Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy - Results Report for the 2017 to 2018 Fiscal Year

Section 1: context for the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

The 2016–2019 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS):

sets out the Government of Canada's sustainable development priorities
establishes goals and targets
identifies actions to achieve them, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act

In keeping with the objectives of the act to make environmental decision-making more transparent and accountable to Parliament, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) supports reporting on the implementation of the FSDS and its Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS), or an equivalent, through the activities described in this document.

Section 2: sustainable development at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

TBS's DSDS for 2017 to 2020 describes the actions undertaken by the department in support of achieving the FSDS goal of a low-carbon government. The supplementary information found in the tables below presents available results for the departmental actions pertinent to this goal. Last year's supplementary information table is posted on the department's website. This year, TBS is also noting which UN Sustainable Development Goal each departmental action contributes to achieving.

Section 3: departmental performance by Federal Sustainable Development Strategy goal

3.1 Context

As noted above, TBS contributes to achieving the low-carbon government FSDS goal. In its DSDS for 2017 to 2020, TBS committed to taking a 2-pronged approach to achieving low carbon:

provide leadership across government
lead by example through TBS's own efforts as a department

To provide leadership across government, TBS committed to:

taking cross-cutting actions to advance the broad goals of the FSDS by strengthening its rules and guidance for federal operations and by improving transparency and accountability
taking targeted actions in 4 main areas: real property, fleets, green procurement and climate resilience

To lead by example as a department, TBS committed to being among the first federal departments to pilot and implement initiatives that it promotes government-wide. For example, TBS committed to transforming its digital workplace through modernized business processes, systems and tools, including tablets, Wi-Fi and technology-equipped meeting rooms.

3.2 Progress in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year

In line with these commitments, in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, TBS led government-wide efforts for greening government and demonstrated leadership through its own efforts as a department.

3.2.1 Leadership across government

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, TBS released the Greening Government Strategy, which fulfills one of the key commitments of its DSDS for 2017 to 2020, namely, to broaden the scope of the government's greening efforts. The strategy introduces enhanced targets and new commitments that are consistent with world-leading jurisdictions:

The government's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will be reduced by 80% by 2050 relative to 2005 levels. This target is in addition to the previous commitment of a 40% reduction by 2030
All government buildings will track potable water use by 2022, with new buildings and major renovations to be best-in-class for potable water consumption and storm-water management
The government's administrative fleet will consist of at least 80% zero-emission vehicles by 2030

The strategy will increase the number of departments subject to the target to 23 from the previous 15 and will include all departments that:

own real property and large fleets
are responsible for the vast majority of the government's emissions

The enhanced targets and new commitments position Canada as a leader in government operations that are low-carbon, climate-resilient and green.

Greenhouse gas emissions reported. Text version below: — **Figure 1: reported government greenhouse gas emissions**

Data from the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year, released in December 2017, shows that the government has reduced its GHG emissions by 28% from 2005 levels (see Figure 1). It is on track to meet its target of reducing GHG emissions from federal operations by 40% by 2030, relative to 2005 levels.

TBS also released the government's updated inventory of GHG emissions, which provides a picture of the government's GHG emissions from the 2010 to 2011 fiscal year to the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year. The inventory tracks GHG emissions from 15 departments and agencies as part of the FSDS. Figure 2 shows the total GHG emissions (in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) reported in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year, by federal organization separated into 2 categories: buildings and fleets. The percentage reduction since the 2005 to 2006 fiscal year is also shown for each federal organization.

Bar chart showing gas emissions per department. Text version below: — **Figure 2: reported federal greenhouse gas emissions in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year and reductions since 2005**

3.2.2 Leading by example as a department

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, TBS relocated 680 employees from L'Esplanade Laurier to 219 Laurier Avenue West. 219 Laurier is a retrofit of an older building, so the base building was renovated and is on track to meet the Silver LEED requirements for building maintenance.

The 680 employees at 219 Laurier were equipped with open workstations to maximize access to natural light, collaboration areas and new technology, including Wi-Fi, laptops/tablets and smartphones, to give employees the flexibility to work away from their desks.

