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Speaking Notes for

Joe Fontana,
Minister of Labour and Housing

at the
Sustainable Community Conference Breakfast Meeting

Vancouver, British-Columbia
September 19, 2005

Thank you Stephen and good morning everyone! I am delighted to be here with you today to talk about an event of great importance to all of you in this room and to many Canadians across our great country.

Next June, the third World Urban Forum will be here in Vancouver. More than 8,000 people from all regions of the globe will be converging in this great city to discuss urbanization - one of the most important and compelling challenges facing the world today. The Forum will be under the guiding theme of Our Future: Sustainable Cities: Turning Ideas Into Action.

Urbanization is the meeting place of human need, environmental responsibility and economic development. It speaks to humanity's most basic needs like shelter, water and sanitation; to our most fundamental longings for a better life, a place to call our own and the chance for meaningful employment; and to our highest aspirations - social justice, peace, security, and sustainable development.

I am thrilled that Canada is hosting this important conference and it's an honour for me to be here to share with you some of the Government of Canada's thoughts and plans surrounding the Forum: Why is it important; what you can expect; and how you can be involved.

First of all, let me address the most basic question that critics (since there are always critics) will ask: why host this Forum at all? Why should Canada invest such time and effort in a conference on urbanization?
Our historical contribution to building global awareness on urbanization's challenges is one reason. As many of you will remember, it was Vancouver that hosted the very first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, in 1976.

Mike Harcourt and others were directly involved in that Conference, which has been referred to by some as "the Woodstock for planners"…but you'd have to ask Mike about that!

The 1976 conference was important for a number of reasons.

It established, for the first time, a significant connection between human habitat and the environmental agenda. Indeed, the UN HABITAT Program emerged as a direct result of that conference.

In addition, the conference opened the door to NGOs and civil society, giving them a status - and a standing - they had rarely had before.

The 1976 Conference ended with The Vancouver Declaration. It spoke to the idealism that motivated the participants. The same ideals that still motivate us today - equity, social justice, solidarity, human dignity, free choice, and freedom of movement.

Now, thirty years later, we will come full circle, to this city, to this same agenda, to another chance for Canada to make a difference. I believe the third World Urban Forum provides a tremendous opportunity to re-fire the idealism of the 1976 conference and remind us all of what is possible if we seize the moment and work together.

It is also a wonderful chance to showcase greater Vancouver as one of most innovative and sustainable cities in the world. A city that works. A city that wins awards.

Hosting the third World Urban Forum is also important for other reasons.

We are among the most urbanized nations in the world. The percentage of Canadians living in urban centers has more than doubled over the past century. We have a major and growing stake in ensuring cities and smaller urban communities are sustainable.

Our urban reality creates pressures that we are all very familiar with - crowded highways, crumbling infrastructure, unhealthy air and water, waste management. It is challenging us to be both vigilant and innovative in protecting public health and safety and ensuring effective democratic governance. It also means we are able to enhance and celebrate social cohesion amongst many cultures and languages in an urban setting. Just as we have a growing stake in ensuring the vitality of our own cities, we have an emerging responsibility to help address, around the world, the consequences of rapid urbanization. If you're 45 or older, you have seen the earth's population double in your lifetime - from three to six billion people.

What's significant is that much of this global population growth is occurring in urban centres, often the result of citizens moving from rural to urban areas. In 2005, for the first time in history, more people live in cities than in rural settings.

Unfortunately, this global urbanization is not happening in an orderly, measured way. It is happening, in a disproportionate number of cases, in the poorest parts of the world. If current trends continue, poor countries will have to build the equivalent of a city of more than a million people each week for the next 45 years just to absorb the increased numbers!

As the world's population moves to cities, poverty is moving with it, creating living conditions that few of us can imagine - and no one should have to endure.

Of the 3 billion people living in cities around the world, about one third live in slums. And that number is rising. In just one decade - from 1990 to 2000 - the number of people living in slum conditions increased by 200 million.

That's 200 million more people living without clean water, adequate sanitation, durable housing or adequate living space. This is simply unacceptable! If current projections hold, by 2015 - just 10 years from now - the global slum population will increase to more than 1.3 billion people. A staggering number and an urgent challenge.

Incidentally, 2015 also marks the target year for most of the Millennium Development Goals and just last week, in New York, world leaders affirmed their commitment to meeting those goals. Many of these Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs as they are commonly referred to, relate directly to the issues I've been talking about.

The international community has made important commitments to reduce poverty by half and increase access to clean water and adequate sanitation; to ensure global environmental sustainability; to provide universal primary education; and to reduce the spread of infectious disease. We can see, more and more, that it is in our cities where these battles will be won or lost.

Our related commitment to improving the living conditions of 100 million slum dwellers by 2020 will only be possible if clear progress is made on the MDGs by 2015.

The fact is that urbanization - with both its promise and its perils - is upon us - here at home and around the world. Vancouver 2006 represents a vitally important chance to promote greater public awareness of the Canadian and global urban challenge and generate momentum for responding to it.

Let me be clear here. We should not be treating urbanization, in and of itself, as the problem. Nor should we regard Vancouver 2006 as the venue where we must profile doom and gloom scenarios. It has been said that the urban environment is one of the most extraordinary contributions that humankind has made to this planet. Cities are engines of trade and commerce, the seats of government and the meeting place for people of different cultures, languages and religions. They can be venues for social mobility, where hopes are raised and work is found and dreams are realized.

Cities are centers of science, technology and the arts. Where beauty is celebrated, culture promoted and new and better ways of living are invented. When designed and managed wisely, cities can be catalysts for sustainable development, becoming enduring sources of national greatness.

But remember this: Great cities don't just happen. They develop over time, guided by decisions made at critical points in their evolution. Decisions made today about our cities will affect the quality of living for our children and their children.

Our goal - the goal of the third World Urban Forum - is not only to highlight this approach but also to build awareness of the best practices that contribute to its success. Canada has its share of such best practices and some of those are right here in Vancouver.

The "Vancouver Agreement" is a joint federal, provincial and municipal government commitment to ensure all government programs and services are accessible to the city's most desperate citizens in its poorest neighbourhood. The symbolism and practical intent of this agreement is living proof of how Canada is developing those best practices. It has few rivals as a model for co-ordination on urban development and is a well deserving recipient of this year's United Nations Public Service Award.

Around the world, many cities are tackling the tough issues such as climate change with amazing results.

To mention a nearby example, Portland, Oregon has demonstrated that you can slash greenhouse gas emissions and have a booming economy. Indeed, in the case of Portland, cutting emissions is yielding important benefits - in lower energy costs, better transportation and a greener city. Some local companies are even selling their expertise to the world.

I have just returned from China, which will be hosting the fourth World Urban Forum in 2008 (in Nanjing). We will share what we learn from hosting this major event in Vancouver 2006. As the world's most populous country, China has its own critical stake in successful urbanization and we look forward to working with our Chinese colleagues to encourage them to highlight their experiences here in Vancouver and work with them to build momentum for another successful World Urban Forum.

Beyond enhancing awareness of the global urban challenge, building commitments to address it, and promoting action through best practices, I also see the third World Urban Forum as an opportunity to showcase Canada's broader commitment to forging a new relationship between the national government and municipalities.

This is symbolized most importantly by the federal Government's New Deal for Cities and Communities. The New Deal is an important partnership, one that recognizes the central role of cities in the life of our country.

As stated by the Prime Minister, the New Deal is "a national project for our time; a cornerstone of our commitment to govern not only for the Canada of today, but for the Canadians of tomorrow. It is about making the lives of Canadians better by making the places they live better."

Across the country municipalities are addressing quality of life issues and working more efficiently. For example, the City of Halifax received the Sustainable Communities Award from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for its successful efforts to improve its drinking water infrastructure.

Halifax's efforts resulted in a daily savings of 27 million litres of treated water which is not only good for the environment but is also good for the city that saved $500,000 in treatment costs. In another example, government, the private sector, and universities worked together to develop an award-winning planning model which aims at improving the living conditions in many First Nations Communities. In Toronto, chilly waters from Lake Ontario are cooling 20 million feet of office space and reducing carbon dioxide emissions at the same time. In Regina, there are plans for new buses to use low-sulfur diesel fuel.

These are just some examples of the incredible work being done in communities across Canada. Since 1993, the federal government has contributed some $24 billion dollars to cities and communities in order to help them build and rebuild infrastructure, and promote environmentally sustainable growth.

But just as important as funding is respect. We want Canada's municipalities to know that their voices are being heard and that we are doing everything we can to provide them with the resources they need to deal with the issues that affect them most. At Vancouver 2006 we want to build on this partnership and look for opportunities to extend it to the international level.

This is why Canada, why Vancouver, is hosting the Third World Urban Forum. It is a tremendous opportunity to bring together governments, local authorities, non-governmental organizations and other experts to discuss concrete and practical ways to address the challenges of urbanization as well as to promote its benefits.

Now that we have satisfied the critics who are wondering why Canada should host this Forum, let me address the critics who are asking whether or not the right people are invited to participate in this Forum and whether or not it will make any difference.

What can you expect and what will Canada do differently?

In a word - a lot. I don't want this Forum to represent business as usual! We intend to push the envelope. To be innovative! Creative! To take some risks and make some waves.

To achieve this, we must work closely with our international partner and World Urban Forum sponsor, Nairobi-based UN HABITAT, to broaden and deepen the vitality of the Vancouver meeting. This means that we have to be more inclusive and involve more women, more youth and more indigenous peoples. We have to reach out to the francophonie and to Latin America, two population groups that were under-represented at the Second World Urban Forum. We must engage civil society as never before. We must value the private sector as a key partner in urban development because they play an integral role as sponsor and contributor.

To do all of this, we need new and creative approaches. And we've already begun.

The Vancouver Working Group, led by my colleague Minister Owen, has done yeoman service, developing themes for the conference and reaching out to the local community for ideas and input.

I also want to thank the people from more than 50 organizations who have committed so much time and effort to helping plan for a successful Forum.

The City of Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Regional District will be leading a whole array of activities, including celebrations of global culture through arts and jazz festivals. And, of course, Vancouver residents will be front and centre in the opening and closing ceremonies.

Furthermore, because the Forum will wrap up at 6:00 o'clock every day, there is plenty of opportunity for local businesses, NGO's and organizations to host after hour events and connect with the participants.

During that same period in June, Vancouver will be hosting meetings of the United Cities and Local Government, an international grouping of municipal governments. These meetings will include more than 150 mayors from around the world and we intend to take advantage of their presence in Vancouver and integrate them into the WUF program.

One of the key areas of focus at this Forum will be reaching out to the private sector, not only businesses, but individuals.

In cities around the world, individuals play an important role by getting involved in their communities and by pushing and participating in change.

Businesses are also important because they are the ones that actually build the infrastructure that makes the difference in people's lives. That's why, for example, we're making sure that companies that design, build, install and deliver water and sanitation systems are at the table to provide their insights and offer their expertise.

I am personally committed to this, as is David Emerson, the Minister of Industry. Actually, Industry Canada's Sustainable Cities Initiative is a highly successful example of partnership among government, NGOs, city authorities and the private sector.

The Sustainable Cities Initiative is bringing Canadian expertise to the world, introducing the world's cities to Canadian companies, demonstrating the crucial role the private sector can play in reducing poverty, and enhancing quality of life and promoting good governance.

As you can see, inclusion is central to our approach. We want everybody inside the tent - governments, NGOs, the private sector and individual citizens who want to contribute and be engaged.

To help develop momentum for Vancouver 2006, we're going to do something that's never been done before. At the beginning of December, we're implementing The World Habitat Jam and it's going to be amazing!

This will be a web-based dialogue, using innovative technology, to link up with civil society around the globe.

Think about it! Citizens will be invited - en masse - to participate in discussing one of the great issues of the day. No intermediaries and no barriers. Just people talking to people. Asking questions. Interacting. From every continent, the voices of the young and old, the rich and poor - voices not normally heard in global discussions - will have the opportunity to share a virtual platform.

Together, they will develop ideas, forge new networks and find important patterns on key issues.

We hope to reach more than 100,000 people - an astonishing demonstration of inclusion. Afterward, we'll take their input and develop ideas that will be tabled at the Forum.

Now you know what I mean when I say that we're totally redefining what a World Urban Forum has to look like or act like. You can see how we're placing civil society at its very heart, tearing down walls, and broadening opportunities.

We are taking the work that began 30 years ago in Vancouver and propelling it to the next level by integrating environmental concerns with the human condition; by making the connection between cities and poverty, habitat and the environment; and by using technology to build bridges to a better world.

It's a comprehensive, holistic approach. The only approach that will yield sustainable results.

Allow me to conclude by saying that I believe urbanization will be the great global issue of the 21^st century, one which holds both sobering challenges and exciting opportunities.

If it is true that half of the urban infrastructure that will exist in 2050 is yet to be built, it means we have a unique chance to build it better; to design, construct, operate and maintain new cities that are clean, efficient and safe. To create cities that balance our relationship with the environment and our obligations to one another.

Our great opportunity - and our profound responsibility - is to make sure that our fellow human beings live in cities where their basic needs are met and their basic dignity respected.

I am confident that the third World Urban Forum will make an enormous contribution to realizing those goals. Let's make it an occasion that makes the world sit up and take notice, an event that inspires the world to stand up and take action.

Thank you.