Sarah was telling me about the Climate Ready Homes program that TRCA started in September 2025. The program builds on the success of SNAP. Climate Ready Homes is designed to help homeowners make practical, affordable upgrades that boost comfort, save money, and prepare for a changing climate. It provides access to personalized guidance, financial incentives and educational workshops on a variety of topics including:

The program is free and available to all residents within TRCA’s jurisdiction. For Brampton that is anyone living within the Etobicoke Creek, Mimico Creek, or Humber River West watersheds. If you live on or east of Hurontario/Main St. you are eligible to participate, although downtown Brampton west to Mill St. is also included.

When you sign up for a home consultation, you will receive a FREE incentive of your choice! Options include a rain barrel, DIY air sealing kit, basement flood alarm, tree or shrub, and an emergency preparedness kit.

Check out the BEA events page for information about Climate Ready Home workshops coming up later this month and in April. Learn about Flood Protection, Rain Gardens 101 and, Beautiful Native Plants. These workshops are in Richmond Hill and Etobicoke respectively. I’m hoping to convince Sarah to host a workshop here in Brampton in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Introduction

The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), concluding in Belém, Brazil on November 21, 2025, marked a pivotal moment in the global response to climate change. This year’s summit brought together world leaders, scientists, Indigenous representatives, and civil society to review progress, set new targets, and accelerate climate action. For Canadians concerned about the environment and our country’s international commitments, COP 30 offered both milestones and ongoing challenges in the journey towards a sustainable future.

Canada’s Climate Commitments: A Brief Overview

Canada’s climate commitments are shaped by its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40–45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. These targets have been supported by federal and provincial policies such as industrial carbon pricing, investments in clean technology such as carbon capture and storage, and strategies for energy transition including the phase out of coal for electricity generation by 2030. At COP 30, the focus was on whether Canada’s actions were aligning with its promises and how the country could further accelerate its climate ambition.

Key Results Achieved by Canada at COP 30

• Canada reaffirmed its existing 2030 emissions reduction target at a 40-45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. 
• Methane Reductions: Canada played a significant role in international initiatives to reduce methane emissions, co-convening the Global Methane Pledge and endorsing a statement led by the UK to reach near-zero methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector.
• Clean Energy Transition: Building on previous progress, Canada committed to accelerating its phase-out of unabated coal power by 2030 and pledged additional investments in renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and hydro. The country joined the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, aiming for a 60% share of renewables in its electricity supply by 2035.
• Indigenous Leadership and Inclusion: COP 30 saw Canada emphasize the role of Indigenous Peoples in climate solutions. The government announced increased funding for Indigenous-led climate initiatives and committed to co-developing adaptation strategies that respect traditional knowledge and practices.
• Climate Finance: Canada pledged an additional $1.5 billion in climate finance, focusing on supporting vulnerable countries and communities, especially in the Global South, to adapt to climate impacts and transition to clean energy. This renewed commitment is part of efforts to meet and exceed the $100 billion annual global climate finance goal.
• Nature-Based Solutions: Canada advanced its support for nature-based climate action, including financial support for, protecting the Amazon, sustainable land management practices, climate smart agriculture, and integrated fire management.

Analysis: How Do These Results Align with Canada’s Climate Promises?

The outcomes of COP 30 suggest that Canada is taking a more cautious approach to the climate crisis, backing away from commitments, taking a more measured role in climate policy, funding mitigation projects in the Global south while expanding the domestic fossil fuel industry . Official statements from the Canadian government at COP 30 shifted the conversation from setting new goals to the concrete implementation of its existing 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan and associated policies.

Canada’s renewed focus on Indigenous leadership and nature-based solutions reflects a broader understanding of climate action as a multi-dimensional issue, involving social, ecological, and economic factors. Increased financing for global  climate action project and support for adaptation in vulnerable regions bolters Canada’s role as a responsible global partner with a more nuanced and pragmatic approach.

