Department of Justice Canada 2021-22 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Report

Divert at least 75% (by weight) of non-hazardous operational waste from landfills by 2030

Other

1. Partner with Building Property Managers, Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions (BGIS), in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) on measures that will enable Justice Canada to improve waste diversion rates by 2022, notably on an initiative to expand central recycling stations in the National Capital Region (NCR) – specifically St. Andrews Tower (SAT) and the East Memorial Building (EMB) – to include composting and better signage allowing employees to easily recognize the correct bins and what items can be recycled.

Starting Point:

• Establish agreement with Building Property Managers (BGIS), in collaboration with PSPC, to expand and enhance central recycling stations on properties occupied by Justice Canada in the NCR, specifically SAT and EMB.

Performance Indicators:

• By March 31, 2022, enhanced central recycling stations are in place at Justice Canada facilities in accordance with agreed-upon locations and timelines.

Target:

• An agreement has been reached between BGIS and Justice Canada, in collaboration with PSPC, to install 13 enhanced recycling stations in SAT and 16 in EMB by March 31, 2022.

Result: Completed

• 13 enhanced recycling stations were installed in SAT and 16 in EMB before March 31, 2021.

Collaborating with Building Property Managers (BGIS) and PSPC to set up mechanisms on properties leased to Justice Canada to facilitate waste diversion will help to reduce landfill gas and transport hauling emissions, as well as emissions for the extraction and production of virgin materials.
UN SDG 12 – Target 12.5

Divert at least 75% (by weight) of plastic waste from landfills by 2030

Other

2. Partner with Building Property Managers in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), on measures that will enable Justice Canada to improve plastic waste diversion rates by 2023, notably on an initiative to install bottle refilling stations where feasible in facilities leased to Justice Canada.

Starting Point:

• Agreement with Building Property Managers, in collaboration with PSPC, to install bottle-refilling stations in specified locations in facilities occupied by Justice Canada.

Performance Indicators:

• Bottle-refilling stations are installed in accordance with agreed-upon locations and timelines.

Target:

• An agreement has been reached between BGIS and Justice Canada, in collaboration with PSPC, to install two bottle-filling stations per building in both EMB and SAT by March 31, 2023.

Result: On Track
St Andrews Tower:

• One bottle filling station has already been installed on Level 1 of SAT.
• A second bottle filling station will be installed on a different floor within SAT.

East Memorial Building:

• PSPC has provided funding to install 10 bottle filling stations in EMB by March 31, 2023. The tender has been awarded and construction is scheduled to begin by Summer 2022.

Actions that reduce the generation of plastic waste will help to reduce indirect emissions (i.e. Scope 3 emissions) for the production, transport and disposal of material. This includes reducing landfill gas and transport waste hauling emissions by diverting plastic waste from landfill sites, and reducing emissions for the extraction and production of virgin materials by recovering material through recycling plastics.

UN SDG 12 – Target 12.5

Other

3. Partner with Building Property Managers, Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions (BGIS), in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), on measures that will enable Justice Canada to track and disclose plastic waste diversion rates by 2023, notably on an initiative to conduct annual plastic waste diversion audits in the National Capital Region (NCR), specifically St. Andrews Tower (SAT) and the East Memorial Building (EMB).

Starting Point:

• Establish agreement with Building Property Managers (BGIS), in collaboration with PSPC, to conduct annual plastic waste diversion audits in the NCR, specifically SAT and EMB.

Performance Indicators:

• Annual plastic diversion audits will be conducted at Justice Canada facilities in the NCR, specifically SAT and EMB, illustrating historic and current waste generation and diversion rates.

Target:

• Annual plastic diversion audits are conducted annually at SAT and EMB

• In collaboration with BGIS and PSPC, JUS will establish a target diversion rate for plastic waste at SAT and EMB by March 31, 2023.

Result: On Track

• An agreement has been established with BGIS, in collaboration with PSPC, to conduct annual plastic waste diversion audits for EMB and SAT.
• An audit was conducted at both SAT and EMB at the end of FY 2021-22 (March 2022) and the results of the plastic waste diversion audit indicate a 13% diversion rate for SAT and a 14% diversion rate for EMB.
• Compared to the last audit conducted in FY 2020-21, the 2021-22 results showed a 7% reduction of plastic waste diverted from landfill at SAT, and a 7% improvement in EMB.
• Though the 2021-22 plastic diversion rates remain relatively low, the results reflect an abnormal situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily because a drastic reduction in tenant occupancy rates.

Actions that track and disclose plastic waste diversion rates on a regular basis provide information needed to reduce the generation of plastic waste and to help reduce indirect emissions (i.e. Scope 3 emissions) for the production, transport and disposal of material. This includes reducing landfill gas and transport waste hauling emissions by diverting plastic waste from landfill sites, and reducing emissions for the extraction and production of virgin materials by recovering material through recycling plastics.

