Sustainable Prosperity
Building a Sustainable Future
Esri Canada is committed to providing responsible leadership for building a sustainable future. From our GIS solutions to our corporate programs and corporate social responsibility initiatives, we build community and promote sustainable prosperity – ensuring that we meet present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs.
We initiate and participate in programs that positively impact our economy, society and the environment. We assist communities through corporate giving initiatives, support Canadian youth through the Esri Canada GIS Scholarship Program and build strategic environmental partnerships.
Caring for the Environment
Our green roof in Toronto is a popular site for urban environmental studies. It has also become a model for researchers working to advocate green roof bylaws in their own municipalities.
We participate in the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) dedicated to safeguarding migratory birds in urban areas. We developed the Global Bird Collision Mapper, a web app that is helping to build the first global database of bird-building collisions.
We continue to support environmental organizations including Ducks Unlimited Canada and the World Wildlife Fund.
Environmental Conservation
Esri Canada is a member of Chapter 150, a group of visionary business leaders helping to connect the longest recreational trail in the world – the Great Trail – and all Canadians. We donated technology and services to map the 24,000 km-long trail that was known as Trans Canada Trail in time for Canada’s 150th anniversary. We also built The Great Trail: Explore the Trail app, which allows the public to view the Trail online.
We donated software and services to revamp the mapping of Vélo Québec’s Route verte (Green Route), the longest bicycle route in America, exceeding 5,300 kilometres. Now, the public can access online valuable real-time information, such as closures and construction on the route, and even calculate the elevation for the most efficient bike routes.
Building Stronger Communities
Through the committed efforts of our employees, Esri Canada initiates and supports an array of broad-reaching community projects that touch people in many different ways.
Fostering Innovation
To foster innovation in communities, we developed the Community Map of Canada. Updated daily, it represents over 500 municipalities, provincial, territorial and federal agencies and is the first detailed, national web basemap available to the public at no cost. People can use this basemap to develop GIS apps based on authoritative, free and timely data.
Enabling Smart Cities
We know how quickly the Canadian urban landscape is changing so to keep our cities smart and livable, we have donated training and software to the Canadian Urban Institute, a non-profit that supports efforts to keep our cities resilient, livable and responsive to residents.
Empowering Indigenous Communities
We have provided training and software for the Indigenous Mapping Workshops put on by the Firelight Group, an Indigenous mapping group dedicated to the development and advancement of culturally appropriate and inclusive geospatial technologies for Indigenous leadership, agencies and communities to support Indigenous rights and interests.
Volunteering
We encourage our employees to participate in volunteer events across the country. As passionate volunteers, they have donated countless hours to various causes that support local communities.
Enabling Safer Communities
We created an enterprise solution that includes a public web app, MCSC rescu, for the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC), a Calgary-based non-profit organization that works with police across Canada in the search for missing children. The app sends missing children alerts to people whose engagement will help police locate a missing child.
Contributing to Positive Social Change
Since 1997, we have provided financial support to local community service organizations through our partnership with United Way. Our matching gift program matches employee contributions to United Way at a rate of 200%. Our technology is also used by United Way to study neighbourhoods and prioritize the delivery of social services.