Ongoing Challenges and Opportunities

Despite these achievements, Canada faces ongoing challenges in meeting its climate targets. This past spring the Canadian government eliminated the consumer carbon price. A few months later, it removed the 2026 electric vehicle mandate. Recent indications suggest that it will not pursue an oil and gas emissions target and, instead,  is in active discussions with the Alberta government on lifting the west coast tanker ban and facilitating a new pipeline to be built to the northern coast of B.C.

There has been little or no apparent pressure from the Federal government on the oil and gas industries to reduce emissions, other than providing tax breaks and incentives for investments in carbon capture and storage technologies which, so far, have not shown to be workable at scale or economically feasible.

The pace of emissions reduction in the oil and gas sector, the need for deeper carbon cuts in transportation and buildings, and the importance of implementing just transition strategies for workers remain critical issues that have yet to be adequately addressed. Ensuring accountability, transparent reporting, and meaningful engagement with provinces, territories, and Indigenous communities will be essential to sustained progress.

Conclusion: What’s Next for Canada?

COP 30 demonstrated that Canada is moving forward but at a reduced pace, trying to match progress with the Canadian public’s limited appetite for change. At least Canada is still, “at the table”, demonstrating ambition in climate finance, cleaner energy, and Indigenous inclusion, even while it maintains support for growth in domestic oil and gas production. As we look ahead to 2030 and beyond, Canada’s climate journey will be like walking a tightrope, trying to maintain a growing resource-based economy while signaling to Europe, the global south and to environmentally concerned Canadian citizens, that Canada is committed to a greener and fairer world. No easy task. With your help and support, the BEA will continue to hold our government’s accountable, federally, provincially, and municipally to stay true to our collective commitments that will maintain a climate safe world for future generations.

Aneet and Rajbalinder talked about the importance of One-planet Living, the concept of staying within the Earth’s limitations in terms of resource extraction, managing waste, and living with each other in harmony.

The BEA has participated in several past events at this school and has found the students, parents and staff to all be engaging and interested in environmental issues and local environmental sustainability. This event lived up to expectations as families signed up to receive the BEA newsletter and committed to participate in BEA events.

“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.

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.

The entire Heart Lake Road area between Sandalwood Parkway and Mayfield Rd. was designated by the city as a “Cultural Heritage Landscape” in 2020. This means it should be subject to even greater scrutiny to protect the rich natural and cultural heritage of the area.  In 2019 Heart Lake Road underwent a Function and Design Review which underscored the importance of maintaining the historical cross-section of the road and emphasizing recreational vs commercial or industrial uses. In fact, truck traffic is not permitted along most of this road section.

We are concerned that the land section bounded by Countryside Dr. to the south, Mayfield Rd. to the north, Heart Lake Rd. to the west and Hwy 410 to the east is listed in the Brampton Plan generally as “employment lands”. This land section contains many natural heritage elements as defined in the 2024 Brampton Plan including, highly vulnerable aquifers, provincially significant wetland areas, and a valleyland and watercourse corridor. Recent developments both north and south of Countryside Drive are already putting stress on the entire ecosystem which could affect the medium and long-term sustainability of the Conservation Area’s natural heritage features.

The HL Industrial Holding Inc. proposal is an example of a use of land which appears to be incompatible with the cultural heritage designation and with environment protection and ecosystem maintenance of the area. If the project is allowed to proceed, over 90% of the surface area of the property will be covered with impervious material with no apparent management to control and detoxify stormwater runoff. The business will be reliant on large volumes of heavy vehicle traffic along Heart Lake Rd. which is inconsistent with the desire to encourage access to the Conservation Area by active transportation. The streetscape will be impersonal and imposing. There has been no apparent thought to the transition edge between the industrial and recreational uses of Heart Lake Rd., to the creation of a walkable 15 minute community for the housing development south of Countryside or for providing a nature corridor that would connect the natural heritage elements on the east side of the development area to the main wetlands and wooded areas south of Countryside and to the Conservation Area itself.