UN SDG 12 – Target 12.5

By 2022, departments have developed measures to reduce climate change risks to assets, services and operations

Increase training and support on assessing climate change impacts, undertaking climate change risk assessments and developing adaptation actions to public service employees, and facilitate sharing of best practices and lessons learned

4. Review emergency management and business continuity planning material and processes annually to ensure climate change risks and impacts are appropriately addressed.

Starting Point:

• The Department’s Strategic Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) and Business Continuity Plan (BCP) already incorporate responses for emergencies generated by environmental conditions.

Performance Indicators:

• Annual reviews and updates of SEMP and BCP take place, with consideration of climate change impacts and risks.
• Business Continuity Management (BCM) and/or Emergency Management (EM) exercises include specific injects prompting discussions on climate change impacts and risks.

Targets:

• 50% of BCM exercises conducted annually include specific injects prompting discussions on climate change impacts and risks
• 33% of EM exercises conducted annually include specific injects prompting discussions on climate change impacts and risks.

Result: Deferred / Ongoing

• Due to workload pressures, the SEMP was not revised or adjusted in FY 2021-22. Review deferred to FY 2022-23.
• One BCM exercise was conducted during FY 2021-22; although SD injects were considered the exercise could not accommodate it.

Factoring climate variability and change into emergency management and business continuity planning is one of the most important ways Justice Canada can ensure it remains well-prepared to address the impact of a changing climate on its capacity to operate and deliver on its critical services, among which is the provision of legal services to all clients.

UN SDG 11 – Target 11.B
UN SDG 13 – Target 13.3

Actions supporting the Goal: Greening Government

[This section is for actions that support the Greening Government Goal but do not directly support a FSDS target]

Minimize embodied carbon and the use of harmful materials in construction and renovation

5. Partner with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to implement a LEED-certified pilot fit-up project. Such projects require the use of low embodied carbon materials.

Starting Point:

• LEED-certified pilot fit-up project proposal will be developed.

Performance Indicator:

• Progress towards a LEED Certified project.

Target:

• By March 31, 2022, LEED project has been selected and meets all mandated prerequisites to achieve certification level (40–49 points).

Result: Completed

• Justice Canada has selected a new fit-up project at Constitution Square that will be in compliance with LEED Certified or higher.

Partnering with PSPC on a LEED-certified pilot fit-up project helps Justice Canada to encourage industry to adopt low carbon extraction, production and disposal practices. This will reduce indirect emissions (i.e. Scope 3 emissions) and other harmful environmental impacts.

UN SDG 9 – Target 9.4

Departments will use environmental criteria to reduce the environmental impact and ensure best value in government procurement decisions

6. Explore measures to increase awareness and uptake of environmental considerations in procurement activities.

Starting Point:

• Obtain approval to incorporate modest environmental criteria in procurement evaluation as a pilot project.

Performance Indicator

• Incorporating a green procurement rating criterion in procurement evaluation pilot projects.

Target

• Three pilot projects to incorporate green procurement rating criteria.

Result: Ongoing

• Justice Canada issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) and awarded a contract for reprographic services which included a requirement for at least 30% post-consumer waste in the paper used.

Exploring measures to increase green procurement allows Justice Canada to establish the tools and processes that will successfully encourage clients to incorporate environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and motivate suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services they deliver, and their supply chains.
UN SDG 12 - Target 12.7

Departments will adopt clean technology and undertake clean technology demonstration projects

7. Expand the use of Justice Canada’s eSignature pilot project to address specific departmental needs and increase operational efficiency.

Starting Point:

• The eSignature Pilot has been completed in the National Capital Region, and structures are in place to expand eSignature to regions and new business lines and/or processes

Performance Indicators:

• Number of business lines and processes adopting eSignature
• Percentage of digitized transactions as a result of the adoption of eSignature
• Percentage completed of regional roll out

Targets:

• eSignature is successfully implemented by at least 10 business lines or processes
• 80% of transactions requiring signatures for business lines or processes which have implemented eSignature are completed electronically
• eSignature is implemented in at least one unique business line or process in each region

Result: Completed

• Digital approval processes (approval under Sections 32 and 34 of the Financial Administration Act) are in place in all sectors and regions using Acrobat Reader DC/Foxit and myKey.
• In the last quarter of the fiscal year, more than 96% of the payments (S.34) were approved electronically each month.
• 99% of all the substantive managers have used the eSignature at least once (including NCR and the regions).
• 98% of commitments (S.32) were approved electronically.
• 14 of the 16 sectors that had payments in March were significantly above the 80% target.
• With the pandemic, we estimate that more than 80% of transactions requiring signatures accepted an eSignature. Business lines such as Finance, HR, IT security and Contracting have formally reviewed their processes to consider eSignature.

