Though Nickel Brook Beers is part of the Better Bitters Brewing Company, it is anything but bitter! This brewery, open since 1991, works with over 80 adventurous beer recipes, including Green Apple Pilsner, Maple Porter, Cuvee Strong Spices Ale, and Scottish 80 Schilling. But the goodness doesn't stop there! Nickel Brook is committed to using local ingredients, currently sourcing hop from local vines and planning on adding barley to their supplies. Did we mention they make wine, too?

Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation Wins Wilmer Shields Rich Award for Excellence in Communications

The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation has been named a silver award winner for excellence in communications by the 2010 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs. 

The Foundation received the award for its 2009 Annual Report, which demonstrated the Foundation's commitment to public accountability and effective communications. The report was also highlighted as serving as a model of excellence for other grantmakers.

When we think about local food and the tasty products available to us from the Greenbelt's bounty, the rich bouquet of wines from the Niagara region are often part of the package while "barley sandwiches" draw the short straw and are relegated to bridesmaid status.

King Brewery is one of the few Decoction Brew houses in existence in Canada, using Old World German techniques, special yeast and a 30-40% longer brewing day to create unique brewed flavours. Located in Nobleton Ontario, King Brewery opened its doors in 2002, and offers three mouthwatering beers: Pilsner, Dark Lager, and the new Pilsbock.

Over 20,000 people now signed up for our virtual EarthHour event! 
Woooo! http://ow.ly/1h9zK

This brewery has got to be good; it’s been around for 23 years! Toronto’s oldest craft brewery has been in business since 1987, brewing a slew of creative beers, right here in the city. From Golden Horseshoe Premium Lager, to Orange Peel Ale and Green Tea Ale, there’s no wonder as to why Great Lakes Brewery has been racking up Ontario and Canadian Brewing Awards since 2000.

Ontario's Greenbelt in an International Context – 3.36 MB

Greenbelts are land-use tools that have been used for decades in jurisdictions around the world as a means to protect farmland, natural features, biodiversity, local water-quality and quantity, and provide natural recreation areas for nearby urban centres. This report, produced in collaboration with the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, documents the experiences of nine greenbelts and greenbelt-like regions around the globe, and identifies lessons-learned from them.

Greenbelts are living, working landscapes. It is important to provide support to greenbelt farmers to ensure farm viability, to rehabilitate and enhance degraded natural areas, and to ensure that the public understands what these important landscapes are, the benefits they provide, and how to connect with them.

Oshawa, January 24, 2010 - Fans of the Oshawa Generals today will not only get to watch a great hockey game, they’ll also be attending a birthday party. Ontario’s Greenbelt turns five next month, and the celebrations begin tonight at the General Motors Centre as the Generals play the Saginaw Spirit.

The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation has partnered with the Foundation for Building Sustainable Communitiesto organize this celebration, with generous support from the Oshawa Generals. T-shirts are being launched into the crowd, the big screens will showcase videos about the Greenbelt, clean water and local food.

Newmarket, January 28, 2010 - The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and the Holland Marsh Growers Association today are coming together to celebrate the Greenbelt’s approaching Fifth Anniversary with a new report detailing the economic value of the Marsh to the province’s economy.

“This paper is the first of its kind, and it tells an impressive story. This tiny piece of land contributes as much as $169 million to the provincial economy per year,” said Burkhard Mausberg, President of the Foundation. “But that’s not all we’re celebrating tonight on the Marsh. We’re celebrating their tenacity, their ingenuity and their drive to make the most of the market opportunity that comes from a deepening desire to eat locally.”