BEA Board members David and Dayle Laing, along with BEA member Cindy Evans visited MP Sonia Sidhu at her Parliamentary Office on Wednesday June 19th. Topics discussed included the status of the Active Transportation Fund, the New Horizons for Seniors grant program and general concerns about current government policy regarding the environment.

Active Transportation Fund

Beginning in 2026-2027, the Government of Canada is investing in permanent public transit programming under the Canada Public Transit Fund to support transit in communities of all sizes across Canada. This includes targeted funding for specific types of public transit and active transportation projects ranging from capital to planning.

Established in 2021, the Active Transportation Fund earmarked $400M to be spent over 5 years to support the expansion and enhancement of active transportation infrastructure, to make travel by active transportation easier, safer, more convenient and more enjoyable. According to Velo Canada Bikes, a national cycling advocacy organization, very little of that money has been spent since program inception.. In 2023, Brampton submitted 2 “shovel ready projects” to the fund. This included infrastructure repairs to pedestrian bridges throughout the city and the construction of multi-use paths along Westcreek, Advance, and Alfred Khune Blvds. Most of the work on both projects has been completed but funds could now be allocated to other active transportation projects including infrastructure on Howden and Charolais where bike lanes either have or a destined to be removed. MP Sidhu asked for more details and committed to help Brampton secure federal funds for active tranportation projects in her riding of Brampton South.

New Horizons for Seniors grant

The New Horizons for Seniors is a federal grant program to support projects that are designed by seniors and for seniors in their communities. The program is designed to engage seniors in volunteer activities, mentor others, create community and support new and existing community projects aimed at seniors. The BEA is working on a grant submission for 2027 that will provide edcuational opportunities for seniors in climate adaptation, and healthy aging. More details will be provided in the coming months. MP Sidhu committed to providing a letter of support for the BEA proposed project.

Government of Canada Environmental Policy

Finally, the visit with MP Sidhu was an opportunity for the BEA to express concern about the Federal government’s position on increasing fossil fuel production and streamlining big projects at the expense of environmental controls. MP Sidhu listened to our concerns and reiterated the government’s position on the importance of the environment to long-term growth and economic stability.

All in all it was a good meeting that accomplished BEA objectives. We thank MP Sidhu for her time and attention.

Climate Change Award, Individual: Julius Lindsay
Stewardship Award, Individual: Jeya Thavachandren
Stewardship Award, Business/Organization: The Food Quotient
Environmental Youth Award: Human Nature Projects Canada
Environmental Legacy Award: Pauline Thornham

Amisha Moorjani, was recognized as owner of The Food Quotient a catering business focused on preparing healthy meals in an environmentally sustainable way. The business buys from local food sources and uses reuseable packaging wherever possible.

Amisha is member of the Brampton Environment Advisory Committee. She became a BEA Board member in 2024 and has been an active contributor to various BEA projects and events. She has recently taken on the role of BEA Community Outreach Coordinator to help bring organizations together in the common goal of having Brampton grow as an environmentally sustainable city.

Polly Thornham was recognized for her outstanding environmental work over many years. She is an active member of Sierra Club, BikeBrampton, and the Green Party of Ontario. She has run as a Green Party candidate at both the Provincial and Federal level. She is a past member of the Brampton Environmental Advisory Committee and the Brampton Active Transportation Advisory Committee. Polly joined the BEA Board in 2024 and is a tireless contributor to BEA projects and events.

The BEA congratulates all of the Brampton Grow Green Environmental Award winners for 2026!

What if your front yard, backyard, or boulevard could become a haven for bees, butterflies, and the plants that sustain them — right here in Brampton?

​Join us for a guided walk and talk at Dorchester Park with a representative from the Friends and Stewards of Dorchester Park — a passionate group of neighbours who have been quietly transforming this green space, one native plant at a time.

​This guided, interactive outdoor walk is designed to connect residents with real, local climate action happening right in our community. At each stop along the route, you’ll hear short talks, stories, and see firsthand demonstrations of what community-led environmental stewardship looks like on the ground.

