial Smart About Salt Council to implement
them subject to Council approval. Training programs for City staff and
certification of City contractors will be implemented in accordance with the
Smart About Salt Program requirements.
Councillor
Desroches
This
report emanated from a motion moved at Transportation Committee by Councillor
Bloess on behalf of Councillor Desroches.
Councillor Desroches’ comments are as follows:
The Smart about
Salt initiative will support the City’s environmental protection objectives and
lead to more efficient and less costly salt application on city owned parking
lots and facilities.
More information
on the Smart About Salt Initiative can be found at: (www.smartaboutsaltcouncil.roundtablelive.org)
This initiative
is a unique opportunity for the private sector to cooperate with private sector
local building owners who are playing a lead role through the Building
Operators and Managers Association (Ottawa Chapter).
The goal is to
avoid over-usage of salt which can have a detrimental effect on the environment,
private property and public infrastructure.
Given the
infrastructure challenges facing municipalities, it is helpful to take steps
directed at extending the capital life of local infrastructure.
The objective of
the public education program would be aimed at smart salt usage or alternatives
to salt and underlining to residents that salt is not effective below -10C;
that adding extra salt does not accelerate melting and that salt use can damage
plants and grass. In addition, many
residents may be unaware that salt water runoff from residential and business
driveways and walkways ends up in the local river
system via the neighbourhood storm water systems.
LEGAL
IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal impediments to
implementing the recommendation in this report.
RISK
MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
There
are no risk management implications associated with this report.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
Any
costs associated with Public Works continued participation in the Smart About Salt Program are covered off by existing budget
allotment for Roads Traffic Operations Maintenance Division. The pilot
expansion of this program into Parks Building and Grounds Division for
facilities the start up costs estimated at $10,000 and any future costs beyond
the pilot are anticipated to be offset by salt material savings through
improved salt management practices. Participation in this program by
contractors and other external parties under the program are borne by those
parties.
TECHNOLOGICAL
IMPLICATIONS
There are no Technical Implications
associated with this report.
CITY
STRATEGIC PLAN
The report recommendation meets the
intent of the City’s strategic plan in terms of supporting objectives related
to environmental protection and sustainability and financial sustainability.
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document
1 – Notice of Motion, 29 June 2011
Document
2 – Become Smart About Salt
Flyer (distributed previously and
held on file with the City Clerk)
DISPOSITION
Staff will follow through as
directed by the Committee and Council.
Document
1
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City Council and Standing Committee Motion Conseil et comités permanents Motion |
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Councillor Bloess
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Smart About Salt Council |
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WHEREAS
over the years, the City of Ottawa has significantly optimized how it uses salt
on winter roads and sidewalks to minimize the effects of salt on the local
environment through the use of technologies (i.e. GPS data collection,
electronic variable salt rate controllers, infrared pavement temperature
gauges) and procedures (i.e. Good Housekeeping Procedures at Works Yards);
WHEREAS the provincial Smart
About Salt Program focuses on salt use by private contractors and property
managers, the best practices of salt management for use on public parking lots
and private parking lots and to help reduce salt use while ensuring that public
safety is not compromised;
WHEREAS the Smart About Salt
Council is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to the protection of
drinking water and the environment through programs that will more effectively
manage winter salt used to de-ice private roads and parking lots;
WHEREAS the Ottawa chapter
of Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) has shown leadership with
the Ontario Smart about Salt Council by encouraging smart salt usage amongst
its members;
WHEREAS smart salt practices
offer environmental benefits as well as opportunities to reduce the
municipality’s salt costs;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Ottawa continue to illustrate environmental
leadership and stewardship by:
- working closely with the
provincial Smart About Salt Council
- adopting staff training
programs to encourage smart salt practices for city parking lots and public
facilities
- phasing in a requirement for
City contractors to be certified in smart salt usage;
- hosting a public-private
Smart Salt Summit in the Fall of 2011 to share best practices in salt
management with BOMA and other local public institutions;
- providing information for
residents on the City website for smart salt usage for residents and private
property
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Transportation
Committee extract
of draft
minutes 10 07 SEPTEMBER 2011 |
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Comité deS transports extrait de l’Ébauche du PROCÈS-VERBAL 10 LE 07 SEPTEMBRE 2011 |
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SMART SALT PRACTICES - MOTION
PRATIQUES EXEMPLAIRES POUR
L’ÉPANDAGE DE SEL –MOTION
ACS2011-CMR-TRC-0017 CITY-WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That
the Transportation Committee recommend to Council that the City of Ottawa
continue to illustrate environmental leadership and stewardship by:
a. working
closely with the provincial Smart About Salt Council;
b. adopting
staff training programs to encourage smart salt practices for city parking lots
and public facilities;
c. phasing
in a requirement for City contractors to be certified in smart salt usage;
d. hosting
a public-private Smart Salt Summit in the Fall of 2011 to share best practices
in salt management with BOMA and other local public
institutions;
e. providing
information for residents on the City website for smart salt usage for
residents and private property.
Committee
received the following written submissions, copies of which are held on file
with the City Clerk:
·
Letter of support dated 5
September 2011 from Dean Karakasis,
Executive Director, Building Owners and Managers Association Ottawa
·
Letter of support dated 3 September 2011 from Tony DiGiovanni,
Executive Director, Landscape Ontario
The report
recommendation was put to Committee and CARRIED as presented.