The protected natural heritage system area looks to be much smaller than what is there now and appears to be insufficient to maintain current biodiversity levels. It is unclear if hydrological studies been conducted to understand the impact of increased levels of impervious surfaces on water tables and water quality.  How can there be confidence, therefore, that water table levels and water temperature, salinity and quality will not be adversely affected?  Has a forecast traffic analysis been conducted to estimate the impact of increased vehicle loads on traffic congestion, on road maintenance costs, and on wildlife reproductive and migratory patterns? What protections, other than the already installed nature fencing and under road corridors, will be taken to avoid wildlife vehicle collisions along the section of Heart Lake Road between Countryside Drive and Mayfield Road? What steps will be taken to improve the naturalization on the east side of Heart Lake Rd. that will attract more birds and animals, dampen road noise, and encourage people to travel the road by means other than by car? These are some of the main questions that should be adequately addressed by the proponent before this application is approved.

Parent Teacher Night at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School

This past Wednesday April 9th, Dayle and I participated in the parent teacher night at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School to promote the One Planet Living Challenge, create awareness about the Emerald Energy from Waste expansion project and encourage folks to register for Bike the Creek and other cycling events taking place in the city over the next few months. We had great conversations with both parents and students about the history of Earth Day, the importance of living within planetary limits and the joys of cycling and other forms of sustainable transportation. The student ambassadors were wonderfully supportive, coming to our table and asking how they could help. Report cards must been favourable to the students because everyone seemed to be having a good time!

Sustainable Procurement – Brampton’s Community Benefits Workshop

Friday April 11th, I participated in a Community Benefits Workshop hosted by the City of Brampton at the Rose Theatre. It is a fair question to ask what a Community Benefits Workshop has to do with building a sustainable Brampton. Lot’s it turns out.

The Power of Purchase is something that Dayle and I have been interested in for more than a decade. At the retail level this is called conscious consumerism where the consumer makes buying choices based on their values. When large volumes of consumers consciously choose to buy sustainably sourced products from ethical companies, using fair trade practices it sends a powerful market message that environmental and social responsibility is important.

Companies that ignore this message can see sales and profits negatively impacted. The threat is often enough to change how products are designed, manufactured, distributed and disposed of at the end of their intended life. A good example of this is McDonald’s Restaurant chain that, in 2018, replaced plastic straws with paper due to a customer-led campaign.

Customer-led change, however, is relatively rare because of the challenge involved in building a swell of spontaneous feedback. Sustainable corporate procurement practices, on the other hand, can be an even greater market force for good because smaller numbers of buyers are involved in very large purchase decisions both in number and scale of transactions. Corporate procurement, therefore, when driven by a “community benefit strategy”, can be a tool that unlocks transformative local economic opportunities, empowers workers, and leverages social value in creating conditions that will encourage and drive a circular economy.

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that extends the life cycle of both raw materials and products. It does this through mechanisms of sharing, repairing, repurposing, refurbishing, recovery, and recycling. Each time material goes through one of these cycles, rather than being disposed of, it continues adding value to the global economy through job creation and product utility. The objective is to have these products and materials continue providing economic value in perpetuity, generating more wealth and prosperity while limiting the requirement to extract “virgin” material from an earth with rapidly depleting resources.

The City of Brampton is developing a Sustainable Procurement Strategy to leverage large infrastructure projects to improve the quality of life for Brampton residents by requiring community benefits from suppliers while stimulating the local circular economy. This has started with the implementation of a supplier diversity program and a fair wage policy. The current step involves adding a community benefits policy which involves buy-in from potential city partners and suppliers. Hence a reason for last week’s workshop.

The workshop was led by Dr. Mervyn Jones a globally recognized procurement expert with a PhD in Climate Change and over 25 years of sustainability experience. Dr. Jones used his home country of Wales as an example of a community benefits procurement strategy.

In 2015 Wales passed the. “Well-being of Future Generations Act”, which uses the indigenous “seven generation” approach to decision-making, that takes current and future impacts into account.

The Act requires municipalities in the country to work to achieve seven well-being goals, that aim to balance, social, environmental and economic objectives. It also defines five ways of working including, balancing short and long-term needs, integrating objectives of all public bodies, involving people that reflect community diversity, be open to collaboration and, acting to prevent problems from occurring or worsening.

Finally, the Act outlines 50 key performance indicators that are used to measure progress while ministers are required to set milestones in relation to those national indicators.

Brampton’s Community Benefits Policy is a transformative initiative, harnessing the City’s purchasing influence to create economic opportunities, promote inclusive training programs, and expand employment opportunities for residents, especially those from equity-deserving groups. It is paving the way for lasting change and the enrichment of the economic, social and environmental fabric of our community.

Reconnect Brampton’s “Sip & Stroll”

On Saturday April 12th, Dayle and I led a “Sip & Stroll” walking tour organized by Halley Patel the Regional Coordinator at Reconnect Brampton. About 15 participants met at Ryan’s Chai Cafe and enjoyed a complimentary hot brew before starting the tour.

Created by Environmental Defence, the Reconnection Project is designed to connect people with nature and community by making it easy to, know about, and participate in, local events that focus on the outdoors.

The tour used seven stops to illustrate how climate change is affecting Brampton’s downtown area and to discuss the City’s plans for managing flooding, creating new development opportunities and encouraging active and sustainable transportation. The tour also highlighted a bit of Brampton heritage and how residents can be more involved in the City’s planning process.

Wards 3&4 Earth Day Event at McCandless Park

Sunday April 13th, Dayle and I met up with BEA Board members Yarim and Amisha at Councillor Santos’s Earth Day Event in Andrew McCandless Park. There were several environmental activities to keep participants busy including, a tree-planting hosted by Credit Valley Conservation, and a park clean-up hosted by People Against Littering. There was also information about the City’s Plant-based Treaty initiative, which I’ve written about in a previous post.

While it was nice being part of this important environmental day and saying hi to friends and colleagues, one of the reasons Dayle and I wanted to attend this specific event was that we had a significant amount of electronics for recycling. Friends and family had added to the pile over the past several months and the collection included old cathode ray TV sets, rotary dial phones, a Blackberry Pearl phone, (with flip-down real keyboard), a night-side table radio with built in lamp, and a host of computer and stereo sound system equipment.

Alison, Rebecca and the other volunteers from the electronics recycling organization “Let’s Get Together” helped unload our van and then weighed and sorted all of the old retired items. LGT is a not-for-profit whose mission is to support the circular economy by repairing old computers and other electronics and then working to ensure that every youth has access to technology and equal opportunity allowing those youth to pursue higher education without barriers and with “purposeful support”. So far LGT has redistributed more than 5,000 computers back to the community, has diverted more than 120,000 pounds of e-waste from landfills, and has provided more than 12,000 digital literacy workshops.

Credit Valley Conservation hosts Fletcher’s Creek SNAP Workshop

On Monday April 14th, I attended a workshop hosted by Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC) in support of the Fletchers Creek Sustainable Neighbourhoods Action Program (SNAP). SNAP takes an integrated approach to improve the environment in a chosen neighbourhood, building climate resiliency by greening local infrastructure and encouraging positive behaviour change among the residents through programs, events, and education. The SNAP was initiated by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Both TRCA and CVC have delivered SNAP projects in Brampton including, County Court Blvd, Bramalea, and Fletchers Creek. Each project is unique and engages the residents in helping define project priorities and actions.

The Fletchers Creek project is focused around 5 themes, Living Parks and Nature, Green Streets, Strong Schools, Resilient Homes and Businesses, and Active People. Within those themes, 27 actions have been completed or are in progress. Highlights over the past 5 years include

• Installation of rain gardens at three schools,
• Delivery of a “Your Green Yard” program,
• Numerous tree and rain barrel giveaways,
• 5,628 trees & shrubs planted,
• 7,717 wildflowers, grasses, and sedges planted,
• 11 community projects started including a catchment basin painting project,
• 388 sustainable actions taken at homes
• 345 events hosted, and,
• 7,472 people engaged in the neighbourhood!