​You’ll discover:

•  ​Which native plants and pollinators call Brampton home
• ​What the neighbours have planted and nurtured at Dorchester Park — and why it matters for local biodiversity and climate resilience
• ​Simple, practical ways you can bring this work into your own neighbourhood

​Whether you have a balcony, a backyard, or a patch of sidewalk garden, this walk will leave you inspired and equipped to take action where you live.

​The event is open to all residents, families, and youth — anyone curious about climate action in a local context is welcome.

​Light refreshments will be provided.

​A few things to know before you come:

• ​ This is a rain or shine event — dress for the weather!
• ​ Please bring your own water bottle
• ​ Pre-registration is required — space is limited to 20 attendees

Pollinators are essential to healthy ecosystems, food production, biodiversity, and climate resilience across Ontario. Creating pollinator gardens with native plants and installing bee hotels are simple but powerful ways communities can support declining native bee populations while helping mitigate climate change through healthier urban ecosystems.

Recently, Brampton Environmental Alliance partnered with Plant Powered for the Earth to bring a Bee Habitat Program called “ Pollinator Habitat Protectors” to W.G. Davis Senior Public School. Students participated in a hands-on seminar and workshop about the importance of native plants and pollinators, and decorated six bee hotels built and provided to the school by both organizations to help enhance the school’s pollinator garden and provide a habitat for solitary bee pollinators.

The workshop was facilitated by environmental educator Yarim Hinojosa to the school’s grade 7 students and Eco Club. The goal was to inspire and empower the students by teaching them all about native pollinators and pollinator-loving plants of Ontario, how to protect pollinators and their habitats and the advantages of bee hotels.

The workshop had the indigenous perspective or approach called “two-eyed seeing” (Etuaptmumk) as a guiding principle. Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshal originally introduced this approach and it advocates for looking at the world with one eye using the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, and with the other eye using the strengths of Western knowledge and methods. We used this approach to help the students better understand the importance of native pollinator animals and native plants in Ontario.

One example that was shared was the indigenous perspective of reciprocity and connection between plants and bees proposed by Robin Wall Kimmerer, who is a plant scientist, poet, member of the Potawatomi Nation, mother, and student of Native American stories and traditions.

In her book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer says “while beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, she says, science also tells us that the two colors of purple asters and yellow goldenrod, having reciprocal colors in human and bee eyes and growing together, attract a greater number of pollinators than either would growing alone, therefore leading to better plant success.”

The students learned about botany, biology and ecology, as well as how to identify and grow native plants that attract native bees and butterfly pollinator animals in Ontario. There was a special spotlight on the plants that will be grown in the school’s brand new pollinator garden. These plants include bee-attracting specimens like Smooth Blue Aster, Oxeye ( pictured above with a green female Sweat Bee), Pearly Everlasting, Mountain Mint, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Blue Lobelia among others.

The students also learned about the botany and ecology of butterfly-attracting plants like Wild Columbine, Purple Coneflower, Cardinal Flower, Butterfly Milkweed (Pictured above with a Monarch Butterfly), Hairy Beardtongue, Dense Blazing Star, Dense Blazing Star, Smooth Blue Aster, among others.

Did you know? Milkweeds are larval host plants for monarchs, which are a native species to Ontario. Increased plantings of these wildflowers will help populations of these regal butterflies in their efforts to make their grand migrations, a phenomenon which is in peril.

The students also learned about the challenges that native bee species face in Ontario, such as pesticide use, destruction of habitat and competition with non native species and actionable ways to help.

Did you know? A study by the University of Toronto suggests that non native species, including honey bees, which are an introduced species, are affecting Ontario’s native solitary Mason bee population.

The students were amazed to learn about the ecology of native solitary bee species, which many had never seen or heard about. This is not surprising as most media, illustrations and advertising portray bees mostly as “honey bee-looking”. They quickly became aware of the importance of learning about the various kinds of native bees in Ontario to protect them. Some of these beautiful, solitary species native to Ontario include those in the Osmia genus (Typical Mason Bees / Orchard Bees) and the Megachile genus (Leaf-cutter bees )

Osmia lignaria (Blue Orchard Mason Bee) – The most well-known native mason bee, metallic blue-black, and a highly efficient early-spring pollinator.

Megachile latimanus: A large, widely distributed, and extremely common leafcutter species.

