Shifts in Environmental Governance in Canada: How are Citizen Environment Groups to Respond?

Abstract

In the last ten years or more, any discussion of the role and function of government has almost invariably made some reference to how changes in the international economy (usually termed globalization) and the rise of organized social movements have led to changes in the relationship between government and society, and government and private firms. Although the degree and influence of these changes vary according to geographic location, level of economic development, and political system, several broad recurring themes can be identified: increased emphasis on global economic competitiveness; increased number and influence of networks of local and regionally based organizations in government decisionmaking; and devolution, decentralization, and/or redefinition of government's role and responsibility in providing services (see Stren and Pole© se, 2000). With respect to environmental issues in Canada, and specifically the most populated province in the country, Ontario, these trends have manifested themselves in several striking ways, particularly with respect to the monitoring of environmental conditions, such as water and air quality. Citizens and environmental

Citizen complaints as a new source of information for local environmental governance

“…This means that the concept of governance underscores the changing nature of the concept of "government" (Savan et al, 2004) -or in other words the transition from government to governance (de Loë et al, 2009) -through which the involvement of collective actors in addressing or managing a particular issue can be identified (Savan et al, 2004, p. 607;Friedmann, 1998, referred to in Savan et al, 2004. This transition involves not merely political practices but also a more "cross-cutting" set of principles based on sustainability (see, for example, Joas and Gronholm, 2004;Kjaer, 2004;Fidélis and Pires, 2009).…”

Adaptive Comanagement and Its Relationship to Environmental Governance

“…Incentivizing participation, a supportive policy framework, and connecting individuals/organizations are salient considerations. Singleton 2002, Dietz et al 2003, Savan et al 2004, Ansell and Gash 2008 Fit, interplay, and scale…”

Exploring Collaborative Environmental Governance: Perspectives on Bridging and Actor Agency

“…Governments are facing an array of tensions and challenges – including global economic integration and worsening environmental problems – that are contributing to a transformation of institutionalized governance (Durant et al. 2004; Lee 2003; Lemos and Agrawal 2006; Savan et al. 2004).…”

“…Overall, however, despite the emphasis on collaborative processes in the environmental governance literature and the significance attached to collaboration, the literature suggests that such collaborations are often not genuinely realized and fall short of their potential contribution to environmental governance (e.g. Dale 2001; Savan et al. 2004).…”