| Brownfields
Redevelopment Toolbox Background to the Toolbox and Brownfields in Canada Canada’s industrial urban and rural lands or brownfields are redevelopment challenges for local government. “Brownfields are typically littered with abandoned buildings, all sorts of rubbish, leaking tanks, and rusting drums…About 30,000 brownfields mar the Canadian landscape” (MacLean’s, August 11, 2003). “These sites adversely impact a neighbourhood’s image and quality of life, and in some cases pose risks to human health and the environment” (National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, 2003). Canadian communities need to recognize that brownfield redevelopment makes economic, social and environmental sense and to understand that brownfields are a community’s assets. Redevelopment or the re-use of these assets is a key component of Sustainable Development and Smart Growth. Canadian communities are at various stages of brownfield redevelopment. Some are not even aware that brownfields exist in their community while others recognize the importance of brownfields redevelopment as an integral part of sustainable community development and have developed innovative policies and incentives for urban revitalization. The majority of Canadian communities, especially the smaller municipalities, need guidance regarding how to get started as well as how to identify and implement effective strategies and programs to support brownfields redevelopment. The need for a brownfield redevelopment toolbox or guidance document has become evident over the past few years, as the number of requests for assistance, resources, and tools has increased. Municipalities who are eager to start the process of redevelopment have been inquiring with organizations such as OCETA, Canadian Urban Institute, National Roundtable for the Environment and Economy (NRTEE), Federation of Canadian Municipalities, FedNor and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing regarding how to start brownfield redevelopment. Supported by the Canadian Brownfields Network, aboutREMEDIATION and the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA) have partnered with government and the private sector to develop an Ontario Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox. The Ontario Toolbox Partners include: FedNor, Environment Canada – Ontario Region, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Jacques Whitford Environmental Ltd., City of Toronto, City of Kitchener, City of Brantford and the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. This guidance document or toolbox will help municipalities understand the steps or process of redevelopment and the role that a municipality must play to motivate the brownfields redevelopment industry. To make the toolbox easily accessible to Ontario Municipalities, it has been developed as a feature on the website www.aboutREMEDIATION.com in modular format. New tools have been specifically developed for the Brownfields Toolbox including the decision tree and 10 key elements. The Brownfields Toolbox also provides additional information and resources that have been extracted from various sources. The toolbox will be evolving over time as new information is identified and new tools are created. The Ontario Municipal Brownfields Redevelopment Toolbox was developed as a guide for urban centers who are interested in starting and engaging in the process of redevelopment and revitalization. The Brownfields Toolbox “walks” Ontario municipalities through the stages of successful redevelopment and includes:
Each STEP in the Brownfields Toolbox assists municipalities in understanding, developing and implementing a brownfields redevelopment vision for their community. |
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