The Green Living Show, held from April 27-29, showcases environmentally friendly consumer products and services in energy, home and garden, building, recreation, transportation, food, fashion and health. Visitors and participants of The Green Living Show will see first-hand what the Greenbelt has to offer, showcasing healthy foods and beverages, an abundance of recreational opportunities, and the significance of the natural environment that is protected by the Greenbelt.

Greenbelt Forum

A forum is held where the agricultural community and policy makers can speak about Greenbelt issues together. The forum is designed to promote a clear understanding of the need and importance of Ontario’s Greenbelt.

September 2006

Almost two-thirds of the Greenbelt is farmland, and agriculture is essential to the success of the Greenbelt Plan. The number of farmers’ markets in Ontario has been increasing in recent years. This paper looks at the opportunities for preserving agriculture within the Greenbelt. [The first installment in the Occasional Paper Series presented by theFriends of the Greenbelt Foundation.] "Farmers' Markets: Opportunities for Preserving Greenbelt Agriculture" by David Gurin.

Development and Land Use Research Initiatives

The Niagara Escarpment Foundation plans to digitalize 30 years of development permit applications and decisions, analyze development trends, and track and address enforcement and compliance records. It also seeks to complete the Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System (SOLRIS) for Bruce and Grey Counties. SOLRIS is a land cover mapping tool that the government is conducting for use across most of southern Ontario.

The Greenbelt is highlighted as the title sponsor of “The Taste of Niagara Fine Foods and Wines” event at the 5^th Annual Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention. The convention attracts over 1,100 participants including growers, allied trades, government managers and staff. Over 800 people attend this event, featuring Niagara chefs serving local food and wine.

Annual General Meeting

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association represents 28 commodity-based farm associations in the province and serves as the official representative for the province's fruit and vegetable sector to national and international bodies.

Guarding the Greenbelt in Brampton

Continuing urban sprawl in the Greater Golden Horseshoe is a threat to the permanence of Ontario’s Greenbelt. Recent changes to Ontario’s planning regime call for urban intensification in developed areas and on greenfields. Still, it appears municipalities will test the new legislation. The project seeks to facilitate negotiations between residents, the Region of Peel and the City of Brampton, to add rigorous smart growth principals to the urban development standards in Brampton’s proposed Official Plan Amendment, and avoid urban expansion up to the border of the Greenbelt.

Greenbelt Farmers and Toronto Residents to Benefit from the First Certified Farmers’ Market in Canada

Greater Toronto, November 22, 2006  – Over one hundred and fifty Greenbelt and GTA farmers are creating Canada’s first certified farmers’ market. Currently, many farmers’ markets include non-farmers who resell produce bought at food terminals. The new certified farmers’ market will be dedicated to real farmers selling locally-grown products and exclude non-farmers reselling imports or produce bought from the Ontario Food Terminal. Toronto is the preferred location to showcase this model farmers’ market.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is a show like no other. Nothing compares with the multiple layers of sight, sound, smell and taste that make up The Royal Experience. It's a part of Canadian tradition. It's the place where entertainment meets education. Where the thrill of competition meets the pride of accomplishment. Where the country shows the city a thing or two. It is the largest indoor combined agricultural, horticultural, canine and equestrian event in the world. It's the show that puts November on the calendar, Toronto on the map, and Canada on the world stage. It's the one and only Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. It was back for its biggest year ever.

On Thursday, November 2, 2006, the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation hosted a special evening to honour Sarah Harmer for her leadership in protecting the Greenbelt.Singer Sarah Harmer is inspiring in her new film Escarpment Blues. Delightful and thought-provoking, the film chronicles her “I Love the Escarpment Tour” as she hikes, paddles and sings along the Bruce Trail to stop a quarry expansion near her childhood home at the base of Mount Nemo on the Niagara Escarpment.