BEA Board members David and Dayle Laing, along with BEA member Cindy Evans visited MP Sonia Sidhu at her Parliamentary Office on Wednesday June 19th. Topics discussed included the status of the Active Transportation Fund, the New Horizons for Seniors grant program and general concerns about current government policy regarding the environment.

Active Transportation Fund

Beginning in 2026-2027, the Government of Canada is investing in permanent public transit programming under the Canada Public Transit Fund to support transit in communities of all sizes across Canada. This includes targeted funding for specific types of public transit and active transportation projects ranging from capital to planning.

Established in 2021, the Active Transportation Fund earmarked $400M to be spent over 5 years to support the expansion and enhancement of active transportation infrastructure, to make travel by active transportation easier, safer, more convenient and more enjoyable. According to Velo Canada Bikes, a national cycling advocacy organization, very little of that money has been spent since program inception.. In 2023, Brampton submitted 2 “shovel ready projects” to the fund. This included infrastructure repairs to pedestrian bridges throughout the city and the construction of multi-use paths along Westcreek, Advance, and Alfred Khune Blvds. Most of the work on both projects has been completed but funds could now be allocated to other active transportation projects including infrastructure on Howden and Charolais where bike lanes either have or a destined to be removed. MP Sidhu asked for more details and committed to help Brampton secure federal funds for active tranportation projects in her riding of Brampton South.

New Horizons for Seniors grant

The New Horizons for Seniors is a federal grant program to support projects that are designed by seniors and for seniors in their communities. The program is designed to engage seniors in volunteer activities, mentor others, create community and support new and existing community projects aimed at seniors. The BEA is working on a grant submission for 2027 that will provide edcuational opportunities for seniors in climate adaptation, and healthy aging. More details will be provided in the coming months. MP Sidhu committed to providing a letter of support for the BEA proposed project.

Government of Canada Environmental Policy

Finally, the visit with MP Sidhu was an opportunity for the BEA to express concern about the Federal government’s position on increasing fossil fuel production and streamlining big projects at the expense of environmental controls. MP Sidhu listened to our concerns and reiterated the government’s position on the importance of the environment to long-term growth and economic stability.

All in all it was a good meeting that accomplished BEA objectives. We thank MP Sidhu for her time and attention.

Pollinators are essential to healthy ecosystems, food production, biodiversity, and climate resilience across Ontario. Creating pollinator gardens with native plants and installing bee hotels are simple but powerful ways communities can support declining native bee populations while helping mitigate climate change through healthier urban ecosystems.

Recently, Brampton Environmental Alliance partnered with Plant Powered for the Earth to bring a Bee Habitat Program called “ Pollinator Habitat Protectors” to W.G. Davis Senior Public School. Students participated in a hands-on seminar and workshop about the importance of native plants and pollinators, and decorated six bee hotels built and provided to the school by both organizations to help enhance the school’s pollinator garden and provide a habitat for solitary bee pollinators.

The workshop was facilitated by environmental educator Yarim Hinojosa to the school’s grade 7 students and Eco Club. The goal was to inspire and empower the students by teaching them all about native pollinators and pollinator-loving plants of Ontario, how to protect pollinators and their habitats and the advantages of bee hotels.

The workshop had the indigenous perspective or approach called “two-eyed seeing” (Etuaptmumk) as a guiding principle. Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshal originally introduced this approach and it advocates for looking at the world with one eye using the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, and with the other eye using the strengths of Western knowledge and methods. We used this approach to help the students better understand the importance of native pollinator animals and native plants in Ontario.

One example that was shared was the indigenous perspective of reciprocity and connection between plants and bees proposed by Robin Wall Kimmerer, who is a plant scientist, poet, member of the Potawatomi Nation, mother, and student of Native American stories and traditions.

In her book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer says “while beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, she says, science also tells us that the two colors of purple asters and yellow goldenrod, having reciprocal colors in human and bee eyes and growing together, attract a greater number of pollinators than either would growing alone, therefore leading to better plant success.”

