This, while facilitating increased pollution and carbon emissions, all in the name of economic growth, affordable homes, and or creating new jobs. These objectives aren’t bad. It’s only that our quality of life and even life itself is dependent on having robust ecosystems that provide us with valuable services such as the air we breathe, the water we drink and a comfortable climate in which we live. It is possible to protect the environment while still having a robust economy as shown by countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. It takes balance and creative policy making, traits our current Provincial government seems to lack.

Equally troubling is the Conservative Government’s efforts to stifle debate in the Provincial legislature and reduce the transparency of their policy’s true intent. The Greenbelt land swaps and subsequent backpeddaling are excellent examples. So it is in the context of the disengenuous nature of this government that I bring your attention to another potential environmental fiasco in the making, this time, related to the ownership of water and wastewater systems, in the Province generally, but specfically here in Peel Region.

A Bit of History

In November 2025 the Provincial Government tabled Bill 60 (Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act). Passed with little debate and no public consultation, this Bill authorizes the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to take water and wastewater services away from local governments and assign them to separate water and wastewater public corporations (WWPC). Bill 60 sparked controversy when it was passed. In response to public criticism the government passed ammendments to Bill 60 as part of Bill 98 in the spring of 2026. Key amendments include:

• Restricted Share Ownership: Shares of a designated water and wastewater public corporation (WWPC) can only be issued or transferred to a municipality, in the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, or an agent of any of them. [1, 2]
• Asset Transfer Controls: A new section (Section 9.1) prohibits a WWPC from transferring or selling its water and sewage infrastructure assets unless the corporation’s board of directors explicitly declares the asset is no longer required for those services. [1, 2]
• Debt Separation: Long-term municipal debt obligations cannot be directly transferred to the new corporation. The Minister is given regulation-making authority, however, to require the corporation to make cost-sharing payments back to the municipality for capital works debt. [1, 2]
• Labour & Service Continuity: The amendments guarantee continuous employment, successor rights, and pay equity protections for municipal employees transitioning into the new corporate structure. Existing employment, insurance, and collective agreements are carried forward seamlessly.
• Regulatory Oversight: Systems managed by these public corporations will continue to be treated as municipal drinking water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002, preserving existing public health oversight and operator certification rules. [1, 2]

While groups like the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) welcomed these adjustments which appear to protect public sector ownership, the bill still faces opposition from environmental advocates and labour organizations. Critics argue that allowing shares to be held by an “agent” of the government leaves a loophole for institutional investors (like public pension funds) to financialize water infrastructure meaning a focus on shareholder value rather than ratepayer efficiency. [1, 2, 3, 4].

So what’s the real story?

I recently spoke with Rebecca Kolarich, Water Program Manager with Environmental Defence. Her analysis is that, if the Province was sincere about not privitizing water and waste water systems, then the government could have built more safeguards into the ammendments of Bill 98. According to Rebecca, “Shares can be held by an ‘agent of the government’ but the legislation doesn’t include a proper definition of what an agent is,” “In addition” she continues, “Bill 60, as written, allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to designate WWPCs under the Business Corporations Act. By definition these are for-profit organizations that are legally required to make money. Instead the Province could have required these companies to be formed as Municipal Services Corporations”.

Municipal Services Corporations (MSCs) are distinct, business-like entities, wholly owned by a municipality (or shared with other public-sector organizations) to deliver public services or manage infrastructure. MSCs may be set up as, for-profit, or not-for-profit but the difference is that they are strictly publicly accountable and the sole shareholder is the municipality, meaning all dividends and profits flow directly back into the public system rather than to private investors. That the Provincial Government chose a for-profit legal model where shares can be held by independent agents, suggests that the intent is to leave the door open for these services to be privatized.

The situation in Peel is particularly troubling. By 2029 jurisdiction over water and wastewater services will be transferred from Peel to the three lower-tier municipalities which will then be required to deliver services through a newly created WWPC. According to an article published in the Carleton University News, ownership of all of the water and wasterwater infrastrucutre assets, “would be transferred to the WWPC, while Peel’s existing debt remains with the municipal government”. If that happens Peel’s water and wastewater infrastructure would be owned by a for profit company, while Peel’s property taxpayers would be on the hook for paying down Peel’s debt obligations. The very fact that this could happen should be unsettling to all Peel residents.

