The updated EMP further considers the impacts of climate change and the health of the Windsor community. The plan has an integrated approach to recognizing the connections between the environment, economy, and society. It is important to note that the EMP is implemented with other City of Windsor plans including our Climate Change Adaptation Plan and Community Energy Plan.

The purpose of the EMP is to set out a series of potential actions for the municipality to take, over the short and long term, to improve the city's environment. Most of the actions suggested in the EMP are related to the Corporation of the City of Windsor's activities and operations. The EMP was developed to focus on the City's operations so that the City of Windsor may lead by example for residents, industry and stakeholders.

The Environmental Master Plan was informed by the Environmental Attitudes Survey and other surveys completed by the public. The update to the EMP took feedback from the public in the form a survey before the draft of the plan was released in early 2017. In the fall of 2017, the Draft EMP was released for an extended engagement period ending January 1, 2018. A total of 8 informational booths were set up throughout the City for the public to provide feedback, as well as the completion of a survey.

ROSE: Report on the State of the Environment

Every 4-5 years the City of Windsor conducts a Report on the State of our Environment (ROSE). The most recent ROSE was completed in 2017. See the 2017 Report on the State of our Environment Report. To see how the City of Windsor has progressed since the implementation of an Environmental Master Plan you can review the 2013 ROSE Report and the 2009 ROSE Report.

Environment and Climate Change Canada defines reporting on the state of the environment as a way to provide "easily understood overviews of important environmental issues with more in-depth interpretation and extensive data presentation." A Report on the State of the Environment is a document that tracks changes in key environmental indicators over time.

It is important for the City of Windsor to track changes in environmental indicators over time to assess how successfully and how quickly it is moving towards its sustainability goals and to determine whether the targets in the EMP are being met, or if they need to be adjusted based on progression (or regression).

Environmental Indicators are updated annually when possible on this website. The indicators can be found under each objective in each goal.

Environmental Attitudes Surveys

In September 2005, the City of Windsor decided to undertake an Environmental Attitudes Survey. The purpose of the survey was to ensure that the concerns of the residents were included in the Environmental Master Plan.

To attain statistically defensible results and to reach out to residents who might not otherwise participate in public consultation events, the survey included 504 telephone surveys, as well as public open houses.

The findings of the survey were used to develop the goals of the 2006 Environmental Master Plan.

A second Environmental Attitudes Survey was completed in 2012 by Ipsos Public Affairs. This survey was completed in conjunction with other municipalities, providing the opportunity to compare environmental attitudes between cities.

See the complete Environmental Attitudes Survey.

For more information on environmental initiatives: