The Canadian Urban Institute has announced finalists for the CUI Brownie Awards, sponsored by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Montreal on the evening of October 18, 2007, on the occasion of the eighth annual Canadian Brownfields conference, which will take place at the Palais des congrès in Montreal on October 18-19.
A special CUI Brownie is to be awarded to Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Hon. John Gerretsen, MPP, in recognition of his tireless support and personal commitment to brownfield redevelopment. As a result of his leadership, both within the government and with a broad range of public and private stakeholders, brownfield redevelopment has become a central component of the government’s planning reform agenda. In addition to appointing the province's first Brownfields Coordinator, Mr Gerretsen spearheaded brownfields reform and new legislation in cabinet over a number of years. The committee noted that Ontario’s approach to brownfields redevelopment is having a positive impact not only on projects in Ontario but on initiatives in other provinces.
The 2007 Brownfielder of the Year is Mark Brickell, VP, Smart Growth and Partnerships, with the Niagara Economic Development Corporation. His role in brokering partnerships has created a positive relationship between the region, its constituent municipalities and many private sector companies, resulting in numerous city-building initiatives throughout Niagara.
Now in its seventh year, the CUI’s Brownie Awards program recognizes leadership and innovation in a number of key categories. “The quality of projects continues to improve and the desire to innovate is clearly evident across the country,” noted CUI’s director of education and research, Glenn Miller. “The only drawback to this is that the committee’s work gets harder every year because there are so many worthy submissions.”
Finalists in Category 1, Policy and Program Development, include:
• the Ville de Montréal Master Plan – Plan d’urbanisme de Montréal
for brownfield development, QC;
• the Smarter Niagara brownfields program, ON; and
• the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s legislation and policy package.
Category 2 finalists for Implementation and Process, include:
• Filmport Development, Toronto, ON;
• the LAVO Bleach Plant redevelopment – Mise en valeur de site LAVO, Montréal, QC
• Le Nouvel Anjou-sur-le-lac, Borough of Anjou, QC;
• Oshawa’s General Motors Centre - Sports and Entertainment Facility, ON; and
• 90 Woodside, Kitchener, ON.
Category 3, which focuses on communications, marketing and public engagement, included
• Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts, Hamilton, ON;
• Le Nouvel Anjou-sur-le-lac, Borough of Anjou, QC; and
• East Fraserlands, BC.
The committee remarked on this year’s upsurge in entries for Category 4, Sustainable Design and
Technological Innovation. There were five finalists:
• Bamberton Revitalization project, Mill Bay, BC;
• The City of Calgary Water Centre, Calgary, AB;
• Faubourg Boisbriand, Ville de Boisbriand, QC;
• Quarry Park, Calgary, AB; and
• Vancouver Island Conference Centre, deep soil mixing, ground stabilization foundation,
Nanaimo,BC.
In Category 5, Financing, Risk Management and Partnerships, the finalists included:
• Filmport Development, Toronto, ON; and
• Pioneering Institutional Investment in Brownfields.
The latter project marks a breakthrough for brownfields financing because two pension funds have taken
significant investment positions in the Kilmer Brownfields Fund.
Details on the projects mentioned here can be found at www.canurb.com/brownieawards. Contact Glenn Miller, FCIP, RPP, Director, Education and Research, Canadian Urban Institute at gmiller@canurb.com or 416 365 0816 ext 284.
Full details and program updates for the 8th annual Canadian Brownfields Conference can be found at www.canadianbrownfields.ca
Gold sponsors:
Silver Sponsors: Lafarge North America, Ontario Centres of Excellence, Biogenie, Terrasan, and Aird & Berlis LLP.
Bronze Sponsors: Miller Thomson LLP, Toronto Economic Development Corporation, ECO Canada and Zurich Insurance Company.
Media Sponsor: ReNew Canada.
Supporting Sponsor: aboutREMEDIATION.com and Reseau Environnment