To further promote sustainable travel practices within the department, TBS:

has dedicated 13,500 square feet of space to meeting and training rooms that have been equipped with videoconferencing, teleconferencing and other telepresence tools
launched the TBS-FIN Green Challenge, which aims to promote more sustainable commuting options among TBS and Department of Finance Canada employees

To support the transition to a low-carbon economy, all current procurement and contract officers within the department have completed the green procurement course. All procurement and contracting managers have also met performance objectives regarding the Policy on Green Procurement that were added to their performance management agreements.

For more details, see the next section on performance information.

3.2.3 Detailed performance information tables

3.2.3.1 Departmental actions

The following tables provide supplementary performance information on departmental actions in support of the FSDS goal listed in section 2.

FSDS goal: Low-carbon government FSDS target(s) to reduce GHG emissions from federal government buildings and fleets by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, with an aspiration to achieve this reduction by 2025.

**Table 1: departmental actions in support of FSDS goals**
FSDS contributing action(s)	Corresponding departmental action(s)	Support for UN Sustainable Development Goal target	Starting point(s), target(s) and performance indicator(s) for departmental actions	Results achieved
1. Improve the energy efficiency of our buildings and operations	Government-wide leadership
	Develop real property guidance and work with departments to: accelerate improvements in energy efficiency in federal buildings promote clean electricity, heating and cooling improve building operations and maintenance	Target: 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning	Per cent change in GHG emissions from federal facilities from the 2005 to 2006 fiscal year: GHG emissions from federal facilities in the 2005 to 2006 fiscal year (base year): 1,222.0 kt CO₂ eq (kilotonnes (thousands of metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalent) Per cent of the government's electricity from clean sources	Data from the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year, released in December 2017, shows that the government has reduced its overall GHG emissions from buildings by 29.4% from 2005 levels (860 kt CO₂ eq (kilotonnes (thousands of metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalent). Baseline data that measures “per cent of the government’s electricity from clean sources” is being established and will be available for reporting in the DSDS Results Report for the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year. To support progress on the above results, TBS: drafted guidance for low-carbon real property and consulted with expert departments developed an approach to source 100% clean electricity by 2025, consistent with the government's target, under the Pan-Canadian Framework
	Lead by example as a department
	Reduce its footprint by moving the remaining 35% of its employees from L'Esplanade Laurier to 219 Laurier Avenue West Pilot an activity-based workspace for up to 200 employees at 219 Laurier Avenue West Commit to a minimum in operations and maintenance of LEED^{table 1 note 1} Silver certification (219 Laurier) to LEED Gold certification (90 Elgin) certification for all office accommodation sites	Target: 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning	Per cent change in TBS's space utilization rate based on total usable office space in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year and full-time equivalents outlined in the departmental business plan *TBS occupies space leased by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). As part of its government-wide leadership efforts, TBS is working with PSPC to explore opportunities to track GHG emissions from leased space	TBS relocated 680 employees from L'Esplanade Laurier to 219 Laurier, a building on track to meet the Silver LEED requirements for building maintenance. It also completed the 14th-floor activity-based workspace project. These departmental activities, together with the previous move of employees to 90 Elgin, will reduce TBS's space utilization rate by 10%, starting in the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year. A performance indicator for leased facilities is still under development, and tracking will begin in the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year.
2. Modernize our fleet	Government-wide leadership
	Work with Natural Resources Canada and other expert departments to facilitate federal coordination and develop tools and training to support greener practices for federal departments, including optimizing departmental fleets Support the deployment of zero-emission vehicles in the federal fleet by identifying and working to address barriers to adopt zero-emission vehicles	Target: 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning	Per cent of change in GHG emissions from the federal fleet in the 2005 to 2006 fiscal year: GHG emissions from federal fleet in the 2005 to 2006 fiscal year (base year): 154.1 kt CO₂ eq Number of electric or zero-emission vehicles deployed in the federal fleet Per cent of electric or zero-emission vehicles in the federal administrative fleet	Data from the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year shows that the government has reduced its GHG emissions from the federal fleet by 18.4% from 2005 levels. GHG emissions from the federal fleet in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year were 125.7 kt CO₂ eq. The executive fleet currently includes 30 hybrid and 11 zero emission vehicles. This represents 50% of the current executive fleet. To support progress on these results, TBS: developed amendments to the Directive on Fleet Management: Executive Vehicles to limit purchases to zero-emission or hybrid-electric vehicles drafted green fleet guidance convened a Green Fleet solutions team that meets every 2 months promoted NRCan's fleet management services with departments that own fleets