The big question here for the Provincial Government is, why fix something that doesn’t appear to be broken? Peel Region boasts a highly ranked water and wastewater track record, consistently achieving a 100% inspection rating from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks across its municipal drinking water systems. The region successfully delivers daily services to over 1.5 million residents, treating over 1.7 billion litres of drinking water and 660 million litres of wastewater daily. [1, 2, 3].

Bill 60 and Bill 98 aligns with seemingly broader efforts to both expand financialization of Ontario’s public assets while at the same time trasferring power away from municipal governments and non-government organizations such as conservation authorities.

Over the past 6 years, municipalities have lost much of their control over things like road engineering, environmental regulations and land-use management. Sources of external municipal income have been curtailed especially related to development charges and automated speed enforcement cameras. More progressive tools to change traffic patterns like road tolls and congestion charges are a non-starter in the Province. Municpalities can no longer use bike lanes as a traffic calming measure or as a way of encouraging more active modes of travel. The Province’s push to build highway 413 caused massive changes to Brampton’s integrated development plan for Heritage Heights, destroying the complete street urban boulevard concept which could have been an economic and cultural focal point for the area.

Ministerial Zoning Order’s (MZO) are another power centralization factor that have now become the norm for pushing through contentious development projects. The Minister can use an MZO to override the wishes of a municipal council or the recommendations of staff. The Province has a track record of forcing municipalities into expanding their urban boundaries when it may make more sense to support higher housing density instead, thus preserving land for green space and agricultural uses.

The government is also disallowing muncipalities from including climate change policies in their official plans. Municipal governments can no longer impose higher building standards than what the Provincial building code specifies. Progressive councils who wish to hold their developers to a higher standard, such as incorporating green roofs or solar panels into building design no longer have that option.

Urban tree canopy within parkland greenspace is one of the defining characteristics of great cities. Yet changes to parkland dedication policies now allow developers more lattitude on what counts towards minimum parkland dedication requirements. This may lead to less parkland as a ratio of population, as cities across the Province continue growing. Building great cities does not seem to be a priority for this Provincial government, even though greenspace and tree canopy contributes significantly to health, quality of life and the ability of cities to adapt to climate change.

Most recently the Province is directing the Independent Electricity System Operator IESO to accommodate the needs of large power consumers, like AI data centres, potentially at the expense of standard ratepayers like you and me. This is yet another problem that this provincial government is creating for us. I will explore this further in a future article.

As background, the Conservation Authorities Act was created in 1946, driven by municipal government’s concern that unregulated development in one municipality would cause significant flooding and erosion damage in municipalities downstream. This concern was underlined in 1954 when Hurricane Hazel caused severe flooding in southern Ontario leading to property damage and deaths.

A watershed is the drainage area for a specific water system. It includes wetlands, creeks, streams, rivulets, lakes, and rivers that ultimately drain in the same direction. Watersheds do not conform to municipal boundaries. Accepted wisdom suggests the best way to control flooding and erosion is through autonomous agencies that will manage entire watersheds. Conservation Authorities were established, therefore, to have this holistic oversight of watershed management.

The Conservation Authorities Act allowed municipalities to work together on resource management and make land-use decisions at a watershed scale. They were also given a mandate to provide recreational and educational opportunities. The intent was to engage the public in having a sense of ownership and responsibility in preserving watersheds for the valuable ecological services that they deliver to the communities through which they flow.

The latest Provincial Government proposal, would create the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency – a provincial board-governed oversight body. The stated benefit of the OPCA would be to provide centralized leadership, efficient governance, and strategic direction. The problem is that the OPCA duplicates functions that already exist. Each conservation authority already has its own board of directors composed of appointed municipal officials. The province, through the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, oversees the Act and provides policy direction, while the local board makes decisions on programs and operations that are specific to its watershed.  The conservation authority is already accountable to its Board, to the municipalities that it serves and to the provincial government. It’s not clear, therefore, how inserting another layer of management oversight will improve efficiency. Yet it almost certainly will make the CAs less responsive to local conditions and municipal needs.

The other feature of this proposal would be to consolidate Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities into 7. The intent is to have fewer organizations with standardized policies and reduced fragmentation that would ostensibly streamline approval of development applications.  Fewer organizations covering the same geographical area, however, means that each organization would, of necessity, be larger than what exists today. It’s not clear how this would improve organizational efficiency. Let’s look at the two CAs managing watersheds in Brampton.

The Credit River has its source waters in Dufferin County around Orangeville as well as in various parts of Caledon. It runs through the western part of Brampton, then into Mississauga where it flows into Lake Ontario. This watershed has geographical elements, water quality risks and plant and animal species that are specific to it.

