Vancouver Social Enterprise Forum: 2006 Tremblant Forum

Mont Tremblant Resort will host The 2006 Tremblant Forum.
The conference will ...

"feature four roundtable panels covering the cornerstones of communities that meet the needs of current citizens while ensuring that those of future generations will be met as well: sustainable building, partnerships, energy, and relations. While it is a daunting challenge, leading thinkers and practitioners from business, government and civil society in Canada and abroad will share illustrative and inspiring experiences."

One of those leading thinkers participating will be Thomas Osdoba, Manager, Sustainability Group, City of Vancouver. Thomas will form part of a panel in the morning session:

Sustainable Community Building

One-half of the world’s urban infrastructure in the year 2050 must be built between now and then, to say nothing about renewing the existing built environment. At the same time, rural and suburban communities will undergo radical transformations as well. Given growing resource scarcity, income gaps, and environmental impacts, there are few simple solutions. This session will share innovative views on planning, infrastructure and architecture.

Here's what else will be discussed ...

What’s a sustainable community?

A sustainable community meets our economic, social and environmental needs in a manner that can be continued for future generations.

To business owners, it means having a healthy economy in which businesses can produce and market their products and services.

To parents, it means having a safe environment in which to bring up their children and a wide spectrum of educational opportunities.

To workers, it means a secure, productive job that is easy to get to.

To everyone, it means clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, and the opportunity to live in a nurturing community that brings us together to meet our cultural and spiritual needs.

The sustainable communities approach taken by corporations, investors, governments and members of civil society applies to issues as varied as urban planning, inner-city and brownfield redevelopment, socio-economic development, ecosystem management, agriculture, biodiversity, green buildings, energy conservation, watershed management and pollution prevention.

Key characteristics:

Respect for basic rights and recognition of basic responsibilities

Living within ecological carrying capacity

Equal opportunities for individual development

A diverse economic base supported by sustainable investment

A vibrant democracy with an informed, involved citizenry

Protection of natural diversity

Improving the minimum standard of living

Maximizing the use of people's abilities while minimizing the use of natural resources

Given the confluence of many global/local issues (urbanization, climate change, water supply, health, income gaps, etc.), sustainable communities are increasingly seen as a core part of the solution.

What’s the situation in Canada?

Several Canadian municipalities are taking strong steps towards the vision of sustainable communities, while others have just begun to build the components of an integrated approach. While some Quebec municipalities have also begun to develop the sustainability vision, framework and tools, most have not.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is providing leadership among municipal governments in Canada outside Quebec and recently hosted a conference on sustainable cities.

The UN-Habitat sponsored World Urban Forum is being held this June in Vancouver. The theme: sustainable cities.

The federal government, through its Infrastructures project and the Green Municipal Fund, is linking funding to sustainable urban development.

Many leading Canadian corporations are supporting sustainable communities through initiatives such as community investment, green infrastructure development, energy efficiency, urban transit, anti-poverty capacity building, action on health and education, and many others.

The challenge: identify and integrate best practices from across Canada and around the world to transform our villages, towns and cities into truly sustainable communities.

National Public Relations hosts the event in the hills north of Montreal.
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