Saving resources while helping others go green

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a public agency responsible for conserving and managing natural resources. Its purpose is to “help people understand, enjoy and look after the natural environment” in Canada’s largest city. So it’s no surprise that staff seek to minimize the natural resources they use at work. “Although a totally paperless office is not possible, it’s always our goal to conserve resources whenever possible,” says Records Manager John Annunziello. “Laserfiche is a major part of that initiative.”

“Laserfiche has helped us cut down on our paper use,” Annunziello says. “Previously, if staff wanted a copy of an agenda item, they had to produce extra copies – sometimes up to 100 pages – of the entire agenda. Now, staff can access Laserfiche to find the specific two or three pages they need.” Staff now organize minutes and notes from public meetings in electronic rather than paper files.

With Laserfiche Records Management Edition, the TRCA has created secure archives of public records and streamlined their work processes. “We’ve achieved peace of mind regarding our 2,300+ scanned deeds,” Annunziello says. “Backup copies are available should the original be lost or destroyed. We also have our minutes from the past 50 years stored electronically.”

The TRCA has achieved tremendous benefits with Laserfiche so far, and plans to keep going. “Our goal is to digitize all our forms processing,” Annunziello says. To help preserve local watershed ecosystems, the TRCA reviews building permit applications to ensure that developers follow environmentally-friendly processes before, during, and after construction. Applications for new planning and development are all currently available online, and the plan is for prospective builders to be able to submit them online as well. “Then,” Annunziello says, “staff will be able to access a form online or through our server, fill it out, and route it through Laserfiche Workflow™ to its correct location.