	Lead by example as a department
	Replace TBS's fuel-efficient vehicles at the end of their life cycle with hybrid or zero-emission vehicles	Target: 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning	Per cent of TBS's fleet replaced by hybrid or zero-emission vehicles by 2020 Given the number of TBS's vehicles (3), GHG emissions from its fleet are insignificant.	TBS currently owns 2 vehicles that are not hybrid or zero-emission. TBS will replace these vehicles with hybrid or zero-emission vehicles when new vehicles are purchased.
3. Support the transition to a low-carbon economy through green procurement	Government-wide leadership
	Develop green procurement guidance that applies to real property and fleets and that promotes clean technology in order to increase green procurement uptake	Target: 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities	Number of new or renewed federal procurement instruments (standing offers or supply arrangements) in which environmental considerations are incorporated per reporting year	Baseline data is being collected and will be available for reporting in the DSDS Results Report for the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year. To support transition to low-carbon economy, TBS: developed amendments to strengthen the Policy on Green Procurement to require departments to buy greener goods and services where value for money is demonstrated started integrating greening considerations into the TBS-wide effort to update government administrative policies
	Lead by example as a department
	Integrate environmental considerations into its procurement management processes and controls Ensure that its decision-makers have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement Ensure that its key officials include contribution to and support for the objectives of the Government of Canada Policy on Green Procurement in their performance evaluations	Target: 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities	Number of new procurement officers who have completed training on green procurement within their first month on the job Per cent of procurement approved through the On-line Contract Initiation (OCIF) (e-signature) All key officials involved in the procurement process consider green procurement in their contracting requests	TBS delivered the following results: all current procurement and contract officers within the department have completed the green procurement course 41% of TBS contracts were issued/approved via OCIF all procurement and contracting managers have met performance objectives regarding the Policy on Green Procurement that were added to their performance management agreements
4. Demonstrate innovative technologies	Government-wide leadership
4. Demonstrate innovative technologies	Engage with the Clean Tech Hub to leverage and connect clean technology funding and support programs such as the Build in Canada Innovation Program to assist departments with greening their government operations	Target: 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities Target: 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning	Number and value of federal projects that leverage the Build in Canada Innovation Program for greening government operations	Baseline data will be available for reporting in the DSDS Results Report for the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year. To support progress on government-wide actions, TBS placed a staff member within Government of Canada's the Clean Growth Hub to advance clean-tech challenges and to act as a concierge service to companies.
5. Promote sustainable travel practices	Government-wide leadership
	Promote sustainable practices for air travel for the public service where feasible Offer offsetting options to reduce the impact of government travel	Target: 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities	Annual reduction in GHG emissions from federal work-related air travel (baseline: 2016 to 2017 fiscal year)	The government has committed to tracking federal air travel by the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year, which will be reported in the DSDS Results Report for the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year. To support progress on government-wide actions, TBS is exploring options to reduce the impact of government travel.
	Lead by example as a department
