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Objective The purpose of the Report Card on Healthy Food Environments and Nutrition for Children is to assess how current environments and policies in Canada support or create barriers to improving children's dietary behaviours and body weights. Method In 2014 we reviewed the literature to identify indicators of the quality of children's food environments and related policies. Scoring systems used to monitor and report on progress on a variety of public health activities were consulted during development of a grading scheme. The Report Card was revised following reviews by an Expert Advisory Committee. Results The Report Card assigns a grade to policies and actions (42 indicators and benchmarks) within 4 micro-environments (physical, communication, economic, social) and within the political macro-environment. Grade-level scores of A through F are assigned that reflect achievement of, supports for, and monitoring of indicator-specific benchmarks. A Canadian Report Card will be released annually starting in 2015. Conclusion The Report Card is a novel tool to monitor the state of children's food environments and supportive policies, inform stakeholders of the state of these environments and policies, engage society in a national discussion, and outline a policy-relevant research agenda for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Forested riparian buffers have proved to be an effective management practice that helps maintain ecological goods and services in watersheds. In this study, we assessed the non-market benefits and opportunity costs associated with implementing these buffers in an eastern Canadian watershed using contingent valuation and wood supply modeling methods, respectively. A number of buffer scenarios were considered, including 30 and 60 m buffers on woodlots and on all land (including woodlots, agricultural, and residential lands) in the watershed. Household annual WTP estimates ranged from −$6.80 to $42.85, and total present value benefits ranged from −$11.7 to $121.7 million (CDN 2007), depending on the buffer scenario, affected population, time horizon, and econometric modeling assumptions considered. Opportunity cost estimates range from $1.3 to $10.4 million in present value terms, depending on silvicultural and agriculture land rental rate assumptions. Overall, we found that the net present value of riparian buffers was positive for the majority of scenarios and assumptions. Some exceptions were found under more conservative benefit, and higher unit cost, assumptions. These results provide decision makers with data on stated benefits and opportunity costs of riparian buffers, as well as insight into the importance of modeling assumptions when using this framework of analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sustainable environmental management is contingent on having an effective environmental planning system. A new methodology for designing and evaluating environmental planning systems is described and applied to a case study evaluation of the Canadian environmental planning process. The methodology is based on eight international best practice principles for environmental planning and 45 indicators. The research illustrates the benefits of the evaluation methodology in identifying how to improve environmental planning systems to achieve desired results. The methodology is applicable to a wide variety of jurisdictions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focuses on a study which examined how Canadian firms perceive the costs and benefits of actions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and their assessment of the contribution they could potentially make to the Kyoto Protocol target. Information on the Kyoto Protocol; Information on the Voluntary Challenge and Registry program; Conclusions and policy implications of the study.

Examines the types of contaminated site-related policies and programs that are being taken in Canada and compares them to those being taken in the United States and Europe. Comparison of known or suspected contaminated sites among several industrialized nations; Sustainable development benefits pertaining to brownfield sites; Obstacles which hamper the clean up and redevelopment of contaminated sites.

We explore the power of behavioral economic insights to influence the level of households' recycling and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) by examining the effectiveness of a green nudge, the adoption of a Clear Bag Policy that was implemented in 2015 in a mid-size urban municipality in Canada. Using a Regression Discontinuity (RD) Design on universe administrative data, our analysis shows that this green nudge promoted recycling, and reduced both refuse and total MSW. While recycling increased by 15 percent, total MSW decreased by 27 percent overall between August 2015 and July 2017. Our results also demonstrate heterogeneity in response to a Clear Bag Policy across neighborhoods with varying socioeconomic indicators. Our findings suggest that green nudges can serve as effective policy instruments in devising future environment policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]