New research calls for more integrated financial and land-use planning in Ontario municipalities for sustainable urban growth

Report by the Greenbelt Foundation studies financial tools that municipalities can use to support smart growth and reduce long-term costs to ensure the continued success of the Ontario Greenbelt

TORONTO, Oct. 18, 2022 — A new report by the Greenbelt Foundation, titled Municipal Finances and Growth Planning in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, looks at how financial and land management are closely tied together and should be mutually supportive to create a sustainable growth model for Ontario municipalities. The findings show that more efficient and integrated planning is needed to ensure municipal governments are generating revenue to address the financial needs of new development and infrastructure projects, or in other words, growth should pay for more of the costs associated with growth.  

According to the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, the municipal infrastructure backlog in the province was estimated to be $52 billion in 2020. How municipalities raise their revenue can have a significant impact on the type, form, location, and timing of growth, and therefore, on growth management goals. The study was undertaken to analyze Ontario’s municipal finance system, its impact on decision making with respect to the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) Growth Plan, and to provide recommendations on how the process can be reformed to better align with the goals. 

Greenbelt Foundation grant helps Earth Rangers create the next generation of conservationists in Ontario

10,000 Earth Rangers members will participate in Greenbelt-themed “missions” to protect the environment and biodiversity in the region

TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2022 — With renewed support from the Greenbelt Foundation of $125,000, Earth Rangers will educate the next generation on the importance of protecting nature through Greenbelt-themed “missions”, school assemblies and classroom resources, and six community events. The project – called “Education and Action in the Greenbelt: Creating the Next Generation of Conservationists in Ontario” – builds on the success of programming launched in 2019. It was developed with the goal of inspiring kids and their families across the Greenbelt and the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) to interact with and protect the natural environment around them.

My experience hiking 900 kilometers on the Bruce Trail

  September 29th, 2022

  After five weeks on the Bruce Trail, listening to the sound of hiking poles grinding on the narrow path and seeing the final cairn surrounded by the people we loved, my hiking partner Sima and I rounded the last corner of the trail in Tobermory. We had started bright and early on April 25, 2022 in Niagara Falls, and on June 3, we finally reached the end of our journey. We had arrived. Feelings of exhaustion and accomplishment washed over me. What does it mean to start a journey? What does it mean when it ends?

On February 28, 2005, the Greenbelt Act was passed by the Ontario government, creating one of the world’s largest Greenbelts and permanently protecting over 2 million acres of highly productive farmland and environmentally sensitive areas.

Research consistently shows more than 9 in 10 Ontarians across the political, demographic and geographic spectrum support the Greenbelt. Municipalities play a key role in supporting the Greenbelt as the implementers of provincial plans and policies that align with local priorities.

Greenbelt Foundation funds critical restoration work in the Ganaraska Forest 

Following months of recovery work, the Ganaraska Forest will reopen to members on September 30, 2022 

TORONTO, September 23, 2022 — Greenbelt Foundation CEO, Edward McDonnell, was joined by the Ontario Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Hon. David Piccini, this morning for a first-hand look at progress on restoration work at the Ganaraska Forest. A derecho windstorm this May destroyed more than 600 acres of the forest with an estimated 100 trees damaged along every kilometre of trail. McDonnell commented on the Greenbelt Foundation’s funding for the recovery efforts, which will continue through 2023.  

Support from the Greenbelt Foundation helps Ontario Tender Fruit Growers strengthen the economic viability of the Niagara product 

With over $450,000 in funding from the Greenbelt Foundation, Ontario Tender Fruit and Fresh Grape Growers have planted more than 212,000 new trees and 200 new grape vines since 2016 

TORONTO, September 15, 2022 — The Greenbelt Foundation is celebrating the success of the Ontario Tender Fruit Tree and Vine Program with project partner Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, who undertook the first round of planting in the 2016-17 season. The program has already had a significant positive impact on the region and growers, and to mark the occasion, a reception and orchard tour were organized today at Thwaites High Density Pear Orchard in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  

Sip, Savour and Cycle with the Greenbelt Foundation and Waterfront Regeneration Trust this Fall

  August 30th, 2022

  Ontario's Waterfront Trail and Greenbelt Route offer great cycling experiences every season. From August 7-12, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT), in partnership with the Greenbelt Foundation, CAA and Simcoe County, hosted a six-day, 450-kilometre event.

The Future of Ontario's Farmland

  August 30th, 2022

 When I began my master’s in Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph, I wanted to learn new ways to integrate community development and agricultural systems. My hope was to find a model of development that would reconnect people to Ontario’s farmland, which provides our communities with nutritious food, stimulates local economies, and can be a key player in fighting climate change. I believed that this reconnection would ignite people’s passion for local food production and raise awareness to the issue of farmland loss. In my new role as executive director with the Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT), my goal is to preserve agricultural land that is disappearing at an alarming rate.

Near-Urban Nature and Achieving Canada's Protected Areas Target

July 27, 2022

In southern Ontario, municipalities and Conservation Authorities (CAs) play an essential role in conserving natural areas and greenspace, which are vital in preserving biodiversity and enhancing climate change resilience. Largely unrecognized, however, is how their efforts are helping to address the dual crises of climate change and rapidly accelerating biodiversity loss by contributing towards Canada’s Target 1 goal of protecting 25 per cent of our lands and waters by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030