Native bees face many challenges, but part of the solution, besides awareness and education, is protecting and providing habitat. The ideal habitat is a natural habitat, in urban areas, without pollinator gardens or plants; the students learned that humans can offer shelters or structures like bee hotels.

Everyone in attendance was inspired to plant more native plants in their homes, balconies, and communities that attract pollinators. We also showed them the benefits of providing solitary bees a “bee hotel” as habitat for their pollinator garden, which will provide native solitary bees a home near the school’s pollinator garden.

The workshop ended by having the students paint the outside of six bee hotels with colors which bees are attracted the most such as blue and yellow. These bee hotels were designed and built as a collaboration by the BEA and Plant Powered for the Earth, and donated to the school to enhance their pollinator garden.

The students also shared what they learned, and everyone expressed genuine interest, shared responsibility and excitement to help protect pollinators and native plants in their school and monitor the lifecycle of bees visiting their bee hotels.

The workshop and program will include ongoing monitoring by the BEA and Plant Powered for the Earth in collaboration with WG Davis SS of the bee hotels and their full lifecycle. The goal is to introduce students to hands-on environmental education and citizen science while helping support native solitary bee populations, encouraging the planting of pollinator gardens for biodiversity, food security and to mitigate the impact of climate change in Brampton.

Programs like this help advance local pollinator habitat goals, encourage the planting of native gardens, strengthen biodiversity, and contribute to climate action by creating greener, more sustainable communities.

If schools, organizations, or community groups are interested in bringing this Bee Habitat Program to their school or institution, please contact us, we would love to collaborate.

info@bramptonea.org

contact@plantpoweredfortheearth.org

After introductions I started each session by explaining the ecosystem services that trees provide. Trees help to keep our cities cool during increasingly hot summer months. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen that all animals, including humans, need to breathe. They help to slow down winter winds keeping our cities warmer during the colder months. They provide habitat for urban wildlife, And, finally trees are beautiful to look at. They provide city – dwellers an opportunity to engage with nature which has been shown to improve both physical and mental health.

Alice Casselman, ACER’s President instructed students on the use of tools used to measure tree height, trunk diameter and the volume of the tree crown, (the area covered by branches and leaves). The students also learned to identify tree species, and common diseases affecting tree health. They received instruction on proper mulching techniques to ensure that the ground around the tree trunk stays moist while preventing trunk mold growth and protecting delicate roots.

The students then went out to the planting areas to perform the measurement tasks, record the results on their data sheets, and spread city provided mulch around each tree as required.

Over 100 trees were measured over the two days and over 200 trees received mulch.

Brampton’s Forestry Department will receive the collected data and use it to help inform the city’s urban forest management plan.

It seems a good time was had by all.

The database is searchable by Councillor, specific item, and category

The summary chart below is captured from the database. It shows the relative volume of decisions in categories related to transportation, land-use, energy management, waste management including air & water quality, and protection of nature. It shows the number of decisions by year. It also ranks the Councillors based on the number of negative votes. Negative votes can be either a NO vote against positive climate policy or a YES vote on a decision that is damaging for the environment.

What we’ve discovered so far:

• Most Council votes are either Carried or Lost rather than recorded by individual Councillor. This reduces transparency because it is more challenging to see individual Councillors’ positions.
• Many motions are bundled into Consent Agenda. This limits debate on issues and again reduces transparency and accountability.
• Disconnect between broad policy and specific motions. Often Council will vote in favour of a strategic plan but then against specific actions that support that plan. An example would be a land-use plan that defines areas destined to be higher density but then Council votes no to a specific proposal that conforms to that density guideline.

What you can do?

The municipal election is coming this October. We have an opportunity to make the environment and climate part of the election discussion.

• Raise Awareness – Share the Climate Voting Records Site
• Review Council Voting Records on Environmental Issues
• Support Policies that Prioritize Climate & Community Health
• Ask your Councillor about their environmental voting record to show you care.
• When a candidate comes knocking, ask them what they will do to help Brampton mitigate climate change and adapt to the changes that are coming.
• Help us Advocate for transparent decision-making and more recorded votes for the new Council term 2026-2030

This article is not a travelogue. My friend Lisa does a much better job than I in capturing the history, architecture, and visuals of her travels. Lisa was one of seven companions who went with Dayle and me to this beautiful and culturally rich country. You can see her posts about the trip at Lisastokes.ca.

