Université de Sherbrooke
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

The following commitment has the implicit support from the Université de Sherbrooke. Center for Sustainable Mobility of Sherbrooke / Centre de mobilité durable de Sherbrooke Université de Sherbrooke is an active and committed member of the Centre de mobilité durable de Sherbrooke (CMDS). Since 2009, the CMDS has been a focal point for the concerted consideration of all components pertaining to sustainable mobility, may it be from urban planning to the operation of various modes of transport on the territory. The CMDS relies on the collaboration of several major partners and stakeholders, such as the Université de Sherbrooke. The CMDS contributes primarily to sustainable mobility planning in Sherbrooke. It promotes sustainable mobility, raises awareness and provides related information. More specifically, the City of Sherbrooke's Sustainable Mobility Plan is a direct product of the CMDS endeavours. The establishment of directions and objectives, issues to be addressed, strategies to put forward as well as to propose recommendations to Sherbrooke City Council are some of the mandates given to the CMDS Steering Committee. Stakeholders who sit on the Steering Committee are asked to do so since they play a major role in the development of the Sustainable Mobility Plan, as they have a considerable impact on public transit in Sherbrooke. The Université de Sherbrooke sits on the Steering Committee and is represented by the Assistant to the Vice-President, Administration and Sustainable Development. As an active and committed member of the CMDS, Université de Sherbrooke is hence significantly involved in municipal policies development with regard to a new culture of mobility based on: • A balance between modes of transport for people and goods; • A reduction in car dependency; • Improved safety; • Increased accessibility to affordable, available and reliable public transport; • Optimal use of technological and logistical innovations; • Reduced energy consumption; • Reduced environmental impacts. CMDS: https://mobilitedurable.qc.ca/ https://mobilitedurable.qc.ca/le-cmds/comite-de-pilotage/ 2012-2021 Sherbrooke’s Sustainable Mobility Plan: https://mobilitedurable.qc.ca/app/uploads/2016/08/Plan20de20mobilite20durable20de20Sherbrooke20-20Fiches20action20-20lowres.pdf

The following commitment has the implicit support from the Université de Sherbrooke. ACCORD Niche of Excellence in Clean Technologies / Créneau ACCORD d’excellence en technologies propres Université de Sherbrooke is an active and committed member of the Créneau ACCORD d’excellence en technologies propres (CETP). Previously launched in 2009 as a niche of excellence in the Estrie region, and up until recently known as the Créneau ACCORD des bio-industries environnementales (CABIE) (ACCORD Niche of Environmental Bio Industries), CETP is framed by the Government of Québec's Ministry of Economy and Innovation (Ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation (MEI)), governed by its industrial and institutional members, while its funding is provided mostly by this Ministry and its members. The five-year action plan, endorsed by the MEI, aims to have the CETP recognized by 2025 as a showcase leading reference in terms of eco-efficiency through the development and implementation of clean technologies (processes and products) and services contributing in particular to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, of the carbon footprint and the deployment of a new green economy based on renewable energies, ecomaterials, the recovery of residual materials and sustainable development. CETP aims to efficiently promote the development of clean technologies by using the strengths and skills, networking, dialogue and consultation of the various regional players in the industrial, scientific and institutional fields. The ACCORD Niche of Excellence in Clean Technologies (CETP) includes companies that use biotechnology, bioprocesses or biomass to reduce or eliminate environmental impacts, and are grouped into four key sectors: green chemistry and bio-products, renewable energies, waste management and water/ air/ soil. The CETP thrives on the collaboration of its network of companies, its eight environment-related research centres, specialized investment funds, the regional workforce and the presence of organizations and Government Ministries that support the development of the green economy. The ACCORD approach is a provincial economic development strategy that was launched in 2002 and falls under the responsibility of the Québec Ministry of Economy and Innovation (Ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation (MEI)). It aims to develop a green economy based on knowledge and innovation through the clean technology niche. The constant development of this economy requires the creation of an environment that is favourable to the development of this market. The ACCORD niche works specifically to pool technological know-how and set up collaborative projects that are economically and environmentally efficient and beneficial to the community. Vincent Aimez, Vice-President, Partnerships and Knowledge Transfer at the Université de Sherbrooke, is member of the Créneau ACCORD d’excellence en technologies propres (CETP) Management Committee and actively participates to its mission. Members of the Management Committee are priviledged spokepersons enabled to actively participate in campaigns aiming to change public policy. For instance, it is in such a context that the Management Committee members submitted a brief to the Québec Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (Ministère de l'Environnement et de La Lutte contre les changements climatiques) during consultations within the framework of the Québec Electrification and Climate Change Plan (Plan d’électrification et changements climatiques du gouvernement du Québec) with proposals for action that would allow the Québec Government to use its levers to promote the reduction of GHG emissions through Québec (clean) technologies and thus foster the development of a green economy. Québec ACCORD Approach: https://www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/bibliotheques/demarche/avantages-et-objectifs/ ACCORD Niche of Excellence in Clean Technologies: http://accordenvironnement.com/ Management Committee: http://accordenvironnement.com/accueil/equipe-et-conseil-de-gestion/ Brief to the Québec Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change: http://accordenvironnement.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PECC-m%C3%A9moire-CETP-1.pdf

