It was like déja vu all over again! Earth Day, Saturday April 22, 2023 dawned almost identically to the same day last year, cold, rain and, wind. Perhaps not quite as cold, but almost. As one of the exhibitors expressed, “It’s the Earth crying about all the horrible things we’ve done to her in the last year.”
Continue reading “Great turnout at the 2023 Earth Day Festival despite the Wet!”It’s April 2023, How Should You Recognize Earth Month, Day, Hour
Ah April! With longer days, the cloak of winter darkness rests lighter on our shoulders. The warmer sun thaws our blood and makes our spirits rise. April is a month of rebirth and awakening; a time to give thanks for the joy of seasons, the laughter of children playing outside, the birds singing and the plants greening, April is also Earth Month, a time to celebrate nature’s bounty and to give thanks for the ecosystem services provided to us by the plants, animals, water and air that surrounds us and supports us. Earth Day on April 22nd, is a time to honour the achievements of the environmental movement and raise awareness of the need to protect the Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
Some would argue the environmental movement merely slows down progress and adds costs to development projects. History shows, however, that unbridled progress often leads to unintended environmental consequences and the potential for human catastrophe. Let me offer a few examples.
Continue reading “It’s April 2023, How Should You Recognize Earth Month, Day, Hour”Coles Notes on the Greenbelt
[Updated version March 22, 2023 correcting statements made regarding historical landowner compensation]
The topless streaker at Sunday March 12th’s Juno awards ceremonies garnered more news attention for the potty-mouthed reaction from music award presenter Avril Lavigne than it did to the messages the streaker displayed on her body, “Land-back” and “Save the Greenbelt”. That’s unfortunate. We need more adult conversations about how we are using the precious land resources contained within our borders, including and maybe especially the, (as yet), undeveloped land that surrounds our major Canadian cities.
Continue reading “Coles Notes on the Greenbelt”Graceful Aging Through Connecting With Nature
The Brampton Environmental Alliance is pleased to announce that it has received grant funding from Employment and Social Development Canada to implement a “New Horizons for Seniors” project called, “Graceful Aging Through Connecting With Nature”.
Continue reading “Graceful Aging Through Connecting With Nature”Coyotes! It’s time, (once again), to set the record straight
Brampton has been all over the news in the last two days because a family of coyotes have chosen a school yard as a place to hang out. Recent sightings on the property of Our Lady of Peace Separate School prompted staff to keep students inside during recess over the past few days. Concerned parents are asking the City to remove the coyotes by trapping or culling as they fear the coyotes present a threat to their children’s safety. While somewhat understandable, this reaction is unfortunate and the action called for would likely be ineffective.
Continue reading “Coyotes! It’s time, (once again), to set the record straight”Earth Day 2023 Save the Date!
Save the date for the Brampton Earth Day Celebration and Climate Change Exhibition April 22nd at Norton Place Park from 12:00-4:00pm.
There will be a light lunch courtesy of the City of Brampton.
Local environment organizations, City departments, and others will be on-hand with display tables and activities for adults and kids including
Apply to be a 2023 Butterflyway Ranger
Are you a Brampton resident 18 years or older who is passionate about flowers, bees and other pollinator insects? Then you may be interested in applying to become a Butterflyway Ranger for 2023.
Continue reading “Apply to be a 2023 Butterflyway Ranger”Greenbelt: Protected lands, (until they are not)
Ontario’s Greenbelt is an aggregation of farmland, wetlands, woodlands and river valleys that surrounds the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area from Niagara-on-the-Lake to just west of Port Hope. The Greenbelt was established in 2005 and was supposed to be protected from development forever. Both the Premier and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing have long promised that the Greenbelt would remain intact under their leadership.
Despite this, the provincial government recently announced the removal of 7,400 acres of protected Greenbelt land. They did so without any public process, transparent criteria for land selection or opportunities for input from landowners, municipalities or the public. While the Ford government maintains it has replaced the lost acres with more land parcels in other areas, critics say the added land is not as ecologically valuable as what is being removed.
Perhaps more troubling than the broken promise is the fact that multiple media outlets have reported that some of the Greenbelt land identified for removal was purchased by developers a mere weeks or months before the changes were made public. Why would a profit oriented developer purchase un-developable land for tens of millions of dollars? The change of status of these lands will result in huge windfall profits for these developers, many of whom have made significant contributions to the Ontario PC party.
If you are unhappy about the Ontario government’s decision to remove greenbelt lands, here is your opportunity to let your MPP know how you feel. Tell them to share any information they have about the removal of land from the greenbelt with the O.P.P. in order to restore public trust in how important environmental decisions are made. Your letter will be sent to your MPP based on your postal code.
The public has a right to know if any of these developers had advance knowledge of the government’s plans. Environmental Defence and Democracy Watch are calling for an investigation. Politicians, and public servants who provide confidential information to a third-party, who stands to gain financially from that information, may be in breach of trust under section 122 of the Criminal Code.
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.
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.
Continue reading “Brampton Environmental Alliance joins protests over the Province’s Bill 23 New Homes Build Faster Act”