What I want to focus on in this article is how the Dutch people, have largely left behind the debate about the reality of climate change and are simply getting on with the job of addressing it. Contrast that with Canada where federal and provincial governments, from both sides of the political spectrum, are rapidly rolling back climate policy and environmental regulations.

The first notable difference between Canada and the Netherlands is that climate is tied to economics rather than environment. The Dutch Ministry responsible for meeting carbon reduction targets is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. There is a recognition that the Dutch economy, as well as its way of life will be severely impacted if emissions reductions specified in the Paris agreement are not met.

As a tourist, Dutch efforts to reduce carbon emissions are both subtle and obvious. The most obvious is the absence of car culture. The bicycle is the primary mode of travel for short-distance trips throughout the Netherlands. In large cities like Amsterdam bicycles account for almost 1 of every 2 trips taken. Public transit, mostly in the form of trams and trains are used for about 8% of trips. The car still dominates for longer-distance travel on major throughways, although there is a reasonably convenient cycling network connecting towns and cities. But facts and statistics do not do justice to the feeling you get travelling in Holland. The volume of bike traffic is almost overwhelming.

The infrastructure is almost always built with the safety and comfort of both cyclists and pedestrians in mind. Within the towns, and on secondary roads, convenience for car drivers is at best a secondary consideration. In Amsterdam, and smaller cities such as Hoorn or Haarlem, separated bike lanes are the norm for any streets that are expected to carry larger volumes of faster moving traffic. Bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks and pedestrians must take the same care in crossing bicycle lanes as they would a lane for cars.

Side streets are often protected by huge bollards that prevent larger vehicles from entering. These bollards lower into the pavement to allow for passage of local, commercial and or safety vehicles and then rise again once the vehicle has passed.

Streets that accommodate all vehicle types are referred to as “woonerf” or living streets. On these streets the cars are considered “guests”, speeds are limited to 30km per hour and cars must yield to cyclists, even if that means travelling at bicycle speed for a kilometre or more.

From an energy standpoint, the message is clear that the Netherlands is committed to renewable energy. Many older style windmills are still functioning to help pump water or grind grains.

Newer technology windmills are almost always in view, whether as part of offshore windfarms or dotting the landscape amongst the farm fields and flowers. Renewables, mostly solar and wind, now generate more than 50% of the country’s electricity needs with the target to achieve 75% by 2030.

Beyond individual transport and energy were other signs of a collective commitment to reducing carbon emissions. Of course we observed many electric vehicles on the road or plugged into local charging stations. But I wasn’t expecting to see a sign on our boat indicating it used 100% biofuel.

And the motors on the Love boat that we took to tour the canals of Amsterdam were 100% electric!

I also noted a reduced amount of plastic packaging in the Jumbo stores where we bought groceries. Most products are wrapped either in cellophane, paper or cardboard, all biodegradable materials. Public recycling bins are everywhere, and they included separation for organic waste.

Climate friendly industries were highly visible as we travelled through the countryside. Here are a couple of examples.

And streets in the Netherlands are cleaner than at home, partly because of the culture, and partly because of the teams of street sweepers which can be regularly seen, especially in Amsterdam’s downtown tourist area.

Perhaps one of the reasons why the Dutch are so eager to embrace actions to address climate change is that the country has a lot to lose if global temperatures surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature change threshold considered safe by the scientific community. Time and place didn’t allow us to see some of the Netherland’s amazing flood management systems but this is another way in which the country is embracing the climate challenge.

More than 30% of the country is below current sea levels requiring an intricate system of polders, (large land areas that have been raised above sea level), dykes, (barriers along the coast to hold the sea off the lower lands), and a series of dams, fixed storm surge barriers and portable flood barriers that self-inflate in the presence of high water levels.

In addition to designing systems that keep water out, they also have infrastructure to strategically let water in to be absorbed into restored marshes and estuaries where it reduces flooding risk while supporting natural ecosystems. See, the YouTube video, How the Dutch Keep the Entire Country from Drowning, for a better understanding of how the Dutch have developed the most sophisticated water defence system in the world.

