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7050 Native Trees to be planted in Ward 5 - Update Feb 7 2008

Nine Easy to do things to reduce our footprint.

Pesticides By-Law Passed

Update June 26 2007 for more information please click here Pesticide By-Law Passed To return to this page, please use your browser's back button.

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Where are we going with our Waste Management?

Congratulations to Markham residents for reaching the 70% target for waste diversion from landfill.  That makes us a North American leader in waste diversion.  I am proud to have served on the Three Stream Committee and to have been the Councillor who introduced the program to Markham in Ward 5.  Together, we showed Markham how to do it, and we should take a collective bow.  But let's not stop there.  Please click here to find what we're doing to increase the amount.

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The Lunch Express

The Town of Markham, in partnership with others has been piloting a novel idea to reduce traffic and pollution while educating drivers of other ways of transportation.  It has been a success and we're looking at extending the Lunch Express.  Please click here for details.

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An Organic Waste Facility on our Border?

Regional Councillor Jack Heath and I have worked hard to implement the Green Bin system for picking up our organic waste.  I'm proud of the work that Ward 5 residents did in the pilot projects to pave the way for the Town wide system.

The City of Toronto is way behind in its percentage of diverted waste, but it is working to reach the benchmark that the Town of Markham has set.  However, one of the sites they have chose to look at for an organics processing plant is just south of our border.

A meeting was held in Toronto, and please click here for the Report of Regional Councillor Jack Heath.

Update July 11 2007 

I just received the following from Regional Councillor Jack Heath: "Chin Lee, the Councillor in Toronto at 48 and Steeles, tells me that the Source Separated Organics plants that Toronto will be building will be in the west end of the city.  Near the present one they have at Dufferin.  Two sites were chosen by Council.

The EA looked at one on Markham Road just south of Steeles but he said staff were worried about its capacity for expansion in the future.  No such problem in the west end."

We can all breath a little easier.

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Protecting our Environment is More than a Promise

The Environment is an easy word to say, and to promise to protect it can be a hollow statement.  But we are making more than promises.  As we plan the budget for this year, we also plan the work that will be done.  Please click here for the details that we are working on.

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Protecting the Urban Forest in Ward 5

The Forestry Department is finding a large number of boulevard trees that have been planted within the past five years that have died.
Presence of the Asian Long-Horned Beetle (ALHB) was found in Vaughan in 2003...

For an update on our Urban Forest, please click here.
July 14, 2004

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Protecting our Green Lands

Ward Five is an amazing place. We have a picturesque Village downtown, clean modern suburbs and beautiful rural lands all within our borders. The environment in these areas is under attack. Constant vigilance is needed to defend it.

Our New Urbanism has been the touchstone of the development in Ward Five. I will champion the fight to make sure that there are adequate parks and trees, with nearby stores and community centres. Transit routes and schedules must be designed to complement the community.

New development must be in step with the infrastructure, the schools, the community centres, the environment and the styles of the neighboring communities.

Developers who are intent on putting as many cheaply made houses and selling them as quickly as possible are not welcome in Ward Five.

I will fight to preserve the green space that runs from Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine. Green space is more that ravines. It includes parkland, as well as agricultural and environmentally sensitive preserves. It is the commitment and planning today--now--that will pay off for future generations.

We only have one chance to keep the green spaces green, and that chance is now.

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Nine Easy to do things to reduce our footprint.

• Unplug: If you haven’t yet heard of “energy vampires” or “phantom loads,” you will soon. Even when your TV, computer, cell phone, electric toothbrush, printer, microwave oven and power drill are turned off, they continue to draw energy because they’re plugged in. Scheckel suggests putting appliances on power strips that are turned off when not in use. “Anything with a little red light, clock or remote control is suspect,” he says.

• Buy local food: People are rethinking the way they shop, particularly when it comes to food. Consider: When the average North American sits down to eat, each ingredient typically will have traveled 1,500 miles, according to The 100-Mile Diet (Random House Canada, 2007). Vancouver authors Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon spent a year buying food only from their local region. As McNally asks, “Do I really want to buy broccoli all the way from California when I can buy it from my local farm?” Buying locally can reduce your carbon footprint and support local farmers. Also, practice “seasonal eating” and use recycled grocery bags when you shop, she says.

• Garden wisely: The secret is to go native. Plant perennials that grow in your region and aim for drought-resistant plants so that you water your garden sparingly. McNally suggests replacing grass with clover, wild thyme or oregano. You don’t have to mow it, it smells great and it is resistant to animal urine and bugs. If you do mow, leave the grass cuttings. They serve as organic mulch that will make your grass healthier.

• Mind your appliances: Things that turn electricity into heat — toasters, dryers, water heaters — are your biggest electrical users. To conserve energy, Scheckel suggests buying an on-demand water heater and hanging laundry outdoors to dry. Also, always remove heat and moisture at the source. For example, run your bathroom exhaust fan while you are bathing and your range hood while you are cooking.

• Support “greenovation”: Look no further than your cleaning supplies and your personal care products when you start thinking about buying green products.

• Think hybrid: According to McNally, the worst energy offender is often sitting in your garage. Consider buying a hybrid vehicle, converting a car to electric or, if you drive a diesel, switching to biodiesel fuel.

• Choose less packaging: Why do manufacturers use so much plastic? “I got bananas the other day and they were wrapped in cellophane. That’s crazy. Bananas come in their own skin,” McNally says. The glut of packaging appears to be getting worse; the extra costs are passed on to the consumer and the plastic winds up in the dump.

• Talk trash: If you practice composting, you may be able to cut your garbage by half. In addition, do whatever you can to reduce your output by recycling or restoring. Instead of throwing something away, fix it or donate it.

• Go fluorescent: Today’s compact fluorescent light bulbs give better light and last longer than traditional bulbs. There are also many more styles than there were even five years ago. Best yet, according to Scheckel, they provide the same amount of light for one-third of the energy.

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7050 Native Trees to be planted in Ward 5

A total of 7050 native tree species will be planted over a two year period beginning in April 2008, along the north side of the Donald Cousens Parkway 0.5 km east of 9th Line.  The Donald Cousens Parkway North Berm and East Half of Flatland Restoration Project is to be carried out by the Rouge Valley naturalists .  This will re-establish native self-sustaining vegetation. 

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