The following commitment has the implicit support from the Université de Sherbrooke. NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network The NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network, a scientific initiative on environmental issues affecting Canadian lakes, is hosted at the Université de Sherbrooke, which is an active and committed member. The initiative brings together experts in lake science, spatial modelling, analytical chemistry, public health, remote sensing, amongst others. The impacts of land-use changes, climate change and contaminants are assessed while developing new tools for lake stewardship. Apart from advancing lake science and training future lake experts, the Network is to provide, via its Water Portal, relevant and accessible information based on results from projects in order to support decision-making and guide policies (i.e. evidence-based policy making) undertaken by different levels of Government, including the federal level, and several organizations having interest in lake health. More specifically, Canadian Lake Pulse has a specific engagement in policy via activities such as providing clear information to policy-makers at all levels of government (including the federal government) and by providing policy briefs explaining the policy implications of its findings. For instance, its “goals for policy engagement can support key national policy priorities: • Environmental impact assessment reforms • Canada’s biodiversity and protected areas targets • Fish and other wildlife habitat protection and restoration • Freshwater protection • Reduction of environmental risks through assessment and regulation of toxic substances”. (Annual Report 2017-2018, p. 38). Vincent Aimez, Vice-President, Partnerships and Knowledge Transfer at the Université de Sherbrooke, is member of the NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network Board of Directors. The Board ensures that all partners and stakeholders are represented and oversees the Network's activities. NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network link: http://lakepulse.ca/ Board of Directors: https://lakepulse.ca/network-structure/ Annual Report 2017-2018: https://lakepulse.ca/annual-report-2017-2018/

The following commitment has the implicit support from the Université de Sherbrooke. COP24, 2018, Katowice, Poland Amandine Gournay and Catherine Laflamme, two master's students in Environment, Environmental Management and Applied Policy at the Université de Sherbrooke, had the opportunity to represent the University at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) which occurred in 2018, Katowice, Poland. The two students were observers during the various negotiations, while being matched with specific actors for the duration of the conference (e.g. governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), youth organizations, environmental groups). As part of their sessional work (attending the annual Conference of the Parties was also part of their Master's degree program), their participation was linked to their research topics, i.e. intergenerational equity and clean technologies. Such an activity plays an important role in their curriculum, whether on a personal or professional level. Being able to apply the theory and observe what is done in a real context is a great added value for the students of the Université de Sherbrooke and leads to a better understanding of what international climate negotiations are and to be more critical of them. It contributes positively to knowledge transfer and more widely is an opportunity for the University to be a change agent on issues such as the one on sustainability. COP24 was an international climate conference which brought together the signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The purpose of this conference, more specifically, was to develop a set of decisions that would promote the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, as decided at COP21 in Paris, in 2015. COP24: https://cop24.gov.pl/ Université de Sherbrooke - News Web site: https://www.usherbrooke.ca/actualites/nouvelles/nouvelles-details/article/38964/