University of Saskatchewan
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

A member of the Office of Sustainability sits as a USask representative on the Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee (SEAC), an advisory body of 11 members from various organizations around the city that provides advice to Saskatoon City Council on policy matters relating to the environmental implications of City undertakings and to identify environmental issues of potential relevance to the City. This is the university's liaison towards promoting, supporting, and endorsing municipal environmental policies, ordinances, and legislation within the City of Saskatoon. Additionally, the Office of Sustainability works with the City of Saskatoon Environmental Services Branch to ensure collaboration and consistency of sustainability approaches and policies between the City and USask. Another member of the Office also sits as a USask representative (alongside 3 other university representatives) on the board of the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC), a non-profit organization that provides professional guidance to municipalities and the provincial government in matters of sustainable waste management. Through this connection, the university provides policy and legislative guidance towards municipalities and the provincial government as related to waste reduction and management strategies.

Four representatives of the University of Saskatchewan, including the President and the Executive Director of the School of Environment and Sustainability are on the board of the Meewasin Valley Authority (MVA). Created in 1979 by an Act of the Province of Saskatchewan, Meewasin is a conservation agency dedicated to conserving the cultural and natural resources of the South Saskatchewan River Valley. USask is a key landowner and stakeholder in the health and well-being of the Meewasin River Valley and uses its representatives at the MVA to advocate for proper conservation and protective measures in all activities surrounding the river valley. The Office of Sustainability's Energy and Emissions Officer represents the university on the Saskatchewan Combined Heat and Power Working Group, a multi-sectoral group that is working for CHP market advancement in Saskatchewan through education, collaboration and resolving regulatory challenges. The university works through this group to endorse energy efficiency policy and legislative changes to the Government of Saskatchewan. The university also has several representatives on the board (including the current chair and vice-chair) of the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council, a provincial organization dedicated to helping the people of Saskatchewan reduce waste. Through this connection, the university provides policy and legislative guidance towards municipalities and the provincial government as related to waste reduction and management strategies.

The Sustainability Education Policy Network (SEPN) is hosted at the University of Saskatchewan. Established in 2012, SEPN is a partnership between Canadian and international researchers and leading Canadian and North American policy and educational organizations. SEPN’s goal is to examine and enable the evolution of sustainability in education policy and practice at the early education to grade 12 and post-secondary levels in Canada,' with the goal of enabling educational change for a more sustainable future. They advocate at the national level for changes to educational policy that encourage a greater role for sustainability in the curriculum.

Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) - Global Water Futures (GWF): In Canada and globally, we are facing unprecedented water-related challenges. Canada has some of the world's highest rates of warming, which impacts infrastructure, institutions, ecosystems and human health. Given that half the world's population and all of Canada are dependent upon water from cold regions, the grand challenge for water science in Canada and globally is: "How can we best forecast, prepare for and manage water futures in the face of dramatically increasing risks?" Global Water Futures: Solutions to water threats in an era of global change GWF’s overarching goal is to deliver risk management solutions—informed by leading-edge water science and supported by innovative decision-making tools—to manage water futures in Canada and other cold regions where global warming is changing landscapes, ecosystems, and the water environment. End-user needs will be our beacon and will drive strategy and shape our science. GWF's main role in engaging in public policy is through: 1) The creation of models and tools that can better predict water futures to inform proper policy and legislation in terms of water conservation and managemement, and 2) The development of risk-management models and tools to make evidence-based legislative and policy decisions that result in optimal socioeconomic outcomes. For example, GWF will provide government with evidence and guidance on adaptive governance; Indigenous communities with decision-making tools to adapt to changing water quality; urban communities with evidence to adapt and respond to flood risk; agriculture with tailored weather inputs for precision farming and tools for beneficial management practices; industry with guidance on risks and sustainability, and tools to better assess and manage water and environmental risks and liabilities. More information can be found at the link below: https://gwf.usask.ca/about/about-us.php