News release

Sustainable Communities Initiative Wins Silver Award

Natural Resources (to July 2018)

NATURAL RESOURCES--Sustainable Communities Initiative Wins Silver Award


Government organizations in Nova Scotia were recognized recently for developing a unique one-stop business shopping process for communities.

Nova Scotia's Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) won a silver medal for excellence in Innovative Management at a prestigious national competition hosted by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

SCI is a partnership of more than 40 federal, provincial, municipal and First Nations' organizations. The group works collaboratively to address complex issues in the watersheds of the Bras d'Or Lakes and the Fundy/Annapolis Basin by integrating social, cultural, economic and environmental policies and programs. Field teams in each area meet monthly to hear more about each other's work and to hear from groups that are wrestling with issues that affect the long-term sustainability of their communities.

"The SCI approach really works," said Garth Bangay, regional director general of Environment Canada, and the federal champion of the initiative. "Instead of community leaders having to knock on many different doors to get answers to their questions or help with their issues, they can now easily access the knowledge and expertise of representatives across a range of government levels, departments and agencies."

"This initiative is doing excellent work in Nova Scotia, and I want to thank the government and community members for their hard work and achievements," said Peter Underwood, deputy minister of Natural Resources, and the provincial champion. "Nova Scotia's rural communities are building a stronger future because of this new, one-stop approach to government support."

Since 1990, the IPAC Award for Innovative Management has recognized exceptional management in the public service. SCI was singled out for bringing various levels of government together to work toward community sustainability. It competed against 95 other entries across Canada. The gold prize for the same category was awarded to the partners in the Vancouver Agreement/Downtown East-side Project and the bronze went to the Government of Ontario for its collaborative work in service delivery. The award ceremony was held on Sept. 1 at the annual IPAC conference in Vancouver.

More information on the competition is available on the website at www.ipac.ca/news .