Despite their engineering prowess, the Netherlands still has significant obstacles to overcome to achieve long-term environmental sustainability. Sea levels are rising. The International Panel on Climate Change assumes a maximum rise of 1 metre by the year 2100. But the rate of rise has almost doubled over the last decade to about 4mm each year. This may be due to ocean warming and melting ice in the Arctic, Antarctic and, Greenland that is happening faster than originally assumed. If sea levels rise by 2 metres or more, Netherlands water defence system would need a complete overhaul to prevent catastrophic flooding.

Also, the Netherlands is not on track to achieve its target to reduce carbon emissions by 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. The government’s environmental assessment agency suggests that reductions of between 45% and 53% are more likely based on current performance. That is similar to Canada’s target of 40-45% reduction based on 2005 levels. But reports suggest that Canada’s target for 2030 is also at risk, suggesting 21-28% is a more likely scenario. And Canada’s per capita emissions are more than 2X the Netherland’s and more than 3X the global average. So we here in Canada have a lot to learn from our Dutch cousins. They have left us with big shoes to fill!

Oh, and by the way, the flowers were spectacular!

Sarah was telling me about the Climate Ready Homes program that TRCA started in September 2025. The program builds on the success of SNAP. Climate Ready Homes is designed to help homeowners make practical, affordable upgrades that boost comfort, save money, and prepare for a changing climate. It provides access to personalized guidance, financial incentives and educational workshops on a variety of topics including:

The program is free and available to all residents within TRCA’s jurisdiction. For Brampton that is anyone living within the Etobicoke Creek, Mimico Creek, or Humber River West watersheds. If you live on or east of Hurontario/Main St. you are eligible to participate, although downtown Brampton west to Mill St. is also included.

When you sign up for a home consultation, you will receive a FREE incentive of your choice! Options include a rain barrel, DIY air sealing kit, basement flood alarm, tree or shrub, and an emergency preparedness kit.

Check out the BEA events page for information about Climate Ready Home workshops coming up later this month and in April. Learn about Flood Protection, Rain Gardens 101 and, Beautiful Native Plants. These workshops are in Richmond Hill and Etobicoke respectively. I’m hoping to convince Sarah to host a workshop here in Brampton in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Food

The meeting started with informal networking, snacks and refreshments provided by The Food Quotient

Notable Guests

The meeting was attended by several notable guests including:

• Ruby Sahota- MP Brampton North – Caledon, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime) 
• Sonia Sidhu – MP Brampton South,
• Graham McGregor – MPP Brampton North, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism
• Dr. Therese Chan – Dean Toronto Metropolitan University, School of Medicine
• Sharanjit Kaur – Chief Administration Officer TMU School of Medicine,
• Dr. Priya Chopra – Course Director TMU School of Medicine
• Dayana Gomez – Executive Director, Credit Valley Conservation Foundation

Speakers

Pam Cooper, Manager of Environmental Planning at the City of Brampton, provided an overview of City environmental plans and activities. Things to look forward to in 2026 from Brampton include:

• Grow Green Festival and Awards Ceremony – Saturday June 6th at Jim Archdekin Recreation Centre,
• Climate Change Adaptation Plan
• Invasive Species Management Plan
• Numerous Community Stewardship Events and
• A Mystery Restoration Project (details to be announced soon).

Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager with Environmental Defence then spoke about how her organization is continuing to challenge the Province’s plans:

• To build highway 413 when there are more effective options for moving goods and services within the GTA,
• To import fracked natural gas from the United States to meet Ontario’s energy needs when local renewable energy can be provided more reliably and at less cost,
• To support the expansion of a Brampton-based waste burning facility that will become the largest in Canada, rather than implementing policies to reduce non-recyclable packaging and encouraging proper waste separation.

Jaipaul Massey-Singh, CEO Brampton Board of Trade spoke about the role and responsibility of businesses to protect the environment and reduce emissions that contribute to climate change.

He said that consumers can use their purchasing power to make businesses more environmentally responsible and that, when businesses become more environmentally conscious they do so at scale which truly does have a positive global impact.

Dr. Theresa Chan, Founding Dean of Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine and their Vice-President of Medical Affairs.

