Category: Land and Nature

Community and natural/organic gardening, park stewardship, rewilding, forest management, litter clean up.

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Exciting news for Loafer’s Lake

Loafers Lake Announcement

Members of the Brampton Environmental Alliance were in attendance last Monday March 4th as the Ontario government announced it is investing over $2.5 million through the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program to enhance wetland areas in four locations of the Etobicoke Creek watershed in and around Loafer’s Lake and Conservation Drive Park.

The ceremony was hosted by Brampton North MPP Graham McGregor supported by Environment, Conservation and Parks Minister Andrea Khanjin.

“Wetlands are incredibly important to our communities. They make up the natural infrastructure that protect us from drought and flooding, while keeping water clean and providing homes for many at-risk species of plants and animals.”

Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

Attending dignitaries included Brampton’s Mayor Patrick Brown, Regional Councillors Navjit Kaur Brar, Michael Palleschi and Rowena Santos as well as representatives from TRCA and Ducks Unlimited.

“This is an incredible investment by the Province of Ontario to support the enhancement of Loafer’s Lake. Investing in the restoration and preservation of wetlands is an investment in the future of our city, ensuring the protection of countless species, like the fish and turtles that call Loafer’s Lake home. Many thanks to Brampton North MPP Graham MacGregor for his outstanding work on this project and I look forward to enjoying the new trails and viewing platforms with the community.”

Patrick Brown – Mayor of the City of Brampton

Loafer’s Lake is one of four priority lakes identified in the City’s “Lake Enhancement Strategy” , the other three being Norton Place Lake, Donnelly Ponds, and Professors Lake. These lakes are representative of the majority of Brampton’s 14 lakes, historical aggregate extraction pits that are now filled with ground water. There is an opportunity to improve public awareness, appreciation and utilization of these lakes. The Lake Enhancement Strategy looks to transform these lakes into “signature features” in the City for recreation and appreciation of nature.

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Loafer’s Lake likely to receive a Provincial Makeover

Loafers Lake from bridge
Loafers lake announcement

Brampton North MPP Graham McGregor along with Wards 2&6 Regional Councillors Navjit Kaur Brar and Michael Palleschi will be hosting what is being billed as a “huge” announcement on Monday March 4th, 12:45pm at Loafer’s Lake Park situated in central north Brampton. Ontario’s Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Andrea Khanjin, will be in attendance along with local community organizations, conservation authorities and businesses. Interested members of the public are welcome to attend.

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Seniors Join Secondary School Students for Second Rooted in Hope Training Class

This past Saturday October 21st, 6 seniors, 9 students and 2 teachers braved the strong wind and cool temperatures to attend the second Rooted in Hope tree monitoring training session at Batsman Park located off Father Tobin Drive, beside Louise Arbour Secondary School just west of Bramalea Road. Alice, Sadia and Sedi, from ACER were there to once again lead the session. Participants who had attended the first session in August were assigned leadership roles to train the others in basic tree measurement .

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Heat Pump Chronicles Vol 3

This is the third in a series of posts on our journey to navigate government grants and loans available for home energy retrofits and to replace our natural gas furnace with a cold-climate heat pump. Click here to see all articles in the series.

With Thanksgiving upon us and the weather turning colder, I realize it’s been almost 6 months since my last post about our journey to replace our natural gas furnace with a heat pump. No, we haven’t given up, far from it. But progress has been slower than anticipated navigating the granting and loan processes within the Federal and Provincial government agencies. And there hasn’t been a lot to tell you.

It turns out, a lot of the delay was the result of bad timing and poor communication. So, if you are considering making the switch, I can assure you that your journey will be easier than mine. Here’s why.

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Tree Planting Events Prove Popular Amongst Youth and Seniors Alike

The Brampton Environmental Alliance hosted two tree-planting events at Gore Meadows Recreation Centre this past two Wednesdays. The events were supported by the Associations of Seniors Clubs Brampton as well as students from Louise Arbor Secondary School and Castlebrook Secondary School. Members of Sierra Club Peel also attended as did employees from Hydro One along with other community members.

Thirty participants attended the September 6th event despite hot, humid weather. Thirty-eight attended on September 13th under much cooler conditions.

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Brampton to Become the First Litter-free City in Canada!

On June 7th, 2023, Brampton Committee of Council approved a motion directing staff to make Brampton the first litter-free City in Canada. Achieving this objective will be a monumental task involving the entire community.

The Community Safety & Well-Being Office is holding a forum next Tuesday September 19th to raise awareness of the effects of litter, and create a charter with actions for all participants to reduce litter. The Brampton Environmental Alliance has been invited to be a participant along with businesses, conservation authorities, park sponsors, places of worship, government officials, community organizations, and other interested parties.

We would like your feedback on how to solve this unsightly and potentially unhealthy problem in our city. The following survey will take just a few minutes to complete and your answers will help inform our position and suggestions to the group. Please take a minute to complete the survey. It’s anonymous.

Litter survey