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Councillor brings Sweden home to Halton By Tim Foran METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP 3 · Thursday, July 1, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com A Halton regional councillor's report on his sustainability tour of Sweden last year earned plaudits from colleagues in all four municipalities Wednesday, including fiscal hawk and noted anti-trip Councillor Jack Dennison. "As most of you know, my belief is that nobody should go on a trip at the taxpayer's expense unless they're going to make themselves a better councillor," said Burlington's Dennison following a 20-minute, 75-page presentation on the Symbio City tour of Sweden made by colleague Rick Goldring, the chair of Halton's sustainability advisory committee. "Rick, I think you've not only made yourself a better councillor but you're making the rest of council better. You're leading the leaders or training the leaders," said Dennison, who has become known on council partially for his refusal to attend municipal conferences with his colleagues, such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities AGM in Whistler last year. Goldring's presentation, which can be viewed online at www.halton.ca/regional_council_administration, highlighted various ways Sweden is incorporating consideration of environmen- tal impacts into all aspects of sustainable urban planning, including transportation, waste management, water supply and sanitation, and land use planning. Halton Region, which has a budget much larger than each of its constituent bodies of Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills, is responsible for all of these issues, though some councillors have admitted this is not known by many residents. Goldring, a senior financial advisor who once ran federally for the Green Party, spent six nights in three cities in Sweden, according to his presentation. During the week, he met with elected officials including the mayor of Malmo, took in 24 lecture presentations and did eight tours including visits to sustainable neighbourhoods, advanced waste collection facilities, a wind farm and bio-gas plant, and a waste-to-energy plant. Since the 1970s, when Sweden was heavily oil dependent, the country has reduced its fossil fuel dependence for heating and electricity by 90 per cent, said Goldring. With less space and resources such as natural gas than Canada, Sweden has become creative in how it powers itself, he added. He noted only four per cent of waste goes to landfill, with another 47 per cent sent to waste-to-energy facilities, often called incinerators. Per-capita waste is only 518 kilograms, "whereas Canada is double that," he "In the past, there has been, I think, ignorant criticism of councillors when they take a trip to enlarge their understanding of issues." n Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said. Recognizing incinerators were a burning topic at Halton regional council three years ago, when council voted to put off discussion of such plants for five years, Goldring cautioned he was not advocating that approach to waste processing. "But I'm saying we can learn from their (innovative) approach." In the capital city of Stockholm, only 46 per cent of trips are made by car, compared to the more than 90 per cent in Halton, he continued. However, there is a cost to the Scandinavian country's environmental efficiency. The so-called tax freedom day there is Aug. 8, about two months later than Canada's, he said. Goldring, who garnered council support last year to create its sustainability advisory committee, said he is currently working with City of Burlington staff to develop poli- cies around sustainable building design. "Great, great job," said Halton Hills Councillor Jane Fogal following Goldring's presentation. "We should keep sending people to these things." Oakville Mayor Rob Burton agreed. "In the past, there has been, I think, ignorant criticism of councillors when they take a trip to enlarge their understanding of issues," Burton explained. "Here I think you're beyond criticism because you've brought back such a wealth of knowledge and I think some very supportable pointers to the future." Milton Mayor Gord Krantz also congratulated Goldring and asked whether he thought council should again bring up the idea of waste-to-energy facilities, which was a major issue in the last municipal election. "Maybe their airshed isn't as challenged," said Goldring, referring to Sweden. "(But) I don't think we can dismiss anything, that's the bottom line." Goldring's conference expenses totalled $7,698 in 2009, slightly above that of Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville, who often travels as a member of the executive for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The combined total for all 21 members of regional council was just under $51,000. Halton Region's combined operating and capital budget last year was $1.2 billion. Receive