Saskatoon city council eyes 'triple bottom line' approach to future decisions

The City of Saskatoon is considering looking at its decisions through a new lens.

City council is being asked to adopt a "triple bottom line" policy that would require decisions be made with good sustainability practices in mind. 

The policy idea is most often used in business settings as a way to measure not only financial results but also environmental and social effects.

If adopted, the policy would apply to city council and all city departments and offices.

Jeanna South, the city's director of sustainability, says the policy would help inform decisions on everything from where to locate a bus shelter for the future bus-rapid transit line to whether the city should build an overpass. 

"Whenever we're able to bring forward options around decision-making and being able to kind of create a broader rationale, using the triple bottom line would be would be really beneficial," she said.

Money for implementation

While the idea is still in its early stages, a report suggests city employees and decision makers could be given a decision-making tool that would help them evaluate new or existing initiatives based on sustainability measures.

The goal would be for initiatives to get positive triple bottom line scores in four main areas:

• Environmental health and integrity.
• Social equity and cultural wellbeing.
• Economic prosperity and fiscal responsibility.
• Good governance. 

A report from the Saskatoon environmental advisory committee suggests a budget of $130,000 in 2020 and an additional $130,000 in 2021 to put the framework into operation, though the report also notes the policy could be approved with no specific budget.

"In that case, implementation could be conducted slowly over time as internal resources are available," the report reads.