As its name implies, the Credit Valley Conservation Authority deals with only one watershed. It supports hundreds of kilometers of trails, dozens of educational programs, a watershed plan and several on-going science and monitoring studies. It has a staff of 228 full-time employees according to Eluta, Canada’s Top 100 Employers Registry

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority manages 9 watersheds, 3 of which flow through Brampton, (Etobicoke Creek, Mimico Creek, West Humber River). The TRCA has close to 500 full-time staff and more than 3,000 volunteers.

Both the Credit Valley Conservation Authority and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority are large process and science driven organizations. That means they can be unwieldy to deal with at times. It turns out that managing complex watersheds takes time and resources. Like cooking a great meal, the process is better when not rushed. It’s not clear how the processes will be more efficient by consolidating their number and giving each more responsibility.

Case in point. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have developed excellent relationships with staff at both CVC and TRCA which have led to collaborations on initiatives such as the Heart Lake Road Ecology Monitoring Project, Bike the Creek, and more recently, BEA programs such as Rooted in Hope and Graceful Aging Through Connecting with Nature. I can’t imagine how these relationships, or these projects, would have come to be if I had to deal with a Conservation Authority that is potentially 6 times larger than what exists today. The mandate would be so broad that relationships with individual citizens or local environmental organizations would all but impossible.

Also, one size does not fit all when it comes to watershed management. Rural and urban characteristics drive a very different set of needs, and watersheds with different geographies, topologies and hydrology experience different types of risks and requirements. Lumping these together will be unlikely to yield efficiencies. Local watershed requirements will be subverted to the needs of large land developers, even more so than the imbalance that exists today. And any possible standardization or economies of scale could be driven by the Ministry without the need to go through the upheaval and costs associated with a reorganization of this magnitude.

The provincial government is entertaining comments from the public on this proposal until December 22nd. If, like me, you are concerned that this proposal introduces risks to a system that has been largely working for the past 70 plus years then please, click on the button link below and let the province know how you feel. The health of our watersheds hangs in the balance.

Please see the joint letter organized by Ontario Nature and signed by 97 organizations imploring the Provincial Government not to proceed with this consolidation plan

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.

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.

According to the organizer, Noura Bacon, “the feedback from the evening was spectacular”! The school is hoping to grow connections with community organizations to create lasting partnerships where students feel more connected to their school and community. Ghazanfar and Noura are continuing collaboration discussions on creating a pollinator garden on school property starting next spring. Receiving a thankyou note is always nice.

On October 9th, Yarim, Gunjan, and Aneet participated in an Open House event at Springbrook Public School. Students were encouraged to use plant-based dyes to create postcards with an environmental theme.

They also were played a waste sorting game to help their families put waste products into the right bin.

Finally, students and their parents were told about plant-based eating and using One-Planet principles to learn to live within the earth’s planetary boundaries.

Sasha, the school principal, was thrilled with the BEA exhibits.

Most Ontarians were not even aware of the government’s intention. The speed at which these bills were rammed through the legislature is nothing short of breathtaking, with next to no committee discussion or public consultation. Bill 5 was first introduced on April 17th and Bill 17 passed first reading on May 12th. Both bills were declared law by Royal Assent this past Thursday before the legislature adjourned until October.

Called omnibus bills, these legislative tools are large complex and far reaching. They limit the powers of municipalities, to make independent land use decisions, to protect important natural heritage features, and to implement sustainable development guidelines that will help our communities to both mitigate against the worst effects of climate change and adapt to those effects that we cannot avoid.

The main purpose of the legislation is to encourage developers to build new and affordable housing faster than they would otherwise. It does so, however, by putting the costs of providing services for those new homes on the backs of existing homeowners. It does this by deferring or eliminating development charges which the municipalities rely on to pay for building schools, recreation centres, roads, parks, etc.

I wrote an article a couple of weeks ago outlining the major problems with Bill 5. Below is a letter I wrote to my MPP Graham McGregor outlining my concerns with Bill 17. If you believe as I do that Bill 5 and Bill 17 are not the way to get more and affordable homes built, I hope you will take the time to let your MPP know how you feel and that you expect them to alter these pieces of legislation before they are allowed to damage our plan for a sustainable future.

Letter dated June 3, 2025.
To: Honourable Graham McGregor, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and MPP for Brampton North.

