Comments provided to the City of Brampton Planning Department regarding a proposed development on the east side of Heart Lake Road located about mid-way between Sandalwood Parkway and Mayfield Rd.
I want to provide comments on the above application on behalf of the Brampton Environmental Alliance Board and its members. The property lot in question is located across the street from the Heart Lake Conservation Area which is a valuable tourism and recreational asset for the City of Brampton. A main reason this area is so popular is because of the large number and diversity of plants and animals that can be experienced there. Biodiversity flourishes not just because of the natural heritage amenities within the park itself, but because of the richness of the surrounding natural heritage systems that, historically, have been left relatively undisturbed by development. That pattern of isolation has begun to change, however, in recent years.
Your BEA team is taking advantage of April being Earth Month to participate in various activities to promote environmental awareness. Check out the sections below including: Parent Teacher Night at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School, Sustainable Procurement Workshop at the Rose Theatre, Reconnect Brampton’s Sip & Stroll Nature Walk in Downtown Brampton, Earth Day Event at McCandless Park, CVC Fletchers Creek SNAP Workshop at Brampton City Hall
April is the time of year when we celebrate Earth’s bounties, take joy from daylight as it emerges from darkness’s sheath, and as we are released from the ravages of winter cold, snow and ice. April is also a time for us to reflect on the importance of the earth’s natural environment to our health and wellbeing, and the damage it suffers as a result of human pursuit of perpetual economic growth. The old adage that, “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” is poignant today for many reasons but, perhaps, especially so for the environment. With government’s of all stripes and colours, north and south of the Canada, U.S. border, rolling back environmental legislation in the name of progress, growth and affordability, it’s worth looking back to the time before much of this legislation existed to examine the impact that unbridled growth can have on our quantity and quality of life.
Saturday March 22nd was a busy day for the BEA supporting two community tables.
In the morning, the Bramalea Community Network hosted a Health and Wellness Day at the Knightsbridge Seniors Centre. About 30 neighbourhood residents attended including seniors from the Centre as well as families from the surrounding community.
It was difficult to write this year-end review for the Brampton Environmental Alliance. Not because we didn’t work very hard to make a difference but because several things conspired to make this a very challenging year, environmentally speaking.
Among the issues we faced: the Province prioritizing building Highway 413, and the efforts of the Emerald Energy From Waste company to expand its garbage burning operations in Brampton without appropriate environmental controls being in place. Of greater concern is the general apathy of the public towards environmental issues and the vitriolic response to public policies aimed at climate change mitigation, notably carbon pricing and rebates. The fact that we seemingly cannot have an adult conversation related to these important topics is deeply troubling.
The Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign, (OCEC), is a non-partisan group promoting awareness on the climate crisis and environmental issues in the Province of Ontario. It’s aim is to empower citizens and urge political leaders with the power of democratic voice to drive the urgent transformational changes needed for the present and the future climate security of all Ontarians.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Christmas Bird Count is one of the world’s oldest and longest running citizen science efforts. It began out of a barbaric practice, known as side hunts, where families would go into the forest and see who could kill the most birds.
Frank Chapman, an early Audubon Society member, proposed the idea of counting birds instead of killing them. He organized 27 observers in 25 places, both the U.S. and Canada, to count all the birds they could on Christmas Day 1900. According to Wikipedia, 90 bird species were observed and 18, 500 individuals were counted that day.
Since then, the counts have been held every December/January with more than 50,000 observers in about 2,000 locations across 17 countries. The data from each count is submitted to the National Audubon Society which helps inform population counts and conservation practices.
Christmas Bird Count Circle
Counts can be held on any day from December 14 to January 5. Individual counts are done in a “count circle” with a diameter of 24 kilometers. Each circle has a “compiler” and at least 10 volunteers. Some volunteers follow assigned routes within the circle that remain essentially the same each year. Others count all the birds they see on their backyard feeders from the comfort of their homes.
For many years BEA member Bob Noble has been organizing a Christmas Bird Count in a count circle that covers the eastern half of Brampton and parts of Vaughan, King and Caledon including, Tullamore, part of Caledon East, and all of Bolton. Bob is an amazing naturalist and nature photographer. You’ve likely seen some of his incredible insect pictures posted on Facebook, Instagram, and on his own website . Each year a selection of Bob’s best shots are compiled into a calendar which is published and given to City of Brampton and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority volunteers.
Nomad Bee
Photo: Bob Noble
Bob describes the December 15, 2024 count. “The temperature stayed around freezing for the day with a bit of light snow. The smaller ponds were completely frozen but there was some open water in the larger lakes. Thirty field observers and seven feeder watchers managed to count 10,859 individual birds. This is below the average of about 12,000.
