HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLN 12-22Report to
Executive Committee
Report Number: PLN 12-22
Date: March 7, 2022
From: Kyle Bentley
Director, City Development & CBO
Subject: 2021 Sustainable Pickering Year-in-Review
-File: D-7300
Recommendation:
1.That Report PLN 12-22 of the Director, City Development & CBO, on the release of the
2021 Sustainable Pickering Year-in-Review, be received for information.
Executive Summary: The 4th Annual Sustainable Pickering Year-in-Review provides a
high level, reader-friendly summary that highlights City achievements, events, programs and
projects. The document promotes the efforts of the City of Pickering and our community partners
and serves to inspire others to connect with us and get involved. The 2021 Year-in-Review will
be posted online and be promoted through the City’s different communication channels.
Financial Implications: Not applicable to this report.
Discussion: The City of Pickering’s sustainability efforts address a variety of
initiatives from community engagement, pollinators, waste diversion, local food, sustainable
development, climate change, natural environment and more. Despite the COVID-19
pandemic, the City delivered both in-person and virtual events and programs to engage with
the community, including tree plantings, litter cleanups, and educational webinars. As well, the
City initiated projects critical to the social, economic, and environmental health of the
community, such as the Advancing Adaptation Climate Change Project and the development
of new Integrated Sustainable Design Standards.
It is important for the public to be aware of the activities and achievements that are occurring in
their community. To achieve this, staff developed comprehensive education and marketing
campaigns using the website, social media, eNewsletters, events, presentations to external
groups, curbside and digital signage, community page, etc. However, considering the large
volume of messages that residents receive from a variety of sources, the Sustainable
Pickering Year-in-Review is meant to provide a reader-friendly synopsis of activities and
quantitative metrics, where applicable. The 2021 Year-in-Review will be posted on the City’s
website, shared on social media and included in an eNewsletter.
Attachment:
1. 2021 Sustainable Pickering Year-in-Review
Report PLN 12-22 March 7, 2022
2021 Sustainable Pickering Year-in-Review
Prepared By:
Original Signed By
Melanie Edmond, HBSc
Coordinator, Sustainability
Original Signed By
Chantal Whitaker, BESc (Hons), CSR-P
Manager, Sustainability & Strategic
Environmental Initiatives
Approved/Endorsed By:
Original Signed By
Kyle Bentley, P. Eng.
Director, City Development & CBO
ME:ld
Recommended for the consideration
of Pickering City Council
Original Signed By
Marisa Carpino, M.A.
Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment #1 to Report #PLN 12-22
A Message from the CAO 1
Enhancing the Natural Environment 2
Helping Our Pollinators 4
Engaging with Our Community 5
Reducing Waste 8
Becoming More Energy Efficient 9
Looking Towards the Future 10
Page | 1
I am proud to present the City's key sustainability highlights and accomplishments from 2021.
It has been truly inspiring to witness staff and the community come together in their
commitment to the long-term social, environmental, economic, and cultural health of our City.
Despite the lasting effects of the pandemic, we were able to reimagine opportunities for
collaboration and engagement to accomplish a number of our goals.
The Farmers' Market, Litter & Plastics Challenge, virtual workshops and webinars, and the
development of new Integrated Sustainable Design Standar ds are just some of the initiatives I
invite you to learn more about.
As a nationally recognized leader in sustainability, the City of Pickering continues to explore
innovative ways to advance its sustainability journey.
Visit pickering.ca/sustainable to learn how you can be a part of it.
Marisa Carpino
Chief Administrative Officer
Page | 2
Park Stewardship Program
The Adopt-a-Park program has been re-branded to the
Park Stewardship program, and will continue to
encourage families, businesses, and community groups
to become actively involved in keeping their local parks
clean. As of 2021, 19 groups have become Park
Stewards in Pickering by making a commitment to do
litter cleanups, and promote a positive image in their
neighbourhood park.
Duncannon Ravine
31st Pickering Brownies litter cleanup
The City continued its efforts to restore the Duncannon
Ravine in 2021 by planting an additional 75 trees and
400 shrubs to help target canopy gaps from the impacts
of Emerald Ash Borer and the European Gypsy Moth.
Since the restoration efforts began in 2019, the area
has shown an increased improvement in tree canopy
growth.
Enhancing Parks and Boulevards
As part of the City's annual tree planting program, over
400 trees were planted across City boulevards and
parks including: Forestbrook Park, Glendale Park, Lynn
Heights Park, Claremont Memorial Park, Major Oaks
Park, Bonita Park and Lydia Parkette. These efforts
were completed to help restore areas lost to invasive
species, and to help increase tree canopy and shade
opportunities around play-units and walkways.
Partnering with Toronto and Region
Conservation Youth Corps
The City partnered with volunteers from the Toronto and
Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Youth Corps to
plant 80 native shrubs to help enhance the naturalized
area within Pinegrove Park.
TRCA Youth Corps
volunteer
Page | 3
Restoring Pine Creek
In 2020, an increase in beaver activity along Pine
Creek resulted in damage to native, mature trees. To
prevent further damage to the urban forest canopy,
the City worked with the Toronto and Region
Conservation Authority (TRCA) to wrap 300 trees
along the creek and plant 67 trees for erosion control.
In addition, to help restore the natural area, the City
planted 100 native shrubs along the creek with
funding support and volunteers from Canada Bread
Ltd., a local Pickering-based company. To assist with
the planting, Canada Bread was joined by Members
of Council and Pay-it-Forward City staff volunteers.
As well, the City partnered with Local Enhancement
and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), a non-profit
organization, to plant 183 shrubs and 67 trees
through funding support from the Ontario Power
Generation Biodiversity Program and the Ontario
Trillium Foundation.
Shrub planting with Canada Bread Ltd.,
Members of Council and Pay-it-Forward City
staff volunteers at Pine Creek
LEAF volunteers planting trees at Pine Creek
LEAF staff planting trees in
resident's backyard
Backyard Tree Planting Program
In partnership with Local Enhancement and
Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) and the Region of
Durham, the City successfully completed year one of
the Backyard Tree Planting Program. This program
provides residents the opportunity to add native trees
or shrubs to their property at a discounted rate. This
includes on-site consultation, free delivery and tree
planting, as well as follow-up tree assessments. In
year one of the program, 50 trees and 38 shrubs were
planted in Pickering residents’ properties. Some
benefits from these plantings include enhancement of
the urban forest, increased property value and
aesthetics, energy savings and comfort from shade,
carbon sequestration, reduced urban heat island
effect, and habitat improvement.
Page | 4
Mayors' Monarch Pledge
Pollinators, such as butterflies, birds, bats and bees,
play a vital role in maintaining a healthy environment and
sustainable food system. As part of the Mayors' Monarch
Pledge -Leadership Circle, the City committed to
completing 12 actions in 2021 to support pollