Although the Authority’s commitment to each of the ESG factors (environmental, social, and governance) was solidified many years ago, the holistic approach to recognizing ‘ESG’ as a concept started in 2022.

With the guidance of the Board, an ESG steering group comprised of members of the Authority’s leadership, was established to oversee and shape our efforts. Building upon the insights gained from our double materiality assessment, considering both internal and external impacts, we have refined our sustainability plan to align with best practices and reporting standards.

Our ESG reporting framework is broken down into these five key material topics:

• Climate change and energy management;
• Employee and passenger health, safety, and well-being;
• Accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADE&I);
• Employee engagement and development; and
• Economic Impact.

Our ESG plan sets the course for our organization to focus on sustainability, social impact, and economic consideration and is aligned with established standards, including: 

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI); 
• Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), where its recommendations are now fully incorporated into the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Standards, under IFRS S2; 
• Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB); and 
• Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR).

The guiding force behind our actions continues to be our Purpose Statement, created collaboratively by the Authority team:

“Building on teamwork and sustainability, YOW safely connects people, moves goods, and creates economic prosperity for our community.”