Georgina Harvest Dinner
$1,500 (1 year)
ontarioculinary.com

The Georgina Harvest Dinner brings the community together to celebrate abundance in the Greenbelt by sharing a locally grown meals. Guests will discover what regional farmers are growing in our own backyard, while supporting local farmers and businesses. The funding goes towards sourcing and purchasing food from Greenbelt farmers. The event was held on September 20, 2014.

Forests for the Future
$40,000 (9 months)
http://www.bpba.ca/

The project supports action on the Community Conservation and Stewardship Plan for the Northern Bruce, to protect and restore the unique and rich diversity of the area's plant, fish and wildlife habitat through land and water conservation. Forests for the Future aims to restore forest connectivity in the Bruce Peninsula. A task-force will identify major sections of the local forest that have been fragmented over time and develop a strategy to restore these wildlife corridors. Local residents and politicians are engaged in restoration efforts, education activities and a community celebration of forests. The local community will highlight the importance of connectivity for maintaining healthy natural systems, during the 2015 Review of the Niagara Escarpment and Greenbelt Plans.

TRCA and CVC Adventure Experience Tourism Promotion
$50,000 (1 year)
thelivingcity.org

The project markets the Greenbelt as an adventure tourism destination by promoting Conservation Areas found within it. By partnering with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Credit Valley Conservation and Central Counties Tourism, the project will highlight outdoor activities such as treetop trekking, cycling and fishing via contests, social media and The Toronto Star to an estimated 670,000 households in the Greater Toronto Area.

2015: Conversations on Past and Future
$24,100 (1 year)
oakridgesmoraine.org

Private landowners control more than 90% of the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine. This project will engage 50 to 100 property owners on the Moraine through community mapping and informal discussions. This will improve understanding about the ecological importance of their lands, how land use planning has affected them, and encourage input into the 2015 Review of the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine Plans.

"Good Development" Project
$198,000 (2 years)
pembina.org

The Pembina Institute will build on their previous work on 'location-efficient' development to advocate for improvements in the Growth Plan as part of the 2015 Review. They will conduct research into incentives and policies to support affordable, compact growth in the Greater Toronto Area, with an emphasis on suburban areas; and collaborate with progressive developers to build public and government support for such policies as part of the 2015 Review of the Growth Plan. The Institute will also provide input into the review of the Big Move plan to ensure that transit development supports the goals of the Greenbelt and Growth Plans. This work will reduce multiple pressures on the Greenbelt and ensure that agricultural and natural land remains protected for future generations.

New Canadians Go Greenbelt!
$135,625 (2 year)
thestop.org

The project expands a previously Foundation-funded World Crop Learning Garden project to Hamilton, Markham and Brampton, where major ethnic populations reside. The project will also develop eight day-long travel itineraries for the ethnic audience that showcase the natural beauty, agrarian culture and award-winning wineries the Greenbelt has to offer. The project will further the reach into the ethnic communities as well through partners in community health centres and ESL programs.  

#GreenbeltPride
$39,000 (1 year)
travelgaycanada.com

The project markets the tourism possibilities found in the Greenbelt to Ontario’s LGBTQ community. Via outreach efforts to LGBTQ groups in Toronto and throughout the Greenbelt, a getaway contest, participation in Pride Festivals and the creation of a float for the 2015 Toronto Pride Parade, Travel Gay Canada aims to showcase the diversity of Greenbelt’s landscape and people.

Eco Health Workshop - Ontario Public Health Convention
$12,770 (3 months)
ecohealth-ontario.ca

Trees Ontario and its partners in the EcoHealth Ontario collaborative will design and host a workshop on 'Realizing the Health Benefits of Green Spaces in a Changing World'. The workshop will contribute to the growing dialogue between public health, environmental and policy professionals on the value of the Greenbelt and other green spaces to human health. It will be held in Toronto on March 24, 2015, in the leadup to The Ontario Public Health Convention (TOPHC).

Farm Sensory Trail
$25,000 (1 year)
windreachfarm.org

Windreach Farm is a fully accessible farm in the Greenbelt that provides programming and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities. The new Sensory Trail provides accessible, year-round access to a series of interactive stations focused on the seven senses. The trail is designed to stimulate, teach and induce sensory responses, while maintaining the natural woodland on the 105-acre farm property.

Photo Credit: Windreach Farm

On February 28th, the Ontario Greenbelt turned 10!

At the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation we're in full celebration mode.