No. H089/02For release - July 30, 2002
OTTAWA — Transport Minister David Collenette today announced the appointment of seven members to the Urban Transportation Showcase Program (UTSP) Selection Committee. Richard Soberman (chair), Jack Chadirdjian, Douglas Floyd, Anthony David Perl, Michael Poulton, Barry Prentice, and Rhoda Witherly began their duties with the committee in July 2002.
The UTSP, with a budget of $40 million over five years, is an initiative under the Government of Canada's Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change. It was developed in consultation with provincial, territorial, municipal and other partners in response to the 1999 Transportation Climate Change Table Report that identified a need for Canada to develop better planning and practices for transportation and land use.
"I am very excited about the calibre of individuals on the selection committee. Their goal will be to identify the best transportation showcase proposals to help Canadian communities adopt more sustainable transportation strategies and land use planning and practices," said Mr. Collenette. "In order to accomplish this, it will be important to work closely with municipalities to ensure that the showcases are relevant to as many Canadian urban communities as possible."
The program has a two-stage application and selection process. In the first stage, municipalities were asked to submit an expression of interest that outlined their proposals. A total of 48 proposals have been received from across the country. The selection committee will review the submissions and assist Mr. Collenette in selecting between 10 and 15 of the best proposals to move to the second phase before the end of 2002.
The municipalities selected for the second phase of the program will be provided funding up to $30,000 and given four months to develop and submit their detailed proposals. The committee will review the final showcase proposals and assist the Minister in selecting a minimum of four from across Canada for implementation.
The Government of Canada is committed to finding new and innovative solutions to help reduce greenhouse gases through a mix of technology applications, infrastructure enhancements, and behavioural change. Transportation is a key component of the government's strategy, as it accounts for about a quarter of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, of which about two-thirds originate in our urban areas.
"Transportation is vital to all Canadians, yet meeting that need also contributes significantly to smog and greenhouse gases, particularly in our cities," added Mr. Collenette. "Sustainable urban transportation strategies help reduce vehicle emissions and congestion. I'm confident that initiatives such as the Urban Transportation Showcase Program will help meet these and other social and economic goals."
Information from the showcases, and other sustainable transportation best practices, will be shared with cities across Canada through a national information network.
Backgrounders with further information on the Urban Transportation Showcase Program, as well as biographies of the selection committee members, are included.
– 30 –
Contact:Robin BrowneCommunications, Ottawa(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
BACKGROUNDER
URBAN TRANSPORTATION SHOWCASE PROGRAM
The Urban Transportation Showcase Program (UTSP) is a key component of the Government of Canada's Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change, announced October 6, 2000. The action plan, which commits $500 million in funding over five years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is expected to take Canada about one-quarter of the way to the greenhouse gas reduction target set during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in 1997.
The UTSP was developed in consultation with provincial, territorial, municipal and other partners in response to the 1999 Transportation Climate Change Table Report. The report identified a need for Canada to develop better planning and practices for transportation and land use. The $40 million UTSP calls for the creation of community showcase programs to demonstrate and evaluate ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and to address other urban challenges, such as air quality, congestion, safety and rising operating costs.
A two-stage, nation-wide competitive process to select four or more Canadian cities to showcase their strategies for dealing with these urban challenges is underway. The independent selection committee, established by the Minister of Transport, will assist in selecting between 10 and 15 of the best proposals to move to the second phase. The municipalities selected for the second phase of the program will be provided funding up to $30,000 and given four months to develop and submit their detailed proposals. The committee will review the final proposals and assist the Minister in selecting a minimum of four showcase proposals from across Canada for implementation.
The showcases evaluated may include:
transportation services;
infrastructure investments;
demand management initiatives;
land use strategies;
pricing strategies;
public outreach; and
advanced technologies
Public education and outreach will be an important component of the program, and will include seminars, workshops and regular reports on the implementation and results of the showcases. This approach will lay the foundation for communities to adopt best technologies and strategies across Canada by 2010.
The UTSP will draw resources from other federal initiatives, such as the $2 billion Municipal Infrastructure Program, the $2 billion Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, and the $250 million Green Municipal Funds program.
Detailed program information is available on Transport Canada's Web site at http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/environment/utsp/menu.htm
July 2002
BACKGROUNDER
URBAN TRANSPORTATION SHOWCASE SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Jack Chadirdjian, of Montreal, holds a bachelor of laws degree from the Université de Sherbrooke. He was a municipal councillor for the City of Montreal, where he was leader of the official opposition. Mr. Chadirdjian has also served as vice president of the Société de transport de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal, vice president of the Conseil métropolitain de transport en commun, and director of the Canadian Urban Transit Association. Mr. Chadirdjian is currently a member of the Conseil régional de développement de l'île de Montréal.
Douglas Floyd, of Toronto, is vice president at the corporate office of Delcan Corporation. Mr. Floyd previously held a number of executive positions with the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, including commissioner of the transportation department. A former director and chair of the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC), Mr. Floyd championed the development of TAC's Vision for Sustainable Urban Transportation, which was adopted by Metropolitan Toronto and other Canadian municipalities.
Dr. Anthony David Perl of Calgary, earned his Ph. D. from the University of Toronto, and is currently an associate professor on leave in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary. He is director of the Centre for Sustainable Transportation, and a member of the Transportation Research Board (U.S.). An author of several books and articles related to urban issues, Dr. Perl has particular expertise in urban air quality initiatives, and has spoken at a number of Canadian and international conferences on this and other issues.
Dr. Michael Poulton, of Halifax, is head of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning at Dalhousie University, where he researches and teaches courses in transportation planning and traffic engineering in urban centres. He studied economics and planning at the University of London, and civil engineering at the University of California at Berkley. He has served on several professional committees related to urban planning and economic development, and has authored several books and articles on these topics.
Dr. Barry E. Prentice, of Winnipeg, is the director of the Transport Institute, and an associate professor in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Prentice serves on the board of directors of several transportation organizations, including the Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc., and has acted as president for National Transportation Week, and the Canadian Transportation Research Forum. He is associate editor of the Journal of Transportation Research Forum, and an honourary president of the Canadian Institute for Traffic and Transportation. Dr. Prentice, who was named Manitoba Transportation Person of the Year in 1999, served on Winnipeg's TransPlan 2010, and the Mid-Continent International Trade Corridor Task Force.
Richard Soberman, of Toronto, is a graduate of Dalhousie University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the former chair of civil engineering at the University of Toronto, and has held the positions of director of research at the Canadian Transport Commission, and senior vice president of the Urban Transportation Development Corporation. Mr. Soberman has served on several provincial and federal government special commissions and task forces, including the National Capital Commission, and the Ontario Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. He was also principal author of the Canada Infrastructure Works Program review, which was presented to Parliament, and was responsible for the Toronto Commuter Rail Study, and the Metropolitan Toronto Transportation Plan Review. Mr. Soberman has completed major studies on the future of the Toronto Transit Commission and GO Transit, and was responsible for the transportation component of the City of Toronto's new Official Plan.
Rhoda Witherly, of Prince Rupert, is a public notary with a practice dealing in real estate transactions, contracts, wills, immigration, and other general legal advice. She is the president and manager of Rupert Title Search Ltd., a document search, land registry, and civil process serving company. Ms Witherly, who holds a master's degree from the University of Alberta, is a former broadcaster with CBC Radio, a former Prince Rupert city councillor, former chair of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, and past director of the Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District.
July 2002