We set a new species record of 62 with the previous record being 61 even though the general consensuswas that it was a tough day to find birds. We didn’t find any new species this year leaving the total number of species observed in all counts at 120. Good birds included Green-winged Teal (3rd record), Bald Eagle (3rd record), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (3rd record) and White-crowned Sparrow (4th record). Record high numbers were recorded for Common Goldeneye (6), Cooper’s Hawk (10), Red-bellied Woodpecker (18), Merlin (3), Eastern Bluebird (6) and Northern Cardinal (180).
A number of regular species were missed including Ruffed Grouse (34 previous counts), Pine Siskin (33 previous counts), Snow Bunting (33 previous counts) and Swamp Sparrow (27 previous counts). Low numbers were recorded for Wild Turkey (2), Rough-legged Hawk (1), Cedar Waxwing (22) and Common Redpoll (1).”
Thanks to Bob for organizing and being a compiler for this important annual event!
Ontario Bill 212 will sadly result in more road violence deaths on unsafe streets. More than 34 cyclists from Brampton and Toronto gathered on Jan 25th to rally, ride and install a ghost bike to symbolize this prediction.
Not to start 2025 on a downer note but, the climate crisis is upon us. 2024 will likely be the warmest year on record, the first to surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius mark set by the Paris Accord as a “safe” threshold to avoid the worst effects of a changing climate. In Canada, 2024 was a year of unprecedented climate related property damage, over $7B worth.
That said, we must realize that, even if we could reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels to zero today, the earth’s temperature would continue rising for many decades accompanied by increasing weather-related risks. While carbon emissions reduction efforts are still critical to maintaining a livable future, steps must be taken now to prepare for the increasing hazards due to anticipated weather extremes both now and in the future.
Working with community stakeholders, City of Brampton staff have prepared the “Climate Ready Brampton” plan to address anticipated climate impacts on the City’s infrastructure, economy and natural systems. This plan defines the blueprint for action that will better equip the City to manage the changes and increase resiliency to recover quickly from adverse climate impacts.
The development of the plan has gone through three phases over the past 2 years, Research, Investigation, and Development. During the Research phase, staff along with expert consultants reviewed how Brampton’s climate has changed over the past 75 years. During the investigation phase the team solicited external expertise along with stakeholder engagement to define future climate scenarios, assess climate risks, and identify prioritized climate adaptation actions. The plan also includes financial cost analysis of those actions compared to doing nothing. Finally, the plan outlines performance targets, collaborative implementation approaches, and a framework for monitoring and reporting.
The plan identifies 6 Goals, 5 Themes, 15 Objectives with 55 supporting actions.
Climate Ready Brampton Vision
“Brampton will be a climate leader fostering resilient, low-carbon, and adaptable communities, with thriving natural systems, climate-ready infrastructure, and a robust economy that advances equity, innovation, and quality of life both now and for future generations”.
Climate Ready Brampton Goals
Brampton is adaptable to predicted climate change impacts using best available science and climate data,
Climate action will prioritize the most vulnerable people, communities, and places in the City,
Climate resilience is the new normal where city staff, partners, neighbourhoods and generations work to protect each other,
Climate change preparation adaptation occurs within the context of a robust economy,
Climate resilience actions become more efficient and effective through collaboration and strong partnerships,
Progress is transparently reported against clear, measurable targets.
Climate Ready Brampton Themes and Objectives
Collaborative Leadership,
Brampton will be a leader in climate resilience
Municipal staff are prepared, informed and have all required tools
Protected and Connected People,
Equity-deserving groups are prioritized,
Moving around the city is safe and simple in all conditions,
People are prepared for climate disasters through emergency planning
Resilient Infrastructure and Buildings
Essential infrastructure is resilient
Community is safe in their daily life,
Buildings and homes are climate proof
Resilient and Healthy Natural Systems,
Naturalized spaces help protect Brampton from climate impacts
Natural systems are healthy and intact
Community Involvement and Communication
Brampton is prepared for climate emergencies
Emergency communications keep the community safe
The community is involved in climate action
The 55 actions are assigned to each of the objectives noted above. They cover different aspects from addressing climate risk, to protection and enhancement of forests and wetlands. Here a just a few examples:
Hiring a Climate Risk Officer,
Staff training on climate adaptation strategies and risk assessment,
The Etobicoke Creek watershed is highly urbanized with large amounts of hard surfaces and low amounts of natural cover compared with other watersheds in the greater Toronto area. This contributes to issues with flooding, erosion, and negative impacts to both animal and plant habitat. The added stress of further urbanization and climate change impacts will further degrade watershed health unless immediate remediation and mitigation actions are taken.