Blog Posts – Page 13

19 December 202219 December 2022

Season’s Greetings from the Brampton Environmental Alliance

The members of the BEA Board want to take this opportunity to wish you, your family and loved ones, all the very best this holiday season. We look forward with optimism and excitement to 2023 despite the economic, social, and environmental challenges we face.

This year the BEA advocated at all government levels for legislation and actions to bring harmony and balance to social, environmental and economic issues. We partnered with conservation authorities and other agencies to sponsor events that highlight environmental problems and bring specific actions to our neighbourhoods. And we’ve supported our members in their work, restoring and protecting habitat, cleaning our neighbourhoods, planting trees and riding bicycles.

This coming year we will maintain our prime objective to have Brampton grow as a sustainable community. We will stay focused and strive for the future. We look forward to working with you as we continue building momentum for a caring and balanced Brampton community that is healthy and resilient, economically, environmentally and socially. Think of the planet as you complete your seasonal shopping.

Merry Christmas!!

15 December 202215 December 2022

Come Join the Brampton Environmental Alliance at our Annual General Meeting

The Brampton Environmental Alliance will be hosting an in-person annual general meeting on January 11th, 2023. It will be a hybrid meeting starting at 7:00pm running ’til 9:00pm. Register to attend through Eventbrite. Everyone is welcome to attend and observe. Members will be voting to define organizational priorities for 2023, to review and approve the Treasurer’s Report, to vote on meeting schedule, and to select Board members.

Individual annual memberships are $15.00. Organizational memberships are $20.00. Membership fees are used to purchase insurance for our member and advocacy events and for things like hiring student interns to help run campaigns.

Become a voting member

Nominations are open for all BEA Board positions. We are an operational volunteer Board. Time commitment typically is a few hours per month. You may nominate yourself or another individual. Visit the Executive Team – BEA page for information on Board positions and to submit nominations.

BEA Board Nominations

13 December 202213 December 2022

Brampton asking for resident input to improve neighbourhoods

Brampton city staff, from the Community Safety and Well-being Office, are looking for your input on the Nurturing Neighbourhood Program. Now in its 4th year, Nurturing Neighbourhoods is designed to give residents an opportunity to have conversations with staff and members of Council to share their experience on a range of topics that will help create vibrant and inclusive neighbourhoods where everyone feels safe and connected.

Since the program started, staff and Council have visited with residents from 15 neighbourhoods across all 10 city wards. Now they are looking for feedback that will help set their plans and priorities for 2023 and beyond. They want to understand what you like and don’t like about the neighbourhood where you live. They want to know how safe you feel, what your concerns are and how the city could do better.

Members of the Brampton Environmental Alliance are invited to participate in an on-line survey.

Take the survey

8 December 20228 December 2022

Brampton Environmental Alliance joins protests over the Province’s Bill 23 New Homes Build Faster Act

Saturday morning dawned cold, wet, and blustery. By noon, the rain had stopped and about 50 people braved the low temperatures and wind chill to protest the Ontario government’s intent to remove land from the Greenbelt and to implement the New Homes Built Faster Act 2022, a bill that would further erode protections for environmentally sensitive areas in the province.

8 December 20228 December 2022

BEA and Lead Now talk carbon caps with Brampton North’s MP Sahota

On Friday, Dayle and David Laing, joined Bette-Ann Goldstein and Lead Now volunteer, Liz Garrison to visit Brampton North MP Ruby Sahota. The meeting’s purpose was to show support for the Government of Canada’s plan to impose a hard carbon emissions cap on the oil and gas industry as part of this county’s Climate Action Plan.

8 December 20228 December 2022

Peel Talks Climate

Last Thursday evening the BEA was invited to participate in the Peel Talks Climate event sponsored by the David Suzuki Foundation. The event was held at Alderlea, a heritage conference building in downtown Brampton.

30 November 20228 December 2022

Bill 23 means Brampton residents will be paying much higher property taxes

In last week’s blog, I indicated Bill 23, the Provincial Government’s Building New Homes Faster Act 2022 would mean higher taxes for Brampton property owners. The Bill was passed by the Ontario legislature on Monday. Brampton staff have been working hard to analyse the bill and now the extent of the impact is emerging.

21 November 202221 November 2022

Ford’s Bill 23 will mean higher property taxes for existing Brampton homeowners

If you are a residential property owner in Peel Region, then you will be paying more property tax in the coming years if the Provincial Government’s Bill 23, New Homes Built Faster Act is passed by the Ontario legislature. Bill 23 is the Ontario Government’s response to home affordability. It is intended to make it easier and more profitable for developers to build new housing. The logic is that increased supply will reduce the pressure that is driving up home prices. This makes sense on the surface. But there are huge implications and unintended consequences of the approach this legislation is using to achieve the government’s aim.

11 November 202221 November 2022

We need you to speak out against Bill 23

David Laing speaking on Bill 23 at the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure, and Cultural Policy on November 10, 2022

Yesterday I had the privilege to present to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure, and Cultural Policy regarding Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act 2022 that is currently in second reading at the Ontario Legislature.

As stated in a previous article this Bill, unless substantially altered, has the potential to inflict massive environmental damage on communities all across this province but especially on those in the greater Toronto area. Below is the text of my opening remarks to the Committee. If you are like me and believe in building communities that are healthy and happy through environmental, social and economic sustainability, then I urge you to let your MPP know that Bill 23 needs a significant overhaul. An easy way to do that is through the David Suzuki Foundation’s letter campaign.

8 November 202221 November 2022

Bill 23, an attack on a Sustainable Brampton

Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act is the Ontario Government’s latest omnibus bill that is being fast tracked through the Provincial legislature. Purportedly designed to reduce red tape and allow developers to build 1.5 Million homes over the next 10 years, this bill proposes sweeping changes to multiple provincial statutes in support of the government’s “Housing Supply Action Plan”.

There are a few positive aspects to Bill 23 including:

Be informed on environmental issues affecting Brampton