	Promote the use of its videoconferencing, teleconferencing and telepresence facilities Promote sustainable commuting options for employees such as walking, cycling, and using public transit and carpools	Target: 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities	Per cent of TBS's employees that practise sustainable commuting options	Baseline data will be available for reporting in the DSDS Results Report for the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year. To promote sustainable travel practices within the department, TBS: has dedicated 13,500 square feet of space to meeting and training rooms that have been equipped with videoconferencing, teleconferencing and other telepresence tools launched the TBS-FIN Green Challenge, which aims to promote more sustainable commuting options among TBS and Department of Finance Canada employees
6. Understand climate change impacts and build resilience	Government-wide leadership
6. Understand climate change impacts and build resilience	Work with Environment and Climate Change Canada and other departments to understand and address the wide range of climate change impacts on federal assets and operations Strengthen integration of adaptation to climate change into departmental risk planning	Target:13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries	Per cent of federal departments that have incorporated climate change adaptation into departmental risk planning or equivalent	Baseline data will be available for reporting in the DSDS Results Report for the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year. To support government-wide efforts to better understand climate change impacts and build climate resilience, TBS has commissioned the Canadian Council of Academies to prioritize climate change risks facing Canada and the federal government.
7. Improve transparency and accountability	Government-wide leadership
7. Improve transparency and accountability	Explore integration of a carbon lens when assessing performance of government management practices through the Management Accountability Framework Ensure a comprehensive approach to performance reporting by creating a comprehensive GHG inventory and expanding the number of departments that report GHG emissions in the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year Continue to provide timely updates on progress through full disclosure of emissions	Target: 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning	Per cent of departments that are reporting on GHG emissions Annual public reporting of federal GHG emissions completed	In July 2017, all 15 required departments have reported publicly on their GHG emissions for the 2015 to 2016 fiscal year and the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year through Open Data channels and on Canada.ca. To further improve government-wide transparency and accountability, TBS: explored how to amend the Management Accountability Framework to assess the government's transition to low-carbon operations for real property is taking action to expand reporting from 15 to 23 departments to ensure that all major emitters are reporting emissions annually in the Government of Canada's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory website, starting in December 2019
8. Develop policy for low-carbon government	Government-wide leadership
8. Develop policy for low-carbon government	Review key Treasury Board policy instruments in order to: Identify policy areas of high impact and value in lowering carbon emissions (that is, assets, procurement and projects) Integrate incentives and remove barriers to facilitate the transition to low-carbon government Explore opportunities to improve integration of environmental assessment considerations to further sustainability into the government's regulatory process as part of the review of the Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Management Explore with bargaining agents opportunities for the Government of Canada to be a greener employer Update the Treasury Board submission template and guidance to confirm that: departments are compliant with Strategic Environmental Assessment requirements for proposals submitted to the Treasury Board climate change impacts and adaptation have been taken into consideration Develop additional guidance to strengthen integration of low-carbon climate resilience and green considerations in investment planning	Target: 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning	Currently, only output-based indicators are available (for example, the Policy on Green Procurement is reviewed) Outcome-based indicators will be identified and implemented (once the reviews and the exploratory work have been completed)	To support government-wide leadership, TBS: is updating the following policy instruments: Directive on Fleet Management: Executive Vehicles Policy on Green Procurement is reviewing the policy instruments for real property launched public consultations on a draft Cabinet Directive on Regulation that included a requirement that regulators undertake an assessment of potential effects on the environment as they develop regulatory proposals is supporting government efforts by negotiating changes to the provisions of collective agreements whereby the employer must provide a paper copy of the agreement to each employee, with the aim of lowering carbon footprint is updating Treasury Board submission guidance and developed a checklist that organizations that prepare Treasury Board submissions will submit to help demonstrate that Strategic Environmental Assessment requirements are met, including that climate change impacts and adaptation have been taken into consideration is exploring how to integrate climate resilience and greening into investment planning
Table 1 Notes Table 1 Note 1 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Return to table 1 note 1 referrer

Table 2: additional departmental sustainable development activities and initiatives related to Goal 5 on gender equality, Goal 10 on reduced equalities, and Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions
Additional departmental activities and initiatives	Starting points, targets and performance indicators	Results achieved
Table 2 Notes Table 2 Note 2 The results for the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year and the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year are based on surveys that were conducted at different times of the year, which might contribute to the difference in results. In the future, these results will be based on an annual survey that is issued at the same time each year. Return to table 2 note 2 referrer Table 2 Note 3 See footnote 2. Return to table 2 note 3 referrer
Government-wide leadership
Mandate commitment initiatives that support broad UN sustainable development goals: TBS is taking action to increase representation of women and members of other minority groups in leadership positions, through the Minority Groups in Positions of Leadership Initiative. This initiative supports: UN sustainable development Goal 5 on gender equality (ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life) UN sustainable development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions (ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels) TBS is leading departmental action to strengthen the approach to addressing and preventing harassment and violence in the public service. This initiative supports: UN sustainable development Goal 10 on reduced inequalities (ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including through eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and actions in this regard) UN sustainable development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions (significantly reduce all forms of violence) TBS is working with service delivery departments to develop and implement a client-first service strategy to support government-wide improvements to service delivery to Canadians and businesses. This initiative supports UN sustainable development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions (develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels).	Per cent of executive employees (compared with workforce availability) who are: members of a visible minority group women persons with a disability Aboriginal persons Per cent of employees who indicate that they have been a victim of: harassment on the job in the past 2 years discrimination Per cent of employees who indicate that the nature of harassment experienced is a sexual comment or gesture Degree to which clients are satisfied with the delivery of Government of Canada services	With respect to minority groups in positions of leadership: as of March 2017, representation of 3 employment equity groups (visible minorities, women, and persons with a disability) at the executive levels exceeded workforce availability rates although progress is being made in terms of the representation of Aboriginal persons at the executive levels (3.9% in 2017 versus 3.7% in 2016), representation remains below workforce availability. With respect to harassment and discrimination in the public service: the overall percentage of employees who indicated that they have been the victim of harassment on the job in the past 2 years has decreased since the previous year (18% in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year versus 22% in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year)^{table 2 note 2} the overall percentage of employees who indicated that they have been the victim of discrimination on the job in the past 2 years has decreased since the previous year (8% in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year versus 12% in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year)^{table 2 note 3} TBS is creating a Public Service Centre on Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness to support departments and agencies in creating safe, healthy, diverse and inclusive workplaces. With respect to service delivery, 58% of clients are satisfied with the delivery of Government of Canada services. TBS is continuing to implement the Treasury Board Policy on Service, the Government of Canada Service Strategy and the Canadian Digital Service.
Lead by example as a department
TBS's operational activities that support the broad FSDS goals are as follows: Modernize work practices: Continue transforming its digital workplace through modernized business processes, systems and tools that further reduce dependence on paper as the department transforms into a fully digital organization Engage in broad consultation to update the Green Meeting Guide Create a work environment that is effectively enabled and supports alternative, sustainable work arrangements such as telework and compressed work schedules (where operationally feasible) Mobilize employees through the TBS-FIN Green Network	Only indicators that measure reduction in paper usage are currently available: Percent reduction year-over-year in paper purchased for printing and photocopying for TBS based on data from the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year Percent reduction year-over-year in the number of boxes of paper received and processed by TBS's Records Office New indicators to measure the progress of the remaining actions will be identified and implemented.	TBS delivered the following results: it reduced the amount of paper consumed at print machines by 8.9% in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year performed a paper clean-up campaign as part of workspace modernization initiatives: employees moving to 219 Laurier cleaned up their shared and personal paper storage in anticipation of reduced paper storage space in the new offices the clean-up resulted in an increase of 162% in paper sent to the records office the increase in paper sent to the records office is anomalous to the continual downward trend of previous years for paper sent to the records office To support delivery of the above results as well as broader sustainable development results, TBS: equipped the 680 employees at 219 Laurier with open workstations to maximize access to natural light, collaboration areas and new technology, including Wi-Fi, laptops/tablets and smartphones, to give employees the flexibility to work away from their desks released the new Green Meeting Guide that provides examples and checklists for meeting organizers and participants on the various ways they can contribute to greening TBS meetings released the Departmental Wellness Action Plan, which includes an action on raising awareness pertaining to flexible work arrangements co-hosted with the Department of Finance Canada the Enviro Fair in the lobby of 90 Elgin to: showcase sustainable products for the home and office promote awareness of various environmental initiatives organized the Green Challenge, allowing participants (individuals and sectors) to be awarded points based on their actions to reduce waste

Section 4: report on integrating sustainable development

As a department, TBS is committed to integrating sustainable development into its internal and operational processes.

In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, TBS integrated sustainable development considerations into the following:

Governance: The membership of TBS's executive and policy committees now includes representation from TBS's Centre for Greening Government, which will allow for better integration of sustainability considerations into committee decisions.
Review of performance results and indicators: TBS is in the process of reviewing and updating its performance results and indicators for each of its programs. As part of this process, it is identifying where performance information related to sustainable development should be collected and used.
Decision-making processes: In the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, TBS improved its preliminary Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) scan process with enhanced departmental guidance to further assist drafters of Cabinet documents in preparing SEA scans, which will be implemented in the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year.

During the reporting cycle for 2017 to 2018 fiscal year, TBS conducted 1 SEA. The SEA considered the environmental effects of the proposed Greening Government Strategy. The proposal will help reduce GHG emissions from federal operations and improve the completeness and transparency of environmental data to enable better decision-making, putting the government on a path to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050.

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Date modified:: 2018-11-20

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