Dr. Chan spoke about the importance of working with the community in collaborations and partnerships for the betterment of health outcomes. TMU is engaging first year medical students in a community project (CAP), where teams of students collaborate with a community partner on a project that deeply affects community health. The team working with the Brampton Environmental Alliance is focusing on the health impacts of air quality in the environment.

BEA Environmental Awards

• Civic Leadership Awards
  • Rowena Santos, City and Regional Councillor Wards 1 & 5 for her work in championing various environmental causes and events throughout the city both as Councillor and as Brampton’s representative, both nationally and abroad
  • Graham McGregor, Brampton North MPP and Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism for his work advocating for funding Brampton’s wetlands restoration work
• Eco-citizen Award
  • Cindy Evans for her project leadership over the past 2 years working with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as part of the Bramalea Sustainable Neighbourhoods Program
• Corporate Sustainability Award
  • Medtronic Canada for its work, collaborating with community organizations to educate its employees on the importance of environmental sustainability,
• Green Organization Award
  • People Against Littering for its tireless efforts in organizing clean up events to make Brampton the first litter-free city in Canada

BEA Business Meeting

David called the business meeting to order

• Approval of 2025 AGM minutes – moved by Steve Papagiannis, carried
• Election of Board of Directors:
  • Board Executive
    • David Laing – President,
    • Steve Papagiannis – Vice-President,
    • Harry Bridgemohan, Treasurer,
    • Dayle Laing, Secretary
  • Board Members
    • Amisha Moorjani,
    • Chaya Chengappa,
    • Ghazanfar Jawaid,
    • Gunjan Sharda,
    • Polly Thornham,
    • Sumit Sharda,
    • Yarim Hinojosa,
    • Rhythm Verma,
    • Gauravi Sani,
    • Jashan Gill,
    • Rajbalinder Ghatoura
  • Moved by Polly Thornham, carried
• Treasurer’s Report presented by Harry Bridgemohan
  • Harry indicated the BEA is in a strong cash position entering into 2026 with positive prospects for the coming year
  • Motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report – Dayle Laing, carried
• President’s Report
  • David provided an overview of what environmental sustainability in Brampton looks like over the coming years and how it fits within the City’s 2040 vision document, “A cultural Mosaic”. He spoke about the role of the BEA in making that vision become a reality, acting as a strong voice for advocacy and as a catalyst bringing together, individuals, groups, corporations and institutions for the greater good of the community.
  • BEA Priorities for 2026
    • Increase impact on local government policy through projects like ClimateFast,
    • Build on strategic relationships with other environmental groups, conservation authorities, educational institutions, professional organizations, and city and regional departments
    • Participate in collaborative projects including Bramalea SNAP, TMU CAP, the City’s One-Million Trees Program, BEA loves Pollinators project, and the Credit Valley Trail
    • Continue growing BEA’s reach and impact through increased social media, tabling opportunities and educational seminars and workshops
• The meeting was adjourned at 8:26pm followed by informal networking

The Youth!

The Certificate

2025 Year end Video

It’s hard for me not to take this personally. My wife Dayle and I started BikeBrampton 13 years ago to encourage the city to build an active transportation network that would offer a safe, convenient and relatively comfortable alternative to the car for short-distance trips. Until last week, it’s been slow but reasonably steady progress. Over the past decade or so, the city has created a subdepartment under planning for active transportation. It hired an active transportation specialist and supporting staff. An active transportation master plan was created and unanimously passed by Council in 2019. That plan outlined a connected network of pathways, sidewalks and bike lanes across the entire city that would be built out over 20 years.

The plan also outlined the compelling reasons why cycling must be an important element in the city’s long-term transportation strategy. The traffic demand management experts have done the calculations and determined we are in big trouble if the historical growth in the use of cars continues, particularly for single occupancy vehicles. As the city’s population tips over 1 million residents in the next few years, Brampton will not only run out of road space, it will run out of space to build roads unless a higher percentage of people choose transportation alternatives other than the personal automobile. Straight and simple. If we want to avoid traffic chaos and road related carnage both now and in the future, more people must choose transit, walking, cycling, and micro mobility for short-distance travel.