The students learned about botany, biology and ecology, as well as how to identify and grow native plants that attract native bees and butterfly pollinator animals in Ontario. There was a special spotlight on the plants that will be grown in the school’s brand new pollinator garden. These plants include bee-attracting specimens like Smooth Blue Aster, Oxeye ( pictured above with a green female Sweat Bee), Pearly Everlasting, Mountain Mint, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Blue Lobelia among others.

The students also learned about the botany and ecology of butterfly-attracting plants like Wild Columbine, Purple Coneflower, Cardinal Flower, Butterfly Milkweed (Pictured above with a Monarch Butterfly), Hairy Beardtongue, Dense Blazing Star, Dense Blazing Star, Smooth Blue Aster, among others.

Did you know? Milkweeds are larval host plants for monarchs, which are a native species to Ontario. Increased plantings of these wildflowers will help populations of these regal butterflies in their efforts to make their grand migrations, a phenomenon which is in peril.

The students also learned about the challenges that native bee species face in Ontario, such as pesticide use, destruction of habitat and competition with non native species and actionable ways to help.

Did you know? A study by the University of Toronto suggests that non native species, including honey bees, which are an introduced species, are affecting Ontario’s native solitary Mason bee population.

The students were amazed to learn about the ecology of native solitary bee species, which many had never seen or heard about. This is not surprising as most media, illustrations and advertising portray bees mostly as “honey bee-looking”. They quickly became aware of the importance of learning about the various kinds of native bees in Ontario to protect them. Some of these beautiful, solitary species native to Ontario include those in the Osmia genus (Typical Mason Bees / Orchard Bees) and the Megachile genus (Leaf-cutter bees )

Osmia lignaria (Blue Orchard Mason Bee) – The most well-known native mason bee, metallic blue-black, and a highly efficient early-spring pollinator.

Megachile latimanus: A large, widely distributed, and extremely common leafcutter species.

Native bees face many challenges, but part of the solution, besides awareness and education, is protecting and providing habitat. The ideal habitat is a natural habitat, in urban areas, without pollinator gardens or plants; the students learned that humans can offer shelters or structures like bee hotels.

Everyone in attendance was inspired to plant more native plants in their homes, balconies, and communities that attract pollinators. We also showed them the benefits of providing solitary bees a “bee hotel” as habitat for their pollinator garden, which will provide native solitary bees a home near the school’s pollinator garden.

The workshop ended by having the students paint the outside of six bee hotels with colors which bees are attracted the most such as blue and yellow. These bee hotels were designed and built as a collaboration by the BEA and Plant Powered for the Earth, and donated to the school to enhance their pollinator garden.

The students also shared what they learned, and everyone expressed genuine interest, shared responsibility and excitement to help protect pollinators and native plants in their school and monitor the lifecycle of bees visiting their bee hotels.

The workshop and program will include ongoing monitoring by the BEA and Plant Powered for the Earth in collaboration with WG Davis SS of the bee hotels and their full lifecycle. The goal is to introduce students to hands-on environmental education and citizen science while helping support native solitary bee populations, encouraging the planting of pollinator gardens for biodiversity, food security and to mitigate the impact of climate change in Brampton.

Programs like this help advance local pollinator habitat goals, encourage the planting of native gardens, strengthen biodiversity, and contribute to climate action by creating greener, more sustainable communities.

If schools, organizations, or community groups are interested in bringing this Bee Habitat Program to their school or institution, please contact us, we would love to collaborate.

info@bramptonea.org

contact@plantpoweredfortheearth.org

The database is searchable by Councillor, specific item, and category

The summary chart below is captured from the database. It shows the relative volume of decisions in categories related to transportation, land-use, energy management, waste management including air & water quality, and protection of nature. It shows the number of decisions by year. It also ranks the Councillors based on the number of negative votes. Negative votes can be either a NO vote against positive climate policy or a YES vote on a decision that is damaging for the environment.

What we’ve discovered so far:

• Most Council votes are either Carried or Lost rather than recorded by individual Councillor. This reduces transparency because it is more challenging to see individual Councillors’ positions.
• Many motions are bundled into Consent Agenda. This limits debate on issues and again reduces transparency and accountability.
• Disconnect between broad policy and specific motions. Often Council will vote in favour of a strategic plan but then against specific actions that support that plan. An example would be a land-use plan that defines areas destined to be higher density but then Council votes no to a specific proposal that conforms to that density guideline.

What you can do?

The municipal election is coming this October. We have an opportunity to make the environment and climate part of the election discussion.

• Raise Awareness – Share the Climate Voting Records Site
• Review Council Voting Records on Environmental Issues
• Support Policies that Prioritize Climate & Community Health
• Ask your Councillor about their environmental voting record to show you care.
• When a candidate comes knocking, ask them what they will do to help Brampton mitigate climate change and adapt to the changes that are coming.
• Help us Advocate for transparent decision-making and more recorded votes for the new Council term 2026-2030

Food

The meeting started with informal networking, snacks and refreshments provided by The Food Quotient

Notable Guests

The meeting was attended by several notable guests including:

• Ruby Sahota- MP Brampton North – Caledon, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime) 
• Sonia Sidhu – MP Brampton South,
• Graham McGregor – MPP Brampton North, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
• Dr. Therese Chan – Dean Toronto Metropolitan University, School of Medicine
• Sharanjit Kaur – Chief Administration Officer TMU School of Medicine,
• Dr. Priya Chopra – Course Director TMU School of Medicine
• Dayana Gomez – Executive Director, Credit Valley Conservation Foundation

Speakers

Pam Cooper, Manager of Environmental Planning at the City of Brampton, provided an overview of City environmental plans and activities. Things to look forward to in 2026 from Brampton include:

• Grow Green Festival and Awards Ceremony – Saturday June 6th at Jim Archdekin Recreation Centre,
• Climate Change Adaptation Plan
• Invasive Species Management Plan
• Numerous Community Stewardship Events and
• A Mystery Restoration Project (details to be announced soon).

Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager with Environmental Defence then spoke about how her organization is continuing to challenge the Province’s plans:

• To build highway 413 when there are more effective options for moving goods and services within the GTA,
• To import fracked natural gas from the United States to meet Ontario’s energy needs when local renewable energy can be provided more reliably and at less cost,
• To support the expansion of a Brampton-based waste burning facility that will become the largest in Canada, rather than implementing policies to reduce non-recyclable packaging and encouraging proper waste separation.

Jaipaul Massey-Singh, CEO Brampton Board of Trade spoke about the role and responsibility of businesses to protect the environment and reduce emissions that contribute to climate change.

He said that consumers can use their purchasing power to make businesses more environmentally responsible and that, when businesses become more environmentally conscious they do so at scale which truly does have a positive global impact.

Dr. Theresa Chan, Founding Dean of Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine and their Vice-President of Medical Affairs.

Dr. Chan spoke about the importance of working with the community in collaborations and partnerships for the betterment of health outcomes. TMU is engaging first year medical students in a community project (CAP), where teams of students collaborate with a community partner on a project that deeply affects community health. The team working with the Brampton Environmental Alliance is focusing on the health impacts of air quality in the environment.

BEA Environmental Awards

• Civic Leadership Awards
  • Rowena Santos, City and Regional Councillor Wards 1 & 5 for her work in championing various environmental causes and events throughout the city both as Councillor and as Brampton’s representative, both nationally and abroad
  • Graham McGregor, Brampton North MPP and Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism for his work advocating for funding Brampton’s wetlands restoration work
• Eco-citizen Award
  • Cindy Evans for her project leadership over the past 2 years working with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as part of the Bramalea Sustainable Neighbourhoods Program
• Corporate Sustainability Award
  • Medtronic Canada for its work, collaborating with community organizations to educate its employees on the importance of environmental sustainability,
• Green Organization Award
  • People Against Littering for its tireless efforts in organizing clean up events to make Brampton the first litter-free city in Canada

