In collaboration with EcoHealth Ontario, "A Conceptual Framework to Understand the Business Case for Ecohealth" was developed for monetarily valuing the human health benefits of greenspace. 

Greenspaces offer us opportunities for engagement with the natural environment and provide ecosystem services that contribute to positive health outcomes. Some of the opportunities and benefits include:

• Physical Exercise
• Relaxation/Meditation 
• Social Engagement
• Lowering urban noise & heat
• Mitigating air pollutants & flooding

Investments in these spaces leads to health benefits by increasing the number of citizens who experience positive physical and mental health outcomes and by reducing exposure to negative impacts from air pollutants, heat, noise, and climate-related health risks.

In collaboration with Equiterre, The Power of Soil: An Agenda for Change to Benefit Farmers and Resilience takes a closer look at how and why farmers adopt soil health practices, offers a comprehensive overview of Canada’s current agri-environmental policy and programming landscape, innovative policies from other jurisdictions, and provides recommendations for a significant shift in Canada’s agricultural and climate change policies and program.

The Growth Plan first came into effect in 2006 to address the effects associated with low-density single-use developments. To achieve this, the plan concentrated more on making use of our existing infrastructure, conserving farmland and natural areas, building complete communities that meet the needs of residents in all stages of their lives, and supporting the early introduction of transit.

The tender fruit industry in Niagara is a cornerstone of the Greenbelt's vibrant agricultural economy. It is, however, facing many challenges, as well as opportunities. The Ontario Tender Fruit Lab, a project of MaRS Solutions Lab and the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience, engaged the tender fruit industry, including the Greenbelt Foundation, to examine ways to ensure a resilient tender fruit economy. This report outlines the shared strategy and interventions that resulted from three workshops held in the Niagara region to discuss the future of Ontario's tender fruit industry.

Farming in the Greenbelt has particular challenges due to its peri-urban geography as well as universal challenges faced by farmers across Southern Ontario. Through focus groups held with farmers across the Greenbelt and interviews with planners, this study documented farmers' concerns.

Located in the heart of the Greater Golden Horseshoe region in southern Ontario, the Greenbelt makes up over two million acres of protected lands, forests, wetlands and coastal waters. The Greenbelt was established in 2005 to safeguard quality of life in the GGH in anticipation of continued population growth and urbanization.

   Greenbelt Foundation Makes Pivotal Investment in Natural Asset Inventories

 $500K to be Invested, Helping Canadian Communities Prepare for Climate Change

TORONTO, November 30, 2020—With significant support from a private donor, the Greenbelt Foundation is making its largest investment to date—over $500,000—in helping municipalities in the Greenbelt and across Canada shift to using nature to deliver critical community services, like stormwater management.

“Across Canada, natural assets—like wetlands, forests, and river valleys—are increasingly important for mitigating and protecting Canadians against the effects of climate change,” says Edward McDonnell, CEO of the Greenbelt Foundation. “Natural assets, which work together to deliver important ecosystem services like flood protection and improvements to air quality, need to be protected, included in municipal planning, and grown where possible.”

In the spring of 2018, the Greenbelt Foundation began working with Municipal Natural Assets Initiatives (MNAI) on a 3 year-project, geared towards mainstreaming natural asset management at the municipal level across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

On May 5th, the Foundation announced the flagship initiative, the Grindstone Creek Project, in partnership with the City of Burlington, City of Hamilton, Halton Region, Conservation Halton, and the Royal Botanical Gardens. This landmark watershed restoration project will work to restore the Grindstone Creek area and demonstrate how proper natural asset management can save municipalities money, build the region’s resilience to climate change and ensure healthy greenspaces for residents.

2020 Friend of the Greenbelt Award Recipients Announced

Eight Prominent Ontario Leaders Recognized for their Dedication to the Greenbelt

TORONTO, November 12, 2020—The Greenbelt Foundation is recognizing some of the important individuals who have championed the Greenbelt and helped build its legacy over the past 15 years, since it was first protected by legislation.

For this year’s annual Friend of the Greenbelt Award, the Greenbelt Foundation is giving out awards in five categories: Community Engagement, Farming and Agriculture, Municipal Leadership, and the Restoration and Enhancement of both the Oak Ridges Moraine and Niagara Escarpment. The Friend of the Greenbelt Award recognizes leaders from across the Greater Golden Horseshoe region who champion, innovate, and ensure the ongoing success of Ontario’s Greenbelt.

February 2020 marked the Greenbelt Foundation’s 15th Anniversary. Together with partners at all levels of government, as well as organizations across the public and private sector, the Greenbelt Foundation and its sister organization, the Greenbelt Fund, have worked to build the vibrant, resilient, and prosperous Greenbelt we know today.