Actions by individual departments that incent, support, or procure state-of-the-art innovative clean technologies help to lower the environmental footprint of government operations. Justice Canada’s eSignature pilot project, which was part of the 2017-2020 Justice Sustainable Development Strategy, has demonstrated the contribution this technology has made to sustainable operations – including paper reduction, energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprint.
By replacing physical signatures with secure electronic signatures, eSignature reduces the need to print and store documents requiring official signatures. In the short term, eSignature decreases paper usage and the energy needed to run printers. Over the longer term, widespread use of eSignature could decrease storage requirements for paper documents, reducing the Department’s overall carbon footprint.
UN SDG 12 – Target 12.5, 12.7

8. Add to Mobile Electronic Courtroom (MEC) capacity.

Starting Point:

• Justice has three MECs, the first of which was deployed in a courtroom in late 2016.

Performance Indicator:

• Number of days the 3 MECs are used each year.

Target:

• 200 days per year (i.e. the combined use of all 3 MECs).

Result: Ongoing

• Remote hearing continued in 2021-22, largely obviating the need to deploy mobile courtrooms. A MEC remained available in the Victoria courthouse for the Cowichan trial. After September 2020 however, the trial proceeded on MS Teams and it wasn’t used. It was dismantled shortly after the end of the fiscal year in April 2022.
• Monitors from the other MECs which had been sent to Justice counsel and paralegals in order to enable them to work remotely from home during the pandemic have been replaced.
• The Cowichan litigation team has reserved a MEC for use in the trial’s final arguments phase to be held from September 2022 to February 2023.
• Another litigation team also reserved a mobile courtroom for an upcoming trial to begin in 2024 until 2026.
• The Information Solutions Branch adapted to legal requirements by providing remote hearing rooms and assistance with technical tools such as Zoom, Teams, webex (including enabling all boardrooms to enable Video conference devices to join Microsoft Teams meetings).

A Mobile Electronic Courtroom is a moveable suite of electronic devices (monitors, switch boxes, cabling) that equips a courtroom to run an electronic trial. This eliminates the need for producing documentary evidence on paper. The goal of this initiative is to achieve savings in costs and time as well as reducing impact on the environment by using electronic means to display documentary evidence. For example, for the 300-day Cowichan trial in BC Supreme Court that will run for at least 3 years, equipping the court room eliminated the need to print 14,000 evidentiary documents - over 200,000 pieces of paper.
UN SDG 12 – Target 12.5

Support for green procurement will be strengthened, including guidance, tools and training for public service employees

9. Continue to ensure decision makers, material management and specialists in procurement have the necessary training and awareness to support green procurement.

Starting Point:

• 100% of specialists in procurement and materiel management have completed training on green procurement within one year of appointment.

Performance Indicator:

• Percentage of specialists in procurement and materiel management who have completed training on green procurement.

Target:

• 100% of specialists in procurement and materiel management have completed training on green procurement within one year of appointment to Justice Canada.

Result: Completed

• As of March 31, 2022, 100% of the procurement and materiel management officers completed the Green Procurement Training.

Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to green their goods, services and supply chain. Ensuring that procurement and materiel management specialists have the necessary training to provide effective guidance and direction to clients and suppliers.

UN SDG 12 - Target 12.7

Other

10. Explore options for implementing procedures and technologies to decrease the environmental impact of printer usage at Justice Canada.*

Starting point:

• A pilot project involving the lease of approximately 100 printers (including paper, ink and service) was launched in Q3 2018-19. Trend and usage data are being generated as part of this project.
• Best practices and tools to provide guidance and direction on printing will be explored for further opportunities.

Performance Indicator:

• Pilot project generates sufficient data to determine whether to expand model or pursue an alternate approach to decreasing the environmental impact of printer usage.
• Additional strategies, actions and/or tools are identified to promote sustainable and efficient printer use.

Target:

• A recommended model for managing Justice Canada’s printers is on hold pending further information on return to work and the impact of remote work on the paper culture
• Specific targets to be confirmed pending identification of strategies, actions and tools.

Result: Deferred / Ongoing

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recommended model for managing Justice Canada’s printers is on hold pending further information on the return to the workplace and the impact of remote work on the paper culture.
• In the meantime, Justice continued procuring printer models available through SSC National Master Standing Offer, which follow GC sustainability and IT security guidelines.

• As a result of remote work, printing has been reduced by as much as 75% from pre-pandemic levels.
• As printers became defective or had costly repairs, a determination was made in consultation with the client user if the printer needed to be replaced or if another (existing) one could be used.
• When stand-alone fax machines malfunctioned or needed repairs, they were decommissioned and the function was shifted to an existing multi-function printer.
• Duplex printing and disabled color printing has been chosen as the default settings to reduce costs from printing.

Procedures and technologies to manage printers and printing efficiently and in accordance with environmental best practices are expected to raise awareness about environmental considerations and costs; and decrease usage and waste of resources (ink, paper, etc.) and electricity.
UN SDG 12 – Target 12.5