Encouraging people to walk, cycle or jump on transit starts with giving them the confidence that, if they choose a mode of travel other than the car, they can still get to their destinations, conveniently, and in relative safety and comfort. There are many aspects to what it takes to create this confidence. But table stakes is for the city to build a network that is as comprehensive as the existing road system while limiting interaction between motorists and vulnerable road users such as cyclists.

Sidewalks serve this purpose for pedestrians. They are physically separated from faster moving traffic and are reasonably comprehensive in allowing walkers to get from home to destinations that are maximum 1-2 km away. Adult cyclists cannot use sidewalks. For one thing it is illegal do so in Brampton. And sidewalks are not designed for bicycles travelling faster than about 12 kilometers an hour. Mixing pedestrians and fast-moving utilitarian cyclists is not a good idea. Safety becomes an issue on this type of facility the faster you go. For this reason, multi-use paths are also not a valid option for cyclists or e-scooters wanting to get somewhere quickly and conveniently.

Bicycles are allowed to use the road. But the speed variance between bicycles and cars leads to potential conflicts and safety issues. Depending on the speed and volume of traffic on the road, it also reduces the comfort level for cyclists meaning most people will not ride even if they want to.

Dedicated bicycle lanes provide a cost-effective and reasonably safe alternative. Installing a separated bicycle path in the boulevard can cost 5 to 50 times as much per kilometer compared to on-street bike lanes. And, bike lanes only need to be installed along certain roads of the network to provide key connectivity allowing cyclists to travel to virtually any part of the city in relative safety.

In 2020, just as COVID hit, the city introduced the “Streets for People” program which started in earnest to build out the network described in the active transportation master plan. Perhaps the most important connection in the plan is the east-west cycling corridor encompassing, Vodden, Howden, North Park, Central Parkway, and Cottrelle once the bridge across the Bayridge Valley is complete. This stretch of road midway between Queen and Bovaird runs almost the full width of the city. It uses collector roads that were historically “over-engineered” so that bike lanes could be used as a traffic calming measure to reduce speeding and aggressive driving behaviour. It connects the three major pathways that run north and south through Brampton’s rivers valleys. It also connects residential areas to literally hundreds of destinations, areas for recreation employment and commercial activities. This section of roadway is uniquely suited to act as the spine for active transportation across the city.

Unfortunately, change inevitably is met with resistance. Even though cycling usage has increased significantly in recent years, motorists still saw the bike lanes as being mostly empty. They became frustrated with the loss of road space for automobiles, There was particular frustration at intersections where there was no longer a dedicated lane for right-hand turners. With road construction on Williams and Dixie that encouraged more cut-through traffic along Howden, residents became increasingly upset. They demanded action

Last summer, Council directed staff to analyze several options. After conducting numerous public feedback sessions and reviewing the data, staff recommended an option that would maintain the bike lanes along most of the road section but move those lanes into the boulevard at the intersections allowing for dedicated right and left-hand turns for motorists. A cost-effective and reasonable compromise which would help alleviate resident concerns while still maintaining this key piece of infrastructure for cyclists.

Here is my frustration. With the exception of one, Council, fueled by the resident anger, determined they were not prepared to support this compromise, or any compromise for that matter. The only thing that would satisfy them was complete removal of this section of the Howden bike lanes, which threatens to render the active transportation master plan useless.

I started riding my bike primarily for environmental reasons. In Brampton, transportation represents the largest source of carbon emissions. I’m very concerned about climate change, (as should we all be). Dayle and I had taken the usual steps to reduce our carbon footprint, changing light-bulbs, increasing insulation, sealing doors and windows, etc. There are very few things that we as individuals can do to address the climate crisis. I was looking for more, and riding my bike to short-distance destinations seemed like a good way for me to help the planet while staying in shape at the same time.

Brampton has the potential to be bicycle friendly. We are a suburb yes, but we are also a city of close to a million people while enjoying extraordinary population growth. Most of our trips taken by car are less than 5km. Cycling changes the environmental fabric of the city. It allows us to grow up not out and in a healthier, less polluting way that connects to our communities and encourages support for local businesses.

It’s time we all decided what kind of city we want to live in, today and in the future. If you care about this issue, (and you should); if you care about your future and the future of your children, (and I’m sure you do), then write your councillors and tell them you support active transportation. Tell them you support bike lanes!