BEA Business Meeting

David called the business meeting to order

• Approval of 2025 AGM minutes – moved by Steve Papagiannis, carried
• Election of Board of Directors:
  • Board Executive
    • David Laing – President,
    • Steve Papagiannis – Vice-President,
    • Harry Bridgemohan, Treasurer,
    • Dayle Laing, Secretary
  • Board Members
    • Amisha Moorjani,
    • Chaya Chengappa,
    • Ghazanfar Jawaid,
    • Gunjan Sharda,
    • Polly Thornham,
    • Sumit Sharda,
    • Yarim Hinojosa,
    • Rhythm Verma,
    • Gauravi Sani,
    • Jashan Gill,
    • Rajbalinder Ghatoura
  • Moved by Polly Thornham, carried
• Treasurer’s Report presented by Harry Bridgemohan
  • Harry indicated the BEA is in a strong cash position entering into 2026 with positive prospects for the coming year
  • Motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report – Dayle Laing, carried
• President’s Report
  • David provided an overview of what environmental sustainability in Brampton looks like over the coming years and how it fits within the City’s 2040 vision document, “A cultural Mosaic”. He spoke about the role of the BEA in making that vision become a reality, acting as a strong voice for advocacy and as a catalyst bringing together, individuals, groups, corporations and institutions for the greater good of the community.
  • BEA Priorities for 2026
    • Increase impact on local government policy through projects like ClimateFast,
    • Build on strategic relationships with other environmental groups, conservation authorities, educational institutions, professional organizations, and city and regional departments
    • Participate in collaborative projects including Bramalea SNAP, TMU CAP, the City’s One-Million Trees Program, BEA loves Pollinators project, and the Credit Valley Trail
    • Continue growing BEA’s reach and impact through increased social media, tabling opportunities and educational seminars and workshops
• The meeting was adjourned at 8:26pm followed by informal networking

The Youth!

The Certificate

2025 Year end Video

It’s hard for me not to take this personally. My wife Dayle and I started BikeBrampton 13 years ago to encourage the city to build an active transportation network that would offer a safe, convenient and relatively comfortable alternative to the car for short-distance trips. Until last week, it’s been slow but reasonably steady progress. Over the past decade or so, the city has created a subdepartment under planning for active transportation. It hired an active transportation specialist and supporting staff. An active transportation master plan was created and unanimously passed by Council in 2019. That plan outlined a connected network of pathways, sidewalks and bike lanes across the entire city that would be built out over 20 years.

The plan also outlined the compelling reasons why cycling must be an important element in the city’s long-term transportation strategy. The traffic demand management experts have done the calculations and determined we are in big trouble if the historical growth in the use of cars continues, particularly for single occupancy vehicles. As the city’s population tips over 1 million residents in the next few years, Brampton will not only run out of road space, it will run out of space to build roads unless a higher percentage of people choose transportation alternatives other than the personal automobile. Straight and simple. If we want to avoid traffic chaos and road related carnage both now and in the future, more people must choose transit, walking, cycling, and micro mobility for short-distance travel.

Encouraging people to walk, cycle or jump on transit starts with giving them the confidence that, if they choose a mode of travel other than the car, they can still get to their destinations, conveniently, and in relative safety and comfort. There are many aspects to what it takes to create this confidence. But table stakes is for the city to build a network that is as comprehensive as the existing road system while limiting interaction between motorists and vulnerable road users such as cyclists.

Sidewalks serve this purpose for pedestrians. They are physically separated from faster moving traffic and are reasonably comprehensive in allowing walkers to get from home to destinations that are maximum 1-2 km away. Adult cyclists cannot use sidewalks. For one thing it is illegal do so in Brampton. And sidewalks are not designed for bicycles travelling faster than about 12 kilometers an hour. Mixing pedestrians and fast-moving utilitarian cyclists is not a good idea. Safety becomes an issue on this type of facility the faster you go. For this reason, multi-use paths are also not a valid option for cyclists or e-scooters wanting to get somewhere quickly and conveniently.

Bicycles are allowed to use the road. But the speed variance between bicycles and cars leads to potential conflicts and safety issues. Depending on the speed and volume of traffic on the road, it also reduces the comfort level for cyclists meaning most people will not ride even if they want to.

Dedicated bicycle lanes provide a cost-effective and reasonably safe alternative. Installing a separated bicycle path in the boulevard can cost 5 to 50 times as much per kilometer compared to on-street bike lanes. And, bike lanes only need to be installed along certain roads of the network to provide key connectivity allowing cyclists to travel to virtually any part of the city in relative safety.

In 2020, just as COVID hit, the city introduced the “Streets for People” program which started in earnest to build out the network described in the active transportation master plan. Perhaps the most important connection in the plan is the east-west cycling corridor encompassing, Vodden, Howden, North Park, Central Parkway, and Cottrelle once the bridge across the Bayridge Valley is complete. This stretch of road midway between Queen and Bovaird runs almost the full width of the city. It uses collector roads that were historically “over-engineered” so that bike lanes could be used as a traffic calming measure to reduce speeding and aggressive driving behaviour. It connects the three major pathways that run north and south through Brampton’s rivers valleys. It also connects residential areas to literally hundreds of destinations, areas for recreation employment and commercial activities. This section of roadway is uniquely suited to act as the spine for active transportation across the city.

Unfortunately, change inevitably is met with resistance. Even though cycling usage has increased significantly in recent years, motorists still saw the bike lanes as being mostly empty. They became frustrated with the loss of road space for automobiles, There was particular frustration at intersections where there was no longer a dedicated lane for right-hand turners. With road construction on Williams and Dixie that encouraged more cut-through traffic along Howden, residents became increasingly upset. They demanded action

Last summer, Council directed staff to analyze several options. After conducting numerous public feedback sessions and reviewing the data, staff recommended an option that would maintain the bike lanes along most of the road section but move those lanes into the boulevard at the intersections allowing for dedicated right and left-hand turns for motorists. A cost-effective and reasonable compromise which would help alleviate resident concerns while still maintaining this key piece of infrastructure for cyclists.

Here is my frustration. With the exception of one, Council, fueled by the resident anger, determined they were not prepared to support this compromise, or any compromise for that matter. The only thing that would satisfy them was complete removal of this section of the Howden bike lanes, which threatens to render the active transportation master plan useless.

I started riding my bike primarily for environmental reasons. In Brampton, transportation represents the largest source of carbon emissions. I’m very concerned about climate change, (as should we all be). Dayle and I had taken the usual steps to reduce our carbon footprint, changing light-bulbs, increasing insulation, sealing doors and windows, etc. There are very few things that we as individuals can do to address the climate crisis. I was looking for more, and riding my bike to short-distance destinations seemed like a good way for me to help the planet while staying in shape at the same time.

Brampton has the potential to be bicycle friendly. We are a suburb yes, but we are also a city of close to a million people while enjoying extraordinary population growth. Most of our trips taken by car are less than 5km. Cycling changes the environmental fabric of the city. It allows us to grow up not out and in a healthier, less polluting way that connects to our communities and encourages support for local businesses.

It’s time we all decided what kind of city we want to live in, today and in the future. If you care about this issue, (and you should); if you care about your future and the future of your children, (and I’m sure you do), then write your councillors and tell them you support active transportation. Tell them you support bike lanes!

Do you believe in a cleaner, healthier, more environmentally sustainable Brampton?
Imagine a city where we can protect green spaces, reduce waste, promote healthier lifestyles, and work together on environmental solutions that matter?

Look no further, it’s…

Brampton Environmental Alliance!

 We want you to be a part of this initiative.
We are a community-wide network of people and organizations with a vision for Brampton to be a place that is environmentally, socially and economically resilient for everyone.

Why you should join

• Advocacy with Impact:
  Your voice contributes to a collective effort that advocates for key environmental priorities in our city, including clean water, zero waste, sustainable transportation, climate resiliency, and local biodiversity.
• Meaningful Events and Engagement :
  BEA organizes and supports community events and educational activities, from workshops and campaigns to local environmental celebrations, that raise awareness and bring people together
• Education and Shared Resources :
  Gain access to valuable environmental knowledge, tools, volunteer opportunities, and resources that will help you make even greater contributions locally
• Collaboration and Networking :
  Connections with like-minded residents, community groups, non-profits, and environmental leaders unlock new opportunities to learn, partner, and make change happen
• Grow your Reach:
  Whether you’re an individual, student, or organization, membership helps expand your capacity to impact Brampton’s sustainability journey through collective action

Your Membership Makes a Difference ,

• Add your voice to community-wide environmental advocacy campaigns
• Participate in shaping BEA priorities and actions
• Be part of a respected city-wide network that’s focused on driving real change
• Stay informed with newsletters and educational events
• Gain opportunities to volunteer
• Contribute to an organization that is 100% volunteer led and that contributes to the community on your behalf and on behalf of Brampton’s environmental sustainability

When we work together as a community, our impact grows stronger every day! Together we can:

1. Protect natural habitats and water resources
2. Promote sustainable living and community well-being
3. Build a legacy of environmental stewardship in Brampton

This is more than membership!! It’s your chance to be a part of the movement that’s shaping our future in the place where we live, work, and play.