Each table was assigned one of the 5 themes and was asked to reflect on the accomplishments over the past 5 years, and help define the priorities and capacity requirements for how the project should evolve over the next 5 years. It was great to see the level of commitment, passion, competency and experience demonstrated by the workshop participants. I’ll write another blog once the workshop results have been synthesized and shared with the group.

April 22, 2025 will mark the 55th anniversary of the first Earth Day celebration. April 1970 represented a rare time for U.S. environmental activism, where Democrats and Republicans joined with labour and business leaders, as well as members of the public from all walks of life to support legislative action that would start to curtail human caused environmental degradation. The first Earth Day was the catalyst for change but the seeds of that change had been planted during the previous decades.

After WWII and up to the end of the 1960’s, the public and press had been largely ambivalent to concerns about the effects of a polluted environment on human health. Without legislation or regulation, industry was allowed to disperse vast quantities of toxic pollutants into the air and water. Automotive companies were allowed to build large heavy automobiles with inefficient engines that burned huge quantities of leaded gas. Lead, and its combustion related byproducts, are known carcinogens and neurotoxins. Research reported in Psychiatrist.com has linked the decades use of leaded gasoline to increased rates of violent crime, mental illness and other negative psychological effects, the impacts of which linger even today.

In addition, oil and chemical spills were a regular occurrence in the 50s and 60s. There were stories of waterways, so polluted with industrial effluent that they caught fire, the most notable being the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland Ohio that went up in flames on June 22, 1969.

In the 1940’s the chemical industry invented synthetic pesticides most notably DDT. These chemicals were used in large quantities to control insect transmitted diseases such as malaria and typhus and as a way to improve crop and livestock yields. But they also had nasty side effects including animal reproductive disruptions and “bio-accumulation”, meaning they would build up in the tissues of plants and animals which further accumulated up the food chain until toxicity levels caused the plant or animal to die. It took the 1962 book called “Silent Spring”, written by Rachel Carson, an American marine biologist and environmental activist, to begin raising public awareness of the escalating human and ecological dangers, associated with the unrestricted use of these toxins.

Senator Gaylord Nelson, spurred to action by a large 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara California, struck a committee with the aim to bring national attention to air and water pollution. He convinced Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman to co-chair the committee. They engaged a young activist named Denis Hayes to organize university campus teach-ins and engage national media to raise public awareness. They chose April 22, 1970 to be Earth Day because they though a weekday falling between spring break and final exams would allow for large student engagement. They were right, An estimated 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day, making it the largest political demonstration in U.S. history at that point. The movement led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. and Canadian water pollution regulations including, the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Since President Trump and his team entered the Whitehouse in January they have fired or threatened the jobs of hundreds of EPA workers and have targeted hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for the protection of the great lakes. North of the border, Prime Minister Carney has eliminated the consumer carbon tax and has promised to streamline project reviews to make Canada an energy superpower.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister has committed to continued support for focused green incentives for energy retrofits and EV charging infrastructure. He will maintain an “improved” industrial carbon tax as well as maintain the oil and gas sector emissions cap. All of these initiatives would be scrapped under a government led by Pierre Pollievre, according to the Conservative party platform.

The point is that no matter who you vote for on April 28th, make sure the candidates and the party understand that you feel it important to maintain strong environmental regulations that will encourage environmental innovation, hold companies to account for environmental damage and prevent catastrophic climate change and ecosystem collapse. Our forests are already burning more than they need to because of climate change; we don’t need our rivers ablaze again as well.

What you can do.

• Vote for the party that has the best vision for an environmentally sustainable Canada,
• Write to or speak with your local candidates to let them know that economic growth must be in balance with the need for a sustainable environment,
• Stay informed about local environmental issues by subscribing to the BEA newsletter,
• Join the BEA and take part in environmental events

Earth Hour, Earth Day, Earth Month – What’s the Difference?

