Saguenay community sustainability plan

Fifth largest city in Quebec, the City of Saguenay will undertake a strategic planning process focusing on sustainable development, first on a territorial level using a local Agenda 21 type approach and then on an organizational level with an employee training program and the preparation of an eco-responsibility and eco-exemplary action plan covering all municipal departments. One of the innovative aspects of the Saguenay process is planning for the creation of an econeighbourhood in the Kenogami sector aimed at integrating businesses into municipal environmental management. In order to prepare its sustainable development plan in three phases, the City of Saguenay will cooperate with the Chaire Éco-conseil of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), the UQAC and the Chicoutimi environmental committee. Saguenay will execute an integrated and transversal sustainable development plan that will come into action prior to decisions and activities, based on values of participatory governance and individual and collective responsibility. Key steps in the plan preparation process will include, for instance, a diagnosis of the state of the territory and actions that integrate important aspects of sustainable development such as climate change, biodiversity, the promotion of public transit, the reclamation of residual matter, water protection and more. This process follows the City’s 2007 social development plan that focused on participatory governance and its development plan that is being prepared.

(Project description from original funding application)