 Join today!

The Brampton Environmental Alliance is pleased to invite
members and guests to the
Annual General Meeting.

When: Monday March 2, 2026
6:00-8:30pm
Where: Unifor Local 1285 Hall,
1 – 23 Regan Road
Brampton ON L7A 1B2

Members will elect the 2026 BEA Board and help the Alliance determine its priorities for 2026 and beyond. The action-packed agenda will cover topics of interest including:

• Monitoring Brampton’s Air Quality (impact of the Emerald expansion),
• Environmental Priorities – a city of Brampton perspective
• Environmental Sustainability – A Brampton business perspective
• On the Campaign Trail – Making the environment an 2026 municipal election issue

We are pleased to welcome the following guest speakers:

• Pam Cooper – Manager, Environmental Planning, City of Brampton
• Karen Wirsig – Environmental Defence
• Jaipaul Massey Singh – CEO, Brampton Board of Trade

Register to receive agenda updates
The meeting is free and open to EVERYONE whether a BEA member or not.
(Only BEA members are allowed to vote on BEA business matters).

Space is limited. Register now to reserve your seat

You will be automatically added to the list to receive agenda updates and newsletters

But, when cleaning and tightening doesn’t work, it can be a real challenge to discover which part is broken and where to find a replacement. Here I’ve had mixed results, depending on the manufacturer and the availability of YouTube repair videos and or service manuals and parts.

Case in point. A few years back, my uncle asked for help with his portable humidifier that had stopped working. I brought the unit home to my workbench. After some investigation and triage the problem turned out to be a small part at the bottom of the water well that I discovered is an ultrasonic nebulizer. No idea how to fix it so I looked for a replacement. The manufacturer was singularly unhelpful, listing the part as, “NOT USER REPLACEABLE”. Yet there I was with it in my hand. Parts like it sell for $7.00 on Amazon. But I couldn’t find one that matched the specifications I was looking for. So, in the end, after much time wasted, the broken unit went to landfill for the want of a $7.00 part. My uncle was forced into buying a replacement humidifier costing more than $200.

In recent years, the Repair Café movement has become a cornerstone of sustainability, waste reduction, and community empowerment worldwide. Its roots can be traced to Amsterdam in 2009, where Martine Postma established the first Repair Café. Her vision was a welcoming venue for people to fix broken household items, guided by volunteers eager to share their expertise. The model spread rapidly, inspiring communities globally to embrace repair culture, reducing waste and fostering resilience through shared knowledge.

At a recent Kitchener Repair Café, volunteers restored more than 30 household items in a single afternoon. The Toronto Tool Library and Repair Café regularly hosts events where volunteers help attendees fix broken toasters, smartphones, and laptops. Similarly, the Ottawa Repair Café has partnered with local environmental groups to repair small appliances and educate the public on the consequences of electronic waste.

A week ago, Saturday the Brampton Environmental Alliance hosted an information table in support of Eco-Caledon’s nineth annual Repair Café event at the Caledon East Community Centre. The Caledon event boasted more than a dozen volunteer “fixers” who were kept busy stitching clothes, sharpening knives, repairing bikes and fixing lamps, fans and other small appliances.

Repair Cafés exemplify the principles of the circular economy, which revolves around extending product lifecycles and minimizing waste. Unlike the conventional linear economy, based on production, use, and disposal, the circular economy emphasizes repair, reuse, and material recovery. By teaching hands-on repair skills, Repair Cafés divert countless items from landfills and nurture environmental stewardship. These initiatives also spotlight cases where a simple battery replacement or screen repair is impossible without proper instructions, tools, or proprietary parts, forcing consumers to discard otherwise functional devices.

