Brampton Environmental Alliance
Promote water saving, water quality campaigns, storm-water management programs, pollution reduction campaigns.
The Ontario government is once again proposing sweeping changes to Provincial Conservation Authorities. Since the PC Party of Ontario came to power in 2019 it has passed several pieces of legislation limiting the powers of Ontario’s conservation authorities. This latest proposal represents the most significant change to date. Why should you care?
Continue reading “Do we need fewer Conservation Authorities in Ontario?”On October 29th, BEA members Rajbalinder and Aneet were at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School in support of their community engagement event that included parent interviews. Harold M. Brathwaite is a school of approximately 1,700 students with programs including: International Baccalaureate (IB), Specialist High Skills Major in Justice and Business Studies, International Student Program, Developmental Disabilities Program.
Members of the BEA attended two school community events earlier this month.
On October 8th, Ghazanfar, Yarim, Gunjan, and Rajbalinder attended the W. G. Davis Senior Public School Open House. One-Planet Living and Plant-Based Treaty were among the topics discussed with students and parents.
The Provincial Government continued its attack on environmental sustainability this past week, by passing Bill 5 “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act” and Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025″. They did so despite strong opposition from environmental groups, opposition parties, and First Nations Peoples.
Continue reading “Another Provincial Attack on Environmental Sustainability”
The Ontario Government is proposing to introduce another in a series of sweeping policies designed to streamline development application processes and energize Ontario’s economy at the expense of maintaining environmental protections. The latest initiative is Bill 5, “Protecting Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025”. Bill 5 aims to speed up development on projects including mining northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire, adding more landfill space in York Region, and exempting the Therme Spa development project from public consultation and review.
If passed by the Provincial legislature, Bill 5 would:
Continue reading “BEA Concerned about Ontario Government’s Bill 5”
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
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.
Continue reading “BEA Supports Events in Bramalea and Caledon East on March 22nd”
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.
Continue reading “2024 BEA Year-end Review”
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.
Continue reading “Ontario Climate Emergency Network Town Hall”
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 draft Plan is available online until January 15, 2025. Submit your comments to GrowGreen@brampton.ca
The plan identifies 6 Goals, 5 Themes, 15 Objectives with 55 supporting actions.
“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”.
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:
Please visit the City’s website for more information and to download the draft plan. Provide your comments to growgreen@brampton.ca by January 15th.