Awards received and initiatives undertaken by the the city of Edmonton

We are posting this page because it is frustrating when decision makers pit affordable housing, climate change and biodiversity against each other. Edmonton has lost green space to affordable housing. We have lost peatland and tree canopy to “density” as if density was a value rather tool that must be applied as part of a holistic plan. We have heard blind assertions that density is the one best thing you can do to take cars off the road yet we know density without conservation become places people escape via air travel and places where poor air quality affects human health often in unjust ways.

With excellence in planning we don’t have to cater to a zero sum game. One of the best plans the city ever created was the Natural Areas Strategic Connections Plan. Here are plans to remember and promote.

Biodiversity: Awards, Honours, and Recognition

2019 - Outstanding Achievement Award: Natural Heritage Conservation. Communities in Bloom National and International Awards

2019 - Willis Award for Innovation for Municipalities with a Population Over 100,000 Municipal Natural Asset Mapping – A Strong Tool for Effective Local and Regional Conservation Planning, Protection and Stewardship. Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators. City of Edmonton.

2019 - Emerald Award Winner: Natural Asset Mapping: A strong tool for effective local and regional conservation planning, protection and stewardship. Emerald Foundation. City of Edmonton | Consultant: Greenlink Forestry Inc.

2018 - Award for Planning Excellence (Recreation Planning): Breathe: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy.Canadian Institute of Planners. City of Edmonton | Consultant: O2 Planning + Design.

2018 - National Award: Planning and Analysis: Breathe - Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy. Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. City of Edmonton | Consultant: O2 Planning + Design. First Award of excellence city planning achieved in over 20 years.

2016 – Emerald Award Finalist: Master Naturalist Program. Emerald Foundation. This program only cost 12K and the legacy continues with groups like Friends of Kinnaird Ravine and Keepers of the Millcreek Ravine. Many legacy groups still serve our city well.

2016 - Edmonton joins the Biophilic Cities global network after a unanimous council decision. Project Director Tim Beatley described Edmonton glowingly. Beastly noted the City of Edmonton’s nationally and internationally leadership in ensuring space for both wildlife and people. He called Edmonton an innovator in its vision of an ecologically connected city.   

2015 – Award of Excellence for the Environment: Designing for Wildlife Passage in an Increasingly FragmentedWorld. Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators.

2015 – Emerald Award Winner: Designing for Wildlife Passage in an Increasingly Fragmented World. Emerald Foundation. The city has 26 wildlife passages. Reduced wildlife collisions by 50%.

2014 - Emerald Award Finalist: Master Naturalist Program: Fostering Stewardship in the Community through Citizen Engagement. Emerald Foundation.

2013 - Emerald Award Winner. Edmonton and Area Land Trust: Preserving Our Lands, Preserving Our Legacy. Emerald Foundation. (CoE is a founding member).

2012 - Award of Excellence for the Environment: The Way We Green: Environmental Strategic Plan. Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators.

2012 - Minister's Award for Municipal Excellence. The Way We Green: Environmental Strategic Plan. Government of Alberta. City of Edmonton.

2012 - Emerald Award Winner: A Decade of Leadership Pioneering New Approaches in Urban Biodiversity. Emerald Foundation.

2009-Edmonton hosted the ICLEI conference in 2009. More than 500 mayors and other delegates from more than 800 cities attended to discuss environmental sustainability in cities.

2007 - Special Recognition for Natural Area Site Assessment and Management Plans. Communities in Bloom