• Earth Hour:
  • What: A global initiative where people, communities, and businesses turn off non-essential lights for one hour (8:30 PM to 9:30 PM local time) to raise awareness about climate change and environmental issues. 
  • When: Typically on the last Saturday of March. 
  • Focus: Symbolic action to highlight the importance of environmental action and encourage people to take action against climate change. 
  • Example: In 2023, Earth Hour took place on March 25th. 
• Earth Day:
  • What: An annual event on April 22 dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and action. 
  • When: April 22nd every year. 
  • Focus: A day to celebrate the Earth, raise awareness about environmental issues, and encourage people to take action to protect the planet. 
  • Example: The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. 
• Earth Month:
  • What: A broader period in April that focuses on environmental awareness and action. 
  • When: The entire month of April. 
  • Focus: A month-long celebration of the Earth, with various activities and events to promote environmental protection and sustainability. 
  • Example: Many organizations, including the National Environmental Education Foundation, celebrate Earth Month throughout April. 

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.

The event featured presentations on nutrition, mental health, and overall well-being by expert speakers from William Osler Health System and B.L.O.O.M. Empowerment Group.

It also included a short chair yoga session.

About 10 community service organizations, including BikeBrampton and the BEA, were invited to set up information tables around the room’s perimeter.

Feedback on the resources and information provided was positive.

That evening, the BEA attended an Earth Hour event in the Caledon East Community Complex. This first ever event was organized by Eco-Caledon and sponsored by the Town.

Almost 300 attendees and 25 exhibitors spent the evening celebrating sustainability, environmentalism, and our collective efforts to protect the planet!

Exhibitors were encouraged to include interactive activities at their tables and they delivered. Magicians, kale smoothies, blue planet cookies, bean bag tosses, and heat pump demonstrations were all part of the mix.

The BEA’s activity was a One-Planet Pledge. Participants were invited to select one of the ten principles from the One Planet Living Framework® and then pledge to take two actions that would help fulfill that principle.

Join the Contest, take the One Planet Living Pledge for Earth Day 2025

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.

Perhaps the biggest blow to our progress was in the area of active transportation, i.e. using human power to get around. After a decade of advocating, planning and, public consultation, a safe cycling network was beginning to emerge in the City of Brampton, one that would truly encourage more people to leave their cars at home for short-distance trips. And the data showed it was working. In previous posts we’ve described how the installation of bike lanes in the city increased the amount of cycling and improved road safety by slowing down the average road speeds. Counter-intuitively even though speed was reduced, actual travel time was shortened, meaning the roads were being used more efficiently. The reduction of carbon emissions was becoming significant.

Unfortunately, as the cycling network became more “obvious” to the public, city staff and Councillors received increasing levels of complaints. The situation worsened during the summer and fall of 2024 after Council responded to cyclists’ concerns resulting from continued bike lane parking violations and irresponsible driver actions that put cyclists’ lives at risk. Council voted to increase parking fines, and hired more by-law officers to enforce the rules. Protection barriers were installed at several intersections to prevent conflict situations.

These actions, while effective at changing driver behaviour for the better, also fueled a volley of anger and protest that threatened to create a cultural chasm between those wanting to perpetuate suburban car-centric planning and those who support a city transformation that includes safe, convenient, economically available and environmentally sustainable transportation choices. The former group’s objections were so vehement that they won the day and Council chose to back down. The Active Transportation Master Plan (ATMP) was suspended, pending review later this year.

This past fall another figurative nail was driven in the ATMP coffin as the Provincial Government enacted Bill 212. This poorly crafted, politically driven piece of legislation overrides local transportation policy planning. New bike lane installations now require Ministerial approval and the Province can force municipalities to remove bike lanes in certain situations. More egregiously, the legislation also absolves the province of legal liability for cyclists safety, despite a Provincial staff report indicating that bike lane removal would compromise road safety.

These policy decisions are heading us in the wrong direction despite a year of heightened climate risk, rising carbon emissions from transportation and roads that continue to be more dangerous by the day, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. Despite these setbacks BEA members continue to advocate, working with City Council and staff to make the best of the situation across all these fronts. I especially thank the members of our Board for their continued support and tireless contributions. Their efforts have led to several, more than modest wins. So, let me touch on a few of our efforts from 2024.

