Vanier College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Vanier College Advisory Committee on the Environment (VCACE) was implemented in 2008 as part of the Board of Governor’s 2008 environmental policy. The committee has representatives from all sectors of the college and meets on a regular basis to discuss and advance sustainability at the College. VCACE currently has 11 voting members and has hosted five main committee meetings in the 2019-2020 academic year. VCACE is responsible for creating a 5-year Sustainability Work Plan (currently 2018-2023) and implementing a yearly Sustainability Action Plan with indicators and goals. VCACE oversees the Vanier Initiatives for Environment (VIE) fund, created in 2020, which funds projects that foster environmental awareness, promote civic responsibility and supports students participating in experiential sustainability activities.

The Vanier Sustainability Action Group is a place for members of the Vanier community to share information about sustainability, encourage each other's endeavours, and promote sustainability at the college. It is open to all faculty, staff, and students, and works in tandem with groups such as the Vanier College Teachers' Association Mobilization Committee on the Environment as well as the Vanier College Advisory Committee on the Environment to propose initiatives to the College.

VCACE Membership (Member, Title, Responsibility)
Alena Perout, Dean, Faculty Arts, Business, Social Sciences, Delegate for the Academic Dean
Fida Khouri, Director of Physical Plant and Facilities, Physical Plant and Facilities representative
Christina Cichon, Director of Student Services, Student Services representative
Mireille Béland, Student Life Coordinator, Sports complex representative
Christina Cichon, Director of Student Services, Student Services representative
Ammar Aljabiri, Student, VCSA president, Vanier College Student Association (VCSA) representative
Leonie Warkus, Student, VCSA, Vanier College Student Association (VCSA) representative
Christine Legault, Security, Vanier College Support Personnel Association (VCSPA) staff representative
Susan Bisonnette, Librarian, Professional representative (AVCP)
Michael Lancione, Architectural Technology Teacher, Faculty representative (VCTA) - Faculty of Science and Technology
Holly McIntyre, Physical Education Teacher, Faculty representative (VCTA) - Faculty of General Education (FGE)
Jessica Andrews, Business Administration/Commerce Teacher, Faculty representative (VCTA) - Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences

UNOFFICIAL (NON-VOTING) COMMITTEE MEMBERS —TO BE AMENDED IN THE 2020-2025 POLICY
Brendan Flynn, Service and Maintenance Coordinator, Service Department representative
Brandee Diner, Environmental Wildlife Management Teacher, Sustainability Major
Isabelle Rivest, French Teacher, Vanier Collective Gardens co-coordinator
Rosemarie Brodeur, History Teacher, Vanier Collective Gardens co-coordinator
Arianne Duchesne, Health, Safety and Sustainability Manager, Facilities representative and Sustainability Manager
Marya Grant, Student Life, Sustainability and Indigenous Student Advisor, Sustainability Officer, reports to committee

Vanier College has a Sustainability Office with two full-time employees. The Sustainability Officer is Marya Grant. Her official title is Student Life, Sustainability and Indigenous Student Advisor. In her role as Student Life Advisor, she is in charge of overseeing student engagement activities such as leadership, arts, volunteerism, intercultural activities, and student development. As Indigenous Student Advisor, she works with the A’nó:wara Indigenous Student Centre to provide academic and social support to Indigenous students, while also collaborating with external community partners. As the Sustainability Officer, she works with students to implement sustainability initiatives, outreach and training, as well as working with sustainability stakeholders at the College to disseminate information to the community. This position was created in 2015. In winter 2020, a new position was created called the Health, Safety and Sustainability Manager. This manager is charge of overseeing the 2020 EA, the AASHE certification and the greenhouse gas emission inventory. In addition, the Health, Safety and Sustainability Manager is responsible for the institution adhering to provincial and federal regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other health and safety measures. The College also hired a Master’s student in Environmental Assessment from Concordia in the summer of 2020 to help complete the College’s third EA.

Accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body (VCACE) and the Sustainability Officer over the years include becoming members of Environnement Jeunesse; becoming an Excellency level Cegep Vert; banning water bottles on campus; establishing a Sustainability major; becoming a Fair-Trade campus; becoming members of AASHE; hiring a manager in sustainability and creating a 5-year work plan with a yearly action plan. The 5-year Sustainability Action Plan (2018-2023) includes measurable sustainability objectives related to operations such as reducing waste output by 20% and reducing water consumption by 10%. Sustainability objectives related to academia were also made as Goal 2.1 of the Plan is to incorporate environmental content into every program.
In addition, VCACE is in the process of revamping its sustainability policy and has committed to becoming carbon neutral after the signing of the SDG Accord letter. It is in the process of completing its third environmental assessment and first AASHE STARS certification. The college now has dedicated funds for new sustainability policy and research grants for Development and Support Opportunities (DSOs). Other accomplishments include the expansion of the Vanier Collective gardens, new pre-consumer composting program and the banning of plastic straws and bags on campus.

Reporting to the Director of Physical Plant & Facilities, the Manager, Health, Safety & Sustainability acts in an advisory role and provides expertise in matters related to health and safety in the workplace as well as for sustainability across the College. The Manager’s mandate will consists of developing and implementing both Health and Safety and Sustainability policies, procedures and tools to address issues in consultation with stakeholders, and to meet the strategic objectives of the college.
More specifically, but not limited to, the Manager, Health, Safety & Sustainability:
• In collaboration with the members of the Management Executive Committee, collaborates in the elaboration, revision and updates of College policies and procedures to reflect norms, rules and regulations pertaining to Health, Safety and Sustainability.
• Reviews and makes recommendations for the implementation of best practices in the education sector;
• Reviews all existing policies, regulations and procedures and ensures compliance with all applicable health and safety laws and standards;
• Designs and implements prevention programs and monitoring tools in a timely manner specifically for, but not limited, to the following: Electrical Safety, Asbestos Management, Machinery Working procedures;
• Suggest and recommends to management proper control and procedures for management of hazardous substances in accordance with College policies, procedures and best practices;
• Creates, coordinates and offer training in health and safety on topics such as: First Aid, WHMIS, Bio-Safety, Machine security;
• Performs inspections of the workplace, recommends corrective measures and coordinates their implementation;
• Acts as a resource person for the Joint Health & Safety Committee;
• Receives and analyzes recommendations from the Joint Health & Safety committee and in cooperation with the appropriate services implements them in accordance with applicable legal or operational requirements;
• With the support of the HSC, promotes and raises awareness on Health and Safety matters within the College community in order to create a culture of safety geared towards preventive actions;
• Organizes safety audits of College equipment, installations, and infrastructures, recommends corrective actions and oversees their completion;
• Ensures consistency of interventions throughout the College so that health and safety standards are respected;
• In conjunction with Human Resource Services, acts as a liaison with the CNESST on certain dossiers and ensures that the CNESST recommendations are implemented in a timely manner;
• Assists in the review of the Emergency Operation Plan;
• Works with the Vanier College Advisory Committee on the Environment, Student Services, Facilities and the College community in general to design and implement sustainability initiatives and processes;
• Organizes campaigns to promote and raise awareness on sustainability issues within the College community in order to meet the strategic objectives of the college and encourage a more eco-friendly culture.
• Reviews all existing policies, regulations and procedures in order to ensure sustainability concerns are taken into account and makes recommendations as to most appropriate means of integrating them.