Right to repair legislation is needed to give consumers more choice that will normalize the circular economy. The legislation would ensure that consumers and independent repair shops can access necessary parts, tools, and information to fix products, fighting back against planned obsolescence. This helps extend the life of products, reducing the environmental impact of discarded items. It also saves consumers money by allowing them to postpone or avoid buying new. This is particularly important in these tough economic times. It also creates opportunities for neighbourhood employment and keeps money in the local economy rather than paying for new products which are often manufactured outside Canada.

In Ontario, right to repair legislation has been proceeding at a snail’s pace. In 2019, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Michael Coteau introduced Bill 72, the “Consumer Protection Amendment Act (Right to Repair Electronic Products),” aiming to compel manufacturers to provide the necessary tools, parts, and documentation for repairs. That Bill was quashed by the Conservative Government shortly after it came to power in 2019. An updated version of the Bill was reintroduced to the Provincial legislature in April 2024 as a private members bill. It’s still waiting to pass second reading. Meanwhile, this government has shown expediency in passing other pieces of legislation in a matter of days or weeks to address important issues like banning speed cameras and bike lanes while foisting more of the costs of growth on the backs of existing ratepayers, all in the name of building more “affordable housing”.

Let us know what you think. Where should the BEA be focusing its efforts in on this topic? What has your experience been with products that fail prematurely and are difficult to repair.

With increasing popularity, we are looking for opportunities to host our own Repair Cafés and other events such as clothing swaps, tool libraries and computer Windows 10 to Linux conversion sessions. Let us know if you have a Windows 10 machine that is now obsolete because it can’t be upgraded to Windows 11.

We will also be pushing the province for legislation that will support right to repair, and combat planned obsolescence. Together, let’s make it easier to extend the useful life of existing products.

Are you good at fixing things? Want to help out by being a Repair Café fixer? Join the Brampton Library Repair Café Fixer Team. Fixer Registration Form

“The Science is real, the problem is urgent. Global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 50% by 2030 to avoid climate catastrophe”. Those were the words from David Miller, the keynote speaker at the Ontario Climate Summit held at the University of Toronto this past weekend, attended by four members of the BEA Board, Polly, Rhythm, Dayle and David.

David Miller is the Managing Director of the C40 Centre for City Climate Policy and Economy. The C40 Centre provides mayors, policymakers and city practitioners with the evidence, analysis and policy guidance needed to implement progressive and equitable climate action.

Mr. Miller went on to say that 80% of the people surveyed in Canada want governments to take stronger climate action, that people believe in the science but vastly overestimate the number and strength of the opposition. He said only 17% are climate deniers, the “drill baby drill” folks, but that their oversized voices tend to sway political discussions and policy making.

David said that cities are where the climate problem exists. Cities consume 75% of the world’s energy, with buildings, transportation, energy production and waste management being the largest emissions contributors. But cities are also the largest economic engines and therefore have the wealth to contribute to climate solutions. Ninety-seven cities account for 20% of the global economy.

According to David, climate solutions are popping up all over the world. Tokyo created a carbon cap and trade system for emissions from buildings, Rio de Janeiro has mandated that all electricity will be generated from renewable sources. Oslo has instituted a carbon budget meaning that every city decision needs to account for both climate impacts as well as financial costs. The cities of Los Angeles and Singapore have established the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC), a partnership between the Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to establish a green shipping route connecting the two port complexes via the Pacific Ocean.

In some cases solutions were started for reasons other than to fix the climate. For example, the City of London has electrified over half of its fleet of black cabs primarily to improve air quality. The City of Shenzhen in China mandated their fleet of 16,000 buses to be electrified along with 22,000 taxis with the aim of reducing smog. The City of Freetown in Sierra Leone is paying people, as part of the “Freetown to Treetown” initiative, to plant and monitor trees, with the aim of reducing poverty and improving slum living conditions.

David indicated it doesn’t matter what is the catalyst for change so long as we make it happen and quickly. He said, “we already have the tools to solve the climate problem. Around the world, cities are making innovative climate solutions work; we just need to be doing more of these actions everywhere”. More examples are included in David’s book “Solved, How the World’s Great Cities are Fixing the Climate Crisis.

David concluded his talk by emphasizing the important role that Ontario based climate advocacy groups play in raising the awareness of climate issues in Ontario and encouraging conversation and debate about climate policy at all government levels.

The Saturday portion of the summit consisted of 5 Plenary breakout sessions discussing subjects including, the power of Municipal Government-level climate action, Buildings and the Built Form, Building Power in the Inner Suburbs , Organizing to win better public transport and, Collaboration Across Communities and Sectors among others. Our team couldn’t attend them all but we will consolidate our notes over the next few weeks and publish another post summarizing what we learned from these sessions.

A key takeaway for us from the summit is that the biggest challenge for local climate advocacy groups is to communicate the messages about the climate emergency in a way that doesn’t turn people off, focusing on stories and positive progress rather than on using fear tactics or negative messaging. For the BEA it means continuing our efforts, expanding our audience here in Brampton, and creating more opportunities for discussion. As always we are interested in your feedback. Feel free to send us your comments info@bramptonea.org #elbowsupfortheclimate.

Most Ontarians were not even aware of the government’s intention. The speed at which these bills were rammed through the legislature is nothing short of breathtaking, with next to no committee discussion or public consultation. Bill 5 was first introduced on April 17th and Bill 17 passed first reading on May 12th. Both bills were declared law by Royal Assent this past Thursday before the legislature adjourned until October.

Called omnibus bills, these legislative tools are large complex and far reaching. They limit the powers of municipalities, to make independent land use decisions, to protect important natural heritage features, and to implement sustainable development guidelines that will help our communities to both mitigate against the worst effects of climate change and adapt to those effects that we cannot avoid.

The main purpose of the legislation is to encourage developers to build new and affordable housing faster than they would otherwise. It does so, however, by putting the costs of providing services for those new homes on the backs of existing homeowners. It does this by deferring or eliminating development charges which the municipalities rely on to pay for building schools, recreation centres, roads, parks, etc.

I wrote an article a couple of weeks ago outlining the major problems with Bill 5. Below is a letter I wrote to my MPP Graham McGregor outlining my concerns with Bill 17. If you believe as I do that Bill 5 and Bill 17 are not the way to get more and affordable homes built, I hope you will take the time to let your MPP know how you feel and that you expect them to alter these pieces of legislation before they are allowed to damage our plan for a sustainable future.

Letter dated June 3, 2025.
To: Honourable Graham McGregor, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and MPP for Brampton North.

“Dear Minister McGregor,

I find myself once again in the unfortunate position of writing to you about a piece of legislation which, if passed will be egregiously damaging to municipal plans to protect our environment. I’m talking about Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Smarter and Faster Act, 2025. I am alarmed that Bill 17 is being fast-tracked without debate and that it attacks municipal decision-making powers.  I am particularly concerned that the Bill will threaten the ability of municipalities to continue to use Green Development Standards to ensure that new homes are safe, weather-proof, energy efficient, and more affordable to operate. Construction methods have been quickly evolving, and Ontario’s building code has fallen behind the times. Forward thinking municipalities, like Brampton, are filling the gaps so that new homes are built using modern technologies to withstand extreme weather conditions, while improving energy efficiency and facilitating low-carbon options such as electric vehicle charging, and efficient, clean heating systems.

As a case in point, this past November my wife Dayle and I received an amber alert type message on our phone at 2:00am indicating the presence of a tornado in the vicinity of our home! It didn’t wake me; I was already awake because of the roar of the wind outside. While vicious storms in November have historically been the norm, a late fall tornado in southern Ontario is not. There should be no question that the severity of weather events in our area is increasing due to climate change along with the probability of significant property damage. Our governments, at both the municipal and provincial level, have the power to implement policies that will either mitigate or exacerbate the risks. I’m disappointed that the province has chosen the latter approach in the interests of meeting short-term objectives that are driven by ideological rather than evidence-based factors.

If needed, I can provide you with the fact-based arguments as to why Green Development Standards at the municipal level will not impact speed or affordability of housing starts but will improve home efficiencies and reduce operating costs, increasing home affordability for years to come. I would ask you to please raise these issues in your Provincial caucus meetings and let your Premier know that he will be on the wrong side of history if Bill 17 and Bill 5 pass without major modifications.

Thanks for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

David Laing, L6Z 2A1

David Laing – President, Brampton Environmental Alliance https://bramptonea.org