This past week the Ontario government introduced legislation that will be incredibly damaging to Ontario’s environment. Bill 212 will fast track construction of highway 413 by removing the requirement for it to go through an environmental assessment. The bill will also will allow the province to override municipal planning departments and limit the installation or force the removal of bike lanes in Ontario’s cities and towns. While this bill may be brilliant politics, it is terrible public policy. Here’s why.
Continue reading “BEA Participates in Rally & Ride Event”Province considers bike lane ban
Last week at a news conference , Premier Doug Ford confirmed that his government is considering a province-wide ban on bike lanes where their installation would require removal of a vehicle lane. This proposal may be good populist politics. The topic of bike lanes is contentious. It often elicits visceral negative reactions, from business owners who see them as a threat to commerce, from neighbourhood groups who see them as a threat to what they believe is their God-given right to on street parking and, from drivers in general, who see bike lanes as a loss of their allocated road space and an addition of complexity to their already mentally and emotionally challenging commute. Yet the installation of bike lanes, as part of a broader vision for allowing more choice in how we travel, is a potential antidote for many of today’s environmental, social and economic challenges.
Continue reading “Province considers bike lane ban”Heat Pump Chronicles Vol 8.
This is the eighth in a series of posts on our journey to navigate government grants and loans available for home energy retrofits and to replace our natural gas furnace with a cold-climate heat pump. Click here to see all articles in the series .
I want to share our first experience with our heat pump now working as an air conditioner. In a word, FANTASTIC!
Once the weather gets consistently milder my habit has been to turn off the furnace and open the windows to bring in some fresh air. This year we were able to do that in early May. I have typically only turned the A/C on when we experience hot weather over multiple days.
Continue reading “Heat Pump Chronicles Vol 8.”BEA delegates to Peel Regional Council
The Emerald Energy from Waste facility has been operating in Peel since 1992, initially built and operated by Algonquin Power. The Region cancelled a waste burning contract with Algonquin in 2012 but the facility was sold to Emerald shortly thereafter and has been continuing operations by consuming waste from industrial, commercial and institutional sources.
In 2016, the Region considered building its own waste burning facility but cancelled those plans due to concerns about the pollution a second facility would emit. Instead it embarked on a plan to divert 75% of its waste by 2034, through a combination of improved policies, procedures and, technologies related to waste reduction, reuse, recycling and, composting.
Continue reading “BEA delegates to Peel Regional Council”BEA and Partners to Deliver Summer Programming
Post Author: Cindy Evans
This summer, with financial support from TRCA’s “Building a Healthy and Connected Bramalea” project, the BEA is providing 3 programs to the residents of Brampton – specifically aimed at engaging residents living in the E,F and K sections of Bramalea. This area has been highlighted as part of TRCA’s Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP). The objective of Bramalea SNAP is to foster neighbourhood revitalization that integrates local community interests and sustainability objectives under the overarching theme of working together for a green, healthy, and welcoming Bramalea SNAP neighbourhood.
Continue reading “BEA and Partners to Deliver Summer Programming”Heat Pump Chronicles Vol. 7
This is the seventh in a series of posts on our journey to navigate government grants and loans available for home energy retrofits and to replace our natural gas furnace with a cold-climate heat pump. Click here to see all articles in the series .
“The cheque is in the mail”. That’s what Kirby, Enbridge’s Customer Service agent might as well have said to me. I was speaking with him on February 6th, 2024, four months after we installed our Mitsubishi Zuba cold-climate heat pump.
Continue reading “Heat Pump Chronicles Vol. 7”Pollinator Week June 17-23
Pollinators are birds, bats, bees, butterflies and other small mammals that pollinate plants. They do this by collecting pollen on their bodies as they move about in search of food. In the process of travelling around they leave some of that pollen behind on many plants allowing those plants to re-produce.
Continue reading “Pollinator Week June 17-23”Rooted in Hope 2023-24 Project finishes
The Rooted in Hope 2023-24 project hosted its final event on Sunday April 21st. About a dozen and a half participants, one third seniors and two thirds secondary school students, enjoyed the bright sunshine yet below seasonal temperatures for the final tree monitoring training at Gore Meadows Community Centre.
Continue reading “Rooted in Hope 2023-24 Project finishes”Earth Day, Cold, Wet & Windy – Again!
Saturday morning dawned the same way that it has for the past three years, windy, wet and numbingly cold. Storm clouds raced across the sky bringing driving snow and hail pellets. With the temperature hovering around 5 degrees, the snow did not stay on the ground but the biting wind made it feel far cooler than the temperature indicated. Despite that, several hardy souls made the trek to the Earth Day celebration by bicycle, some coming from as far away as Georgetown.
Continue reading “Earth Day, Cold, Wet & Windy – Again!”Achēv EcoSphere conference & job fair
On Saturday March 30th, the BEA participated in the Achēv Eco-Sphere environmental conference & job fair which was aimed at raising awareness about sustainability and eco-friendly practices.
The event featured engaging speakers including, Shafqat Ali, MP for Brampton Centre, Paloma D’Silva, a recently graduated environmental data management specialist from Mississauga, Miranda Bhaksh, founder of Community Climate Council and recently named one of the Top 30 Changemakers under 30. I was honoured to also be included on the list of guest presenters.
Continue reading “Achēv EcoSphere conference & job fair”