| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.02 |
| Liaison | Rochelle Owen |
| Submission Date | July 21, 2021 |
Dalhousie University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
The VP FA submitted a public letter advocating support for the HalifACT climate change plan which was circulated to local city council and included in the Climate Change brief to Council. https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/200623rc916.pdf
Students, faculty and staff at Dalhousie make public submissions and are engaged on the importance of a number of sustainability issues including recent municipal climate planning processes such as HaliFACT and Colchester Climate Planning.
The University Sustainability Office and Facilities Management Departments have been assigned by the VPFA, and in connection with government relations, played an active role in municipal and provincial level active transportation and transit public policy discussions and Projects. Concrete examples include the University involvement with Halifax Regional Municipality in the implementation of the Peninsula South Complete Streets project.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:
Under the direction of the VP Finance and Administration the Executive Director of the Office of Sustainability actively engaged as a University rep in the Utility Integrated Resource Planning and participated discussions and meetings along with submitting a formal advocacy letter to the provincial Minister of Energy regarding an emerging Power Purchase Agreement Program. (Please see attached letter).
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:
Our President and government relations are active with the U15 and Universities Canada to advocate for sustainability-focused infrastructure investments with the federal government in the last two years. Material and meetings were and are held between the University and public officials.
The MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance at Dalhousie University is a nationally focused, non-partisan, interdisciplinary institute designed to support the development of progressive public policy and to encourage greater citizen engagement. A number of recent discussions and engagements relate to topics such as climate change, energy and social justice https://www.dal.ca/dept/maceachen-institute/events.html
Students and faculty are engaged through a number of actions. For example, Dr. Ingrid Waldron and federal MP Lenore Zann introduced Bill C-230, a private member’s bill that aims to address environmental racism. Dr. Waldron’s book and the subsequent video and community partnerships are advocating for public policy changes at the local, regional and national level.
Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
Dalhousie is actively involved in international public policy advocacy through multi-sectoral groups like the Ocean Frontiers Institute representing the University at United Nations discussions, committees and events. As an example, government and scholars from Japan and Canada discussed global ocean and sustainability issues forming policy discussions. Senior leaders such as the Dean of Law and other faculty were in attendance.
https://www.dal.ca/faculty/law/news-events/news/2020/01/08/canadian_and_japanese_scholars_unite_to_discuss_the_ocean_s_future.html
Dalhousie's President is active in international sustainable ocean advocacy and discussion. Some examples of international
https://oceanfrontierinstitute.com/news/news/ocean-frontier-institute-priorities-for-the-united-nations-ocean-decade
Faculty in the College of Sustainability and a number of faculties across the University such as Science, Management, Engineering, Architecture and Planning and Agriculture are active at all levels of government, local, provincial, regional, national and internationally in feeding research and ideas into public forums on sustainability related issues.
Below are highlights of some examples:
https://rsc-src.ca/en/news/marine-biodiversity-policy-briefing-news
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.