“Dear Minister McGregor,

I find myself once again in the unfortunate position of writing to you about a piece of legislation which, if passed will be egregiously damaging to municipal plans to protect our environment. I’m talking about Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Smarter and Faster Act, 2025. I am alarmed that Bill 17 is being fast-tracked without debate and that it attacks municipal decision-making powers.  I am particularly concerned that the Bill will threaten the ability of municipalities to continue to use Green Development Standards to ensure that new homes are safe, weather-proof, energy efficient, and more affordable to operate. Construction methods have been quickly evolving, and Ontario’s building code has fallen behind the times. Forward thinking municipalities, like Brampton, are filling the gaps so that new homes are built using modern technologies to withstand extreme weather conditions, while improving energy efficiency and facilitating low-carbon options such as electric vehicle charging, and efficient, clean heating systems.

As a case in point, this past November my wife Dayle and I received an amber alert type message on our phone at 2:00am indicating the presence of a tornado in the vicinity of our home! It didn’t wake me; I was already awake because of the roar of the wind outside. While vicious storms in November have historically been the norm, a late fall tornado in southern Ontario is not. There should be no question that the severity of weather events in our area is increasing due to climate change along with the probability of significant property damage. Our governments, at both the municipal and provincial level, have the power to implement policies that will either mitigate or exacerbate the risks. I’m disappointed that the province has chosen the latter approach in the interests of meeting short-term objectives that are driven by ideological rather than evidence-based factors.

If needed, I can provide you with the fact-based arguments as to why Green Development Standards at the municipal level will not impact speed or affordability of housing starts but will improve home efficiencies and reduce operating costs, increasing home affordability for years to come. I would ask you to please raise these issues in your Provincial caucus meetings and let your Premier know that he will be on the wrong side of history if Bill 17 and Bill 5 pass without major modifications.

Thanks for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

David Laing, L6Z 2A1

David Laing – President, Brampton Environmental Alliance https://bramptonea.org

If passed by the Provincial legislature, Bill 5 would:

• create ‘special economic zones’ where the government can suspend laws and regulations in order to build,
• allow the government to approve projects while disregarding Indigenous rights,
• absolve the government of legal responsibility for the cost of damages,
• weaken species protections to make it easier to build mines and highways,
• exempt development projects from environmental reviews,
• erode safeguards against mining activity, 
• exempt Ontario Place from public consultation requirements.

The BEA along with other environmental and First Nations groups, have significant concerns about this proposed legislation. Perhaps the biggest concern is that this Bill would repeal the 2007 Endangered Species Act which, although far from perfect, was commended as being among the strongest in the country at the time.

There are over 200 endangered species of plants and animals protected under the current act. For example, bird species that were once common in southern Ontario such as the Barn Owl, Barn Swallow, Eastern Meadowlark, and Eastern Whip-poor-will, are in danger of becoming extinct in the next few years without appropriate steps being taken to protect their habitat and breeding grounds. Fish such as the Redside Dace that once lived in the cool waters of Brampton’s rivers, creeks and rivulets, are now endangered, as is the Blanding’s Turtle.

Once gone, they are gone forever. Some would say, “so what”, but, for many of us these losses are acutely felt, affecting our quality of life and our ability to enjoy outdoor recreation. The unique characteristics of these plants and animals adds to the richness of our lives. In many cases they provide importance services, maintaining nature’s balance between pests and predators, pollinating our gardens, or helping fertilize our crops. Like the canary in the coal mine, these losses in biodiversity also represent a decline in the stability of our ecosystems that are necessary to sustain essential life elements for many Ontarians such as, access to clean water, clean air and a livable climate.

Recently, the BEA provided a submission to the Environmental Registry of Ontario, outlining our concerns. Here is the Executive Summary from that submission as prepared by BEA Board member Steve Papagiannis.

You can see the entire submission by clicking on the button below.

What can you do?

Call or write your MPP to let them know your concerns regarding Bill 5.

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.

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.

The last Provincial election was decided by fewer than 20% of Ontario’s eligible voters. That’s not democracy, that’s indifference. With an Ontario election looming, we all need to understand the critical issues affecting us. Your vote in the upcoming election could dramatically impact your cost of living, and your access to health services, affordable housing, insurance, food, and more?

The OCEC is planning a virtual non-partisan Town Hall for February 13th from 7:00-8:30pm designed to help you make informed choices. Hear key policy records of each party and an expert panelists’ discussion of the real-life impacts of those policies on you and your loved ones. The session will be interactive. You can ask the panelists your questions during the Q+A at the end of the session.