Brampton Environmental Alliance
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”
April is the time of year when we celebrate Earth’s bounties, take joy from daylight as it emerges from darkness’s sheath, and as we are released from the ravages of winter cold, snow and ice. April is also a time for us to reflect on the importance of the earth’s natural environment to our health and wellbeing, and the damage it suffers as a result of human pursuit of perpetual economic growth. The old adage that, “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” is poignant today for many reasons but, perhaps, especially so for the environment. With government’s of all stripes and colours, north and south of the Canada, U.S. border, rolling back environmental legislation in the name of progress, growth and affordability, it’s worth looking back to the time before much of this legislation existed to examine the impact that unbridled growth can have on our quantity and quality of life.
Continue reading “April is Earth Month, Take the Pledge!”
Emerald Energy from Waste is a private waste burning company located on Brampton’s southwest border with Mississauga. Emerald has been operating this plant since 1992. Recently, they submitted a proposal to the Ontario Government for permission to dramatically increase their plant capacity, to accommodate the equivalent of 1/3 of all of Ontario’s household waste and become the largest mass burn facility in Canada.
Emerald claims they are a clean, green technology company turning unwanted waste into sustainable electricity. Representatives, including experts from Environmental Defence, Toronto Environmental Alliance, and Region of Peel Public Health Department, dispute those claims citing the following facts:
Continue reading “Emerald Energy from Waste, Time to fight back”
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”
Canada’s Food Guide, produced by Health Canada, is a resource that provides practical, evidence-based recommendations to help Canadians make healthy food choices and develop healthy eating patterns. The guide aims to help Canadians meet their nutritional needs while reducing the risk of chronic disease and contributing to overall health and well-being. The first guide was introduced in 1942 and the recommendations have evolved over the years to reflect the latest scientific research.
Continue reading “How Eating Less Meat Helps Address Climate Change”
The Board of Directors for the Brampton Environmental Alliance is pleased to invite members and guests to the Annual General Member Meeting.
When: Wednesday March 19, 2025, 7:00-9:00pm
Where: Greenbrier Recreation Centre, Community Room, 1100 Central Parkway, Brampton
Keynote presenter: Franz Hartmann. Franz is the Coordinator of the Alliance for a Livable Ontario and former Executive Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance. He also served as Chair of the Greenbelt Alliance and was Jack Layton’s Environmental Advisor in Toronto and Ottawa. Franz will be speaking about the 5 ways that political parties can build affordable homes in Ontario without impacting the greenbelt or destroying the environment.
Brampton is the fastest growing city in Canada. This year its population surged past Mississauga’s and it is now the third largest in Ontario. Growth is putting extreme pressure on housing. healthcare, transit, infrastructure and the environment. These pressures, combined with the impacts of climate change, will lead to further degradation of our eco-systems and will have both direct and indirect impacts on the quality of life elements that make this city such a great place to live.
As a BEA member you can help the Alliance determine its priorities for 2025 and beyond, helping protect the natural heritage of Brampton for present and future generations. Participate in a workshop on being a good environmental citizen. Learn what personal actions you can take and how you can help hold our leaders to account for the actions they take that will either protect or destroy our environment.
The meeting is free and open to everyone whether you are a BEA member or not.
(Only BEA members are allowed to vote on BEA business matters).
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”
by Dayle Laing
Ontario Bill 212 will sadly result in more road violence deaths on unsafe streets. More than 34 cyclists from Brampton and Toronto gathered on Jan 25th to rally, ride and install a ghost bike to symbolize this prediction.
Not to start 2025 on a downer note but, the climate crisis is upon us. 2024 will likely be the warmest year on record, the first to surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius mark set by the Paris Accord as a “safe” threshold to avoid the worst effects of a changing climate. In Canada, 2024 was a year of unprecedented climate related property damage, over $7B worth.
That said, we must realize that, even if we could reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels to zero today, the earth’s temperature would continue rising for many decades accompanied by increasing weather-related risks. While carbon emissions reduction efforts are still critical to maintaining a livable future, steps must be taken now to prepare for the increasing hazards due to anticipated weather extremes both now and in the future.
Working with community stakeholders, City of Brampton staff have prepared the “Climate Ready Brampton” plan to address anticipated climate impacts on the City’s infrastructure, economy and natural systems. This plan defines the blueprint for action that will better equip the City to manage the changes and increase resiliency to recover quickly from adverse climate impacts.
The development of the plan has gone through three phases over the past 2 years, Research, Investigation, and Development. During the Research phase, staff along with expert consultants reviewed how Brampton’s climate has changed over the past 75 years. During the investigation phase the team solicited external expertise along with stakeholder engagement to define future climate scenarios, assess climate risks, and identify prioritized climate adaptation actions. The plan also includes financial cost analysis of those actions compared to doing nothing. Finally, the plan outlines performance targets, collaborative implementation approaches, and a framework for monitoring and reporting.
The 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.