Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 71.07
Liaison Michael Chapman
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

Nova Scotia Community College
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.33 / 2.00 Michael Chapman
Environmental Engineer
Facilities & Engineering
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:
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Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:

The Vice President of Organizational Development at NSCC, Roslind Penfound, sits on the Accessibility Advisory Board of Nova Scotia.

In September 2017, Nova Scotia became the third Canadian province
to pass accessibility legislation, committing to a more equitable and
barrier-free province. The Accessibility Act recognizes accessibility as
a human right and sets a goal of an accessible Nova Scotia by 2030.
Under the act, an Accessibility Advisory Board was established to
advise and make recommendations to the minister about accessibility.
Specifically, the board
• suggests measures, policies, practices, and requirements
that may be implemented by the government to achieve
accessibility
• assesses whether existing measures, policies, practices,
and requirements are consistent with the purpose of this act
• sets priorities for establishing accessibility standards and
timelines for implementing them
• sets long-term accessibility objectives for furthering the
purpose of this act
• responds to requests for accessibility advice from the minister

One example of the Board's work: In June 2018, representatives of the board
met with the minister and discussed the board’s recommendations for Access by
Design 2030, the province’s accessibility implementation strategy. Access by
Design 2030 was released in September 2018, as was the Government of Nova
Scotia Accessibility Plan 2018–2021.

More information (including access to the Accessibility Advisory Board Annual Report) can be found here:

https://novascotia.ca/accessibility/advisory-board/

https://novascotia.ca/accessibility/advisory-board/Accessibility_Advisory_Board_Annual_Report_2018-2019.pdf


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:
Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:

NSCC President, Don Bureaux, sits on the board of directors of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). CICan is a voluntary membership organization that represents publicly represented colleges, institutes, cegeps, and polytechnics in Canada and internationally. CICan promotes and supports the innovations, applied research, international development, and employment and entrepreneurial opportunities created by its member institutions. Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is a nonpartisan organization that provides information to the public and advocates on behalf of its members across Canada. CICan advocates as the collective voice of colleges and institutes, working with governments, industry and stakeholders to ensure all Canadians have access to training opportunities that will prepare them for a fulfilling career in the field of their choice. Although NSCC's participation in CICAN could be seen as a national partnership, the fact that NSCC's President sits on the Board of Directors for this organization implies both explicit and implicit advocacy for these sustainability polices at the highest level of NSCC's leadership, and goes beyond a traditional partnership role. Additionally, NSCC's Manager of Infrastructure and Sustainability is on a CICan working group that is developing a guideline for embedding the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in post-secondary institutions in Canada.

CICan and its members remain focused on the following priorities in order to achieve these goals:

-Advanced skills for employment
-Training for inclusive economic growth
-Indigenous Education
-Environment and Climate Change
-Student Mobility
-Innovation

More information on the specific avenues of advocacy and public awareness campaigns in these areas of sustainable development can be found in CICan's Briefing for the 43rd Parliament can be found here: https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca//for-the-43rd-parliament/

As the voice of colleges and institutes in Ottawa, CICan joined forces with other organizations this (29018/19 FY) year to advance their members’ priorities, including the need to support upskilling and reskilling in order to help Canadians adjust to changes in the labour market. CICan worked with Universities Canada to submit proposals on student mobility and market diversification for international recruitment. CICan also worked with Polytechnics Canada, Tech-Access Canada, la Fédération des cégeps, and l’Association pour la recherche au collégial to highlight the need for stable research support funding for our members’ applied research activities. Finally, CICan partnered with the Business/Higher Education Roundtable, Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada and many other stakeholders to promote work-integrated learning as a critical aspect of preparing Canadians for the jobs of tomorrow.

CICan also worked closely with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and consulted with members on a range of issues with relevance to international students, including the launch and expansion of the Study Direct Stream and biometrics, to ensure that policy and program criteria reflect the interests of our members

As shown in their annual report, CICan contributed to multiple federal consultations in the 2018/19 FY, through written submissions or by appearing before committees:

-Pre-budget submission to the Standing Committee on Finance

-Submission to the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector

-Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities for a study on experiential learning

-Joint response to the consultation on the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy with Polytechnics Canada

-Submission to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology for the Statutory Review of the Copyright Act. CICan president and CEO also appeared before the committee.

-Appearance before the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for a study on the use of technology in agriculture.

-Participation in a consultation meeting and written submission to highlight ways that the Canada Foundation for Innovation and other federal funders can best support members in accessing and maintaining leading-edge research infrastructure.

-CICan provided input to recent changes to IRCC’s Post-Graduate Work Permit that make it easier for students to apply and gain Canadian work experience after their studies.

CICan’s advocacy efforts were supported by a variety of communications activities targeting national and regional media. Over the year, they published op-eds, provided interviews and were featured in media such as the Globe and Mail, CBC, HuffPost, Maclean’s, the Hill Times, the PIE News, Study Travel Magazine, and Le Droit.

More information can be found here:

https://annualreport.collegesinstitutes.ca/

https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/news-centre/news-release/colleges-and-institutes-help-canada-reach-the-sustainable-development-goals/

https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/what-we-do/canadian-partnerships/impact/

https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/policyfocus/

https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/members/nova-scotia-community-college-nscc/


Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:
No

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:
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A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):
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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:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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