Planning

Three women sitting around a large conference table with laptops open in front of them Photo by Christina Wocintechchat.

Defunding Police to Invest in People

  • Planning

As we all take unprecedented measures to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, we can’t lose sight of an equally urgent public health crisis: climate change.

Climate change has serious consequences for our mental and physical health and, just like COVID, some already-disadvantaged populations are hit harder through no fault of their own. This was one of the most valuable lessons from the pandemic along with:  we all can and must take action toward the common good, our health is tied to that of others, and governments can act swiftly in the face of crisis.  These are all applicable to climate solutions.

Which road forward for Simcoe County?

  • Planning

The City of Barrie’s Draft Official Plan has set an unambitious goal of 20% forest cover by 2041. For reference, Toronto’s target is 40%. With land at a premium, growth on the rise, and trees being removed to accommodate that growth, are we even going to be able to replace what is being lost, much less increase our cover?

Planting trees is indisputably one of the more important actions we can take in the fight against climate change. The federal government has committed to planting billions of trees in the coming years. But will any of those trees be planted in urban centres like Barrie? Probably not.