Advocacy

• Worked with Environmental Defence to ask the Federal government to request a full environmental assessment for highway 413,
• Met with the Mayor and Council members several times on various environmental issues related to active transportation, energy transformation and climate change,
• Met with MPP McGregor to advocate for Alectra policy changes that would support home electrification projects including installing residential heat pumps,
• Met with Brampton’s Government Relations department to advocate for carbon controls to be put onto Capital Power’s expansion proposal for the Goreway Gas Plant.

Events

• 2024 03 13 Brampton Environmental Alliance Annual General Meeting
• 2024 03 21 Wetlands Enhancement Project
• 2024 03 30 Ecosphere Conference & Job Fair
• 2024 04 17 Bramalea Community Network (BCN) Co-Design Workshop and Meeting
• 2024 04 20 Earth Day Festival
• 2024 04 21 Rooted in Hope Final Training Event
• 2024 05 11 Reconnect Brampton Clothing Swap
• 2024 05 23, Dearbourne Park Pollinator Habitat Planting Activity with BEA
• 2024 05 25 Laidlaw Park Tree Planting
• 2024 05 25 Chingucousy Park Bike Fest
• 2024 05 29 Peel Council on Aging Summit
• 10th Annual Bike the Creek Event
• 2024 06 18-19 Emerald Energy from Waste proposal, community meeting and City Council delegations. This item has been referred to City staff for a report back later this summer.
• 2024 06 15 Fred Klein Park tree planting & invasive species pull hosted by CVC
• 2024 06 25 Moving Electricity to fight Climate Change – DSF webinar
• 2024 07 04 Heart Lake Turtle Troopers Family Fun Night Picnic
• 2024 09 14 Unifor GTA West Environmental Council Ecofest in support of CVC
• 2024 10 05 CVC Fletcher’s Creek SNAP 5 year celebration event Fred Klein Park
• 2024 10 09 Emerald Energy from Waste Community Information Session
• 2024 10 22 Litter Reduction Charter Signing
• 2024 11 02 BEA Completes Healthy and Connected Bramalea Project

Education

• BEA delivered a keynote presentation at the Ecosphere Conference and Job Fair,
• BEA delivered Rooted in Hope Training event at Gore Meadows,
• BEA worked with Sierra Club, Toronto Environmental Alliance and Environmental Defence to host an information session on the Emerald Energy from Waste expansion proposal,
• BEA helped promote a David Suzuki Foundation webinar on Moving Electricity to fight climate change,
• BEA organized and helped deliver 2 bike repair workshops, 1 bicycle skills training session and three nature journaling workshops to residents in the Bramalea SNAP neighbourhood as part of Healthy and Connected Bramalea Project.

Collaboration & Networking

• The BEA AGM offered a great networking opportunity,
• Collaborated with BikeBrampton, Sierra Club and Brampton staff on the organizing committee helping plan for the City’s Earth Day Grow Green Celebration and Grow Green Awards Presentation,
• Collaborated with TRCA, BikeBrampton and ACER on the delivery of the Rooted in Hope Project,
• Collaborated with Sierra Club and BikeBrampton to keep Bike the Creek as a waste free event,
• Collaborated with TRCA’s Bramalea SNAP team, BikeBrampton to deliver Healthy and Connected Bramalea Project,
• Participated with the City’s Community Safety and Well-being Office on Litter Reduction Task Force and the development of the Litter Free Charter.

As 2025 kicks off, the Trump tariffs loom as a potentially catastrophic blow to the Canadian economy and the friendly interconnected relationship that has existed between Canada and the United States for over a century. I am hopeful, however, that something good will emerge from this chaos. A breakdown of inter-provincial trade barriers that have historically made it easier for Canadian businesses to sell to customers in Arizona than to neighbouring provinces. A regenerated pride in our country, A focus on self-reliance. A desire to work together as a country and leave partisanship and petty differences behind.

We live in a country of immense natural, cultural and economic wealth. Perhaps the greatest benefit will be that we recognize how precious, how tenuous these benefits are and the importance of putting in the necessary effort to protect them against existential threats, a U.S. economic takeover, or a climate induced apocalypse. We can no longer afford to take these features for granted.