We hope you have had a wonderful summer. It’s not quite over, so we hope you enjoy every last moment! We have been busy and will have lots to tell you in our September newsletter. It will be jam-packed, but we had some news that couldn’t wait.
We have all lived through a summer filled with smoke, and sadly the terrifying wildfires across Canada remind us all that Climate Change is happening. We don’t know many of our subscribers personally, but some of you know that Shannon grew up in Kelowna and has had a cottage there for the last 20+ years. Her parents live in Kelowna as do her daughter and son-in-law. She and her family were evacuated from their homes in Kelowna last Friday night. Fire still threatens her home, and the family has escaped to Vancouver. Brave fire fighters continue to fight the flames, air quality is atrocious and the city is literally under siege. It’s easy to feel powerless in these situations, but the best way to fight that feeling is to do something, and a great start is protecting our tree canopy. Trees are an incredible line of defence against Climate Change:
As a tree grows, it helps stop climate change by absorbing and storing greenhouse gases.
Trees release oxygen into the air. In fact, one mature leafy tree can provide enough oxygen to allow 10 of us to breathe. This is a big deal since oxygen levels rapidly decrease in densely populated areas (Cities).
Trees can lower temperatures by as much as 12C, provide shade and add moisture to the air through transpiration (releasing water back into the atmosphere).
Trees can mitigate the impact of climate change by protecting shorelines from storm surges and erosion and soaking up water after a storm.
Incredible News
We have the power to make a positive impact, and you can start right in your backyard. We have wonderfully uplifting news. As you will all remember, HHTW was started in response to the destruction of a healthy 250-year-old sugar maple at 7 Knightswood. We collected some winged seeds(samaras) from this magnificent “Mother Tree,” and she has offspring!
We have been working with an incredible organization Wilder Climate Solutions. They work to mitigate climate risk by producing solutions centred on nature. They have a nursery where they grow native plant species, intending to green our communities. They have grown the samaras we provided them, and now we have saplings ready to be planted. We anticipate mid-September for planting, and you will be provided with instructions and support. We will let you know how many saplings we have available in early September. Stay tuned!
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Greenbelt Scandal
This is too important and too timely, not to mention now. The Auditor General’s report on the Greenbelt controversy made it very clear the process was corrupt. Due process was not followed, and a few developers will be made much richer (by over 8 billion dollars), while the rest of us will be much poorer. The premier lied when he promised he would not build on the Greenbelt; it is unnecessary to build the much-needed additional housing on the Greenbelt, and Ford's officials have said this loudly and clearly. The Greenbelt safeguards the vital resources that clean our air and water, reduce our flood risks, provide a home for wildlife and ensure our communities have greenspace to explore.
Once again, it is easy to feel powerless but don't let that happen. Have your voice heard. Talk to others about this, sign petitions, join protests and don’t let this critical topic slip from public view. This article came out a few days ago and explains, in a simple easy-to-digest manner, why this is so important. Also included is a petition available for you to sign.
The Greenbelt Scandal Explained and Update:
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/08/17/opinion/ontarians-take-action-greenbelt-scandal
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-opp-refers-greenbelt-investigation-to-rcmp/
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/greenbelt-scandal-may-only-be-the-beginning-of-land-use-problems-in-ontario/article_1c95d2f2-34fe-5c87-92e6-7a0f4fe1502e.html
Greenbelt Petition:
https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/117064/action/1?ea.tracking.id=newhubpagebox
Coming this Fall
Tree Planting
As mentioned above, more details are to come.
Website
We have been busy, and we are putting the finishing touches on our HHTW Website. It will be a great source of information and jam-packed with neighbourhood news, articles, ideas, contacts and inspiring material.
Gregg Lintern -Chief Planner and Executive Director of Toronto City Planning
Mr Lintern was kind enough to respond to our email regarding 3 May Tree Road where we raised concerns related to the Committee of Adjustment, specifically with the City Planning staff review and the Committee’s consideration of the minor variance application at 3 May Tree Road. We will include his response in the Fall newsletter.
Neighbourwoods
We have reached out to Dr. Puric-Mladenovic at UofT one of the founders of Neighbourwoods. This is a community-based tree inventory, monitoring and stewardship planning program. This program was designed to help communities conduct an inventory of their urban forest and use that information to inform urban stewardship in their communities and neighbourhoods. We have a meeting with Dr. Puric-Mladenovic in mid-September.
Shannon and Laura
HHTW
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