Data shows that North Grenville is only second to Reykjavík, Iceland in the world for per capita outdoor recreation space.
NORTH GRENVILLE, ON - The Municipality of North Grenville has been awarded ISO 37120 Platinum Certification for 2021 by the World Council on City Data (WCCD). The certification was presented to Council virtually during the regular Council meeting on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
With this accomplishment, North Grenville has achieved the highest level of certification, joining a select group of 100 data-driven cities worldwide including thirty cities across Canada. Through this WCCD ISO certification, North Grenville demonstrates its commitment to harnessing data to drive community-focused service delivery improvements.
“On behalf of Council, we are thrilled that North Grenville has been awarded the highest level of certification from the World Council on City Data. This achievement reflects the significant leadership offered by Municipal CAO Mr. Gary Dyke and his staff team to develop and use world-class standards to drive and measure our service delivery to community members,” highlighted Mayor Nancy Peckford. “In fact, Mr. Dyke may be the only Municipal CAO in Canada to ever lead the certification of two different Municipalities over his career.”
“As one of the smallest communities globally to obtain WCCD’s ISO 37120 certification, the certification process revealed that the Municipality of North Grenville stands out for its extremely educated workforce, outstanding air quality and generous access to green space,” Mayor Peckford highlighted.
Key data points in which the community excelled across the WCCD Canadian and global network:
- A highly educated population - North Grenville is a leader in Canada and the world with residents holding, collectively, more than 7,900 post-secondary degrees (48,021 per 100,000 thousand population);
- A place to be active - With over 719 square metres per capita of outdoor recreation space, North Grenville has twice as much space as any other WCCD certified Canadian cities and ranks 2nd globally; only Reykjavík, Iceland has more outdoor recreation space than North Grenville;
- Over 14,000 hectares of green space (private and public lands) throughout the municipality (82,427 hectares per 100,000 population) - North Grenville offers ample space for residents and visitors alike to enjoy a cost-effective way of keeping physically active while enjoying the great outdoors;
- Air quality: North Grenville has better air quality than most other ISSO certified Canadian and International communities including Charlottetown PEI, Corner Brook NFLD, and Vila do Bispo Portugal.
- Low total water consumption, with only 267 litres per capita used daily – which positions the community as both a leader in Canada and globally.
In her message to North Grenville Council, President and CEO of WCCD, Dr. Patricia McCarney noted:
“The WCCD is so pleased to welcome the Municipality of North Grenville to our Canadian and global network. The commitment of North Grenville to a more data-informed – and data-driven – future is underscored by achieving the highest, Platinum-level of WCCD ISO 37120 certification. Congratulations to Mayor Peckford, Council and the hard-working, dedicated staff led by CAO Gary Dyke, for this exemplary accomplishment.”
Access to WCCD Global Network allows the Municipality of North Grenville to collect, share, and better data to inform decision-making. It can measure the quality of life and service delivery using a common international standard, share local experiences, learn about policies that have the biggest impact, and track progress for the recently adopted Community Strategic Plan.
“The Municipality of North Grenville is consistently working to improve our overall operations through data-driven decision-making - and by leveraging partnerships for collaboration and advocacy to improve the lives of our residents. By receiving our ISO 37120 Platinum-level certification, we are becoming a leading municipality that will advance Council’s priorities and continue to make North Grenville a great place to live,” said CAO Gary Dyke.
For more information on the WCCD and the Platinum ISO 37120 certification, visit www.dataforcities.org.
Background:
Developed by the Toronto-based World Council on City Data, with the input of Canadian and global cities, ISO 37120 is the first international standard for cities by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva. Its 104 key performance indicators across 19 themes enable cities to set internal baselines according to standardized definitions, and benchmark against peer cities throughout Canada and globally.
The WCCD was founded in Canada in 2014 and helps global communities of all sizes embrace standardized, independently verified, and globally comparable city data to become more sustainable, resilient, prosperous, inclusive, and smart.
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For More Information Contact:
Hillary Geneau, Manager of Corporate Strategy
Municipality of North Grenville
613-258-9569 ext. 162
