Concordia University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Sylvie
Bourassa Executive Director, Governmental Relations Office of the President |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Local advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
Concordia engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level through its research and support of the net-zero energy building (NZEB) in Varennes, Quebec. The Varennes library is the first institutional NZEB in Canada. The energy concept of the Varennes library was partly conceived under the federally-funded and Concordia-housed Solar Buildings Research Network (SBRN), an initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The building was constructed under a subsequent program, NSERC’s Smart Net-Zero Energy Buildings Strategic Research Network (SNEBRN), composed of 29 researchers from 15 Canadian universities, plus partners from government and industry.
The goal of the project is to develop a roadmap for completing these kinds of projects on a large scale, in different provinces with different climates.
https://www.concordia.ca/next-gen/cities/research-highlights/how-varennes-library-achieves-net-zero-energy.html
Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age: In 2020, Concordia signed the Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age. The objectives of the Collective Statement are to:
- Call on leaders tackling the climate crisis and those working towards a just and equitable digital world to recognize that these agendas are interconnected.
- Define priority areas for guiding digitally-enabled societal transformations—building on the strengths of all regions and communities —to facilitate a transition to a climate-safe and equitable world.
- Build an international network of researchers, innovators, business leaders, and policymakers collectively working to leverage the digital age to drive these societal transformations.
https://sustainabilitydigitalage.org/montreal-statement/#ask
https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2020/07/concordia-signs-the-montreal-statement-on-sustainability-in-the-digital-age.html
The goal of the project is to develop a roadmap for completing these kinds of projects on a large scale, in different provinces with different climates.
https://www.concordia.ca/next-gen/cities/research-highlights/how-varennes-library-achieves-net-zero-energy.html
Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age: In 2020, Concordia signed the Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age. The objectives of the Collective Statement are to:
- Call on leaders tackling the climate crisis and those working towards a just and equitable digital world to recognize that these agendas are interconnected.
- Define priority areas for guiding digitally-enabled societal transformations—building on the strengths of all regions and communities —to facilitate a transition to a climate-safe and equitable world.
- Build an international network of researchers, innovators, business leaders, and policymakers collectively working to leverage the digital age to drive these societal transformations.
https://sustainabilitydigitalage.org/montreal-statement/#ask
https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2020/07/concordia-signs-the-montreal-statement-on-sustainability-in-the-digital-age.html
Regional advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
In 2019, a group of academics, public servants, urban planners and activists from Quebec and France gathered in Montreal for two days of debate and discussion during the second annual Le Monde festival. Le Monde, NewCities and Concordia presented a series of panels under the banner Réinventer la ville : agir… vite ! Speakers explored different perspectives on how to improve urban environments and what this can look like in practice.
https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2019/10/30/what-does-it-means-to-act-in-the-city.html?c=/news/archive
https://montrealgazette.com/sponsored/life-sponsored/concordia-researchers-planning-resilient-net-zero-cities-of-tomorrow
https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2019/11/22/concordia-university-conceiving-the-net-zero-city.html
Concordia also advocates for greener provincial buildings standards in collaboration with Facilities Management, and for sustainable provincial procurement standards in collaboration with Procurement Services.
https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2019/10/30/what-does-it-means-to-act-in-the-city.html?c=/news/archive
https://montrealgazette.com/sponsored/life-sponsored/concordia-researchers-planning-resilient-net-zero-cities-of-tomorrow
https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2019/11/22/concordia-university-conceiving-the-net-zero-city.html
Concordia also advocates for greener provincial buildings standards in collaboration with Facilities Management, and for sustainable provincial procurement standards in collaboration with Procurement Services.
National advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
Concordia advocates to the federal government about doing a green and sustainable economic recovery strategy that involves supporting net-zero projects in municipalities across Canada.
In 2020, Concordia's President and Vice-Chancellor wrote to Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of Finance asking for more funding to help low income students, international students and student with mental health issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
See PDF document for details.
In 2020, Concordia's President and Vice-Chancellor wrote to Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of Finance asking for more funding to help low income students, international students and student with mental health issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
See PDF document for details.
International advocacy
Yes
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
Concordia joined nine other Québec Universities as well as hundreds of universities internationally in declaring a climate emergency in advance of the international climate strike on September 27, 2019. Concordia participated in the climate march and cancelled classes on September 27.
Concordia was the first Canadian institution to join the Washington-based GCSE (Global Council for Science and the Environment) Leaders Alliance. The GCSE aims to improve the scientific basis of environmental policy and decision-making. Working with scientists, educators, research institutions, policymakers and business leaders, the GCSE fosters collaboration between creators and users of environmental knowledge.
Concordia was the first Canadian institution to join the Washington-based GCSE (Global Council for Science and the Environment) Leaders Alliance. The GCSE aims to improve the scientific basis of environmental policy and decision-making. Working with scientists, educators, research institutions, policymakers and business leaders, the GCSE fosters collaboration between creators and users of environmental knowledge.
Optional Fields
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None
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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