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: UNIFOR Union Hall, 23 Regan Rd #1, Brampton, ON L7A 1B2
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.
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.
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.
The City of Brampton has completed a study for improvements to Williams Parkway from Dixie Road to Torbram. The study was commissioned in 2020 after Council requested staff to reevaluate a previous recommendation that would have seen the road widened from 4-6 lanes, See June 2020 BikeBrampton blog where different options were considered.
The study supports the City’s transition to a more sustainable urban design approach where the focus is on moving people comfortably, safely and efficiently through the use of various transportation modes including walking, cycling, and transit in addition to cars.
Not to start 2025 on a downer note but, the climate crisis is upon us. 2024 will likely be the warmest year on record, the first to surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius mark set by the Paris Accord as a “safe” threshold to avoid the worst effects of a changing climate. In Canada, 2024 was a year of unprecedented climate related property damage, over $7B worth.
That said, we must realize that, even if we could reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels to zero today, the earth’s temperature would continue rising for many decades accompanied by increasing weather-related risks. While carbon emissions reduction efforts are still critical to maintaining a livable future, steps must be taken now to prepare for the increasing hazards due to anticipated weather extremes both now and in the future.
Working with community stakeholders, City of Brampton staff have prepared the “Climate Ready Brampton” plan to address anticipated climate impacts on the City’s infrastructure, economy and natural systems. This plan defines the blueprint for action that will better equip the City to manage the changes and increase resiliency to recover quickly from adverse climate impacts.
The development of the plan has gone through three phases over the past 2 years, Research, Investigation, and Development. During the Research phase, staff along with expert consultants reviewed how Brampton’s climate has changed over the past 75 years. During the investigation phase the team solicited external expertise along with stakeholder engagement to define future climate scenarios, assess climate risks, and identify prioritized climate adaptation actions. The plan also includes financial cost analysis of those actions compared to doing nothing. Finally, the plan outlines performance targets, collaborative implementation approaches, and a framework for monitoring and reporting.
The plan identifies 6 Goals, 5 Themes, 15 Objectives with 55 supporting actions.
Climate Ready Brampton Vision
“Brampton will be a climate leader fostering resilient, low-carbon, and adaptable communities, with thriving natural systems, climate-ready infrastructure, and a robust economy that advances equity, innovation, and quality of life both now and for future generations”.
Climate Ready Brampton Goals
Brampton is adaptable to predicted climate change impacts using best available science and climate data,
Climate action will prioritize the most vulnerable people, communities, and places in the City,
Climate resilience is the new normal where city staff, partners, neighbourhoods and generations work to protect each other,
Climate change preparation adaptation occurs within the context of a robust economy,
Climate resilience actions become more efficient and effective through collaboration and strong partnerships,
Progress is transparently reported against clear, measurable targets.
Climate Ready Brampton Themes and Objectives
Collaborative Leadership,
Brampton will be a leader in climate resilience
Municipal staff are prepared, informed and have all required tools
Protected and Connected People,
Equity-deserving groups are prioritized,
Moving around the city is safe and simple in all conditions,
People are prepared for climate disasters through emergency planning
Resilient Infrastructure and Buildings
Essential infrastructure is resilient
Community is safe in their daily life,
Buildings and homes are climate proof
Resilient and Healthy Natural Systems,
Naturalized spaces help protect Brampton from climate impacts
Natural systems are healthy and intact
Community Involvement and Communication
Brampton is prepared for climate emergencies
Emergency communications keep the community safe
The community is involved in climate action
The 55 actions are assigned to each of the objectives noted above. They cover different aspects from addressing climate risk, to protection and enhancement of forests and wetlands. Here a just a few examples:
Hiring a Climate Risk Officer,
Staff training on climate adaptation strategies and risk assessment,
The Etobicoke Creek watershed is highly urbanized with large amounts of hard surfaces and low amounts of natural cover compared with other watersheds in the greater Toronto area. This contributes to issues with flooding, erosion, and negative impacts to both animal and plant habitat. The added stress of further urbanization and climate change impacts will further degrade watershed health unless immediate remediation and mitigation actions are taken.
With less than two weeks left in 2024, crews at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority are working hard to complete wetlands, shoreline and habitat restoration work in Conservation Drive Park, Loafer’s Lake Park, and along the Watson Valley south of Conservation Drive.
Loafers Lake construction
Wetlands provide essential eco-system services including, flood and erosion control, water filtration, heat island mitigation, and habitat for a plethora of animal and plant species. Loafer’s Lake was considered a priority as its water quality was among the worst in Brampton. Flood risk management is important along this water course as the City looks to intensify development in the downtown core.
This past February the Provincial Government’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) announced $2.5 million in support of the Etobicoke Creek Wetlands Enhancement Project, designed to improve accessibility and recreational opportunities in Loafer’s Lake Park as well as build additional wetland habitat along the Etobicoke Creek valley between Sandalwood Parkway and Mayfield Road. A condition of funding is that the project be completed before the end of 2024.
Work started in March in multiple locations. A total of 8 wetland areas were created or restored including Loafer’s Lake. Three wetland areas were created south of Mayfield Rd.
Equipment at restoration site south of MayfieldRestoration site south of Mayfield
The wetland just north of Conservation Drive was expanded and enhanced.
Conservation Dr wetland before restorationConservation Dr. restoration work starts
Conservation Drive new wetland takes shapeConservation Dr. wetland complete
Large tree trunks were installed in the area behind Somerset Drive Public School, both for habitat and for soil stabilization.
Large tree trunk installed in Loafer’s Lake Park wetland
A watercourse at the northern edge of this area known as the Snelgrove Channel received particular attention. This underground storm drain and water channel is the remnant of what used to be a surface creek that was buried when the surrounding residential subdivisions were built in the early 1980’s. The original channel washed away over the next 30 years eventually dangerously exposing sanitary sewer infrastructure.
Sanitary sewer pipe exposed by erosion in 2014 prior to restoration
The channel was restored in 2014 using large rocks to create a naturalized waterfall plus a series of ponds designed to dissipate the water energy.
Snelgrove Drainage Channel after 2014 restoration
Unfortunately nature had other plans and by 2022 further bank erosion was, once again threatening the sanitary sewer pipes.
bank erosion around previously restored infrastructure
This time a large volume of rock was brought in to stabilize the channel floor and banks. Most of the massive rocks were removed and the picturesque but impractical waterfall and pools were replaced with a gentler slope and more rocks designed to slow the water speed.
Large rock pile waiting to be installedNew channel restoration
Let’s hope this restoration will last for many years. Hat’s off to the team who appear to be delivering the project on time and on budget!
TRCA staff planting trees along Etobicoke Creek valley
“Summer 2024 shatters records for severe weather damage: Over $7 billion in insured losses from floods, fires and hailstorms.” That’s the headline from a recent Insurance Bureau of Canada blog post. The post highlights the unprecedented number and severity of natural disasters across the country that resulted in a 406% increase in the number of property insurance claims compared to the 20-year average. “These events are escalating at a shocking rate and Canada is simply not prepared”, said Celyeste Power, IBC president.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has teamed with City of Brampton, the Federal Government’s Healthy Communities Initiative, United Way, and various community partners, including the BEA, to deliver projects in Bramalea’s K, E, and F sections. This is all part of the Bramalea Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP). The Bramalea SNAP integrates local community interests and sustainability objectives under the overarching theme of working together for a green, healthy, and welcoming Bramalea neighbourhood. The Action Plan is made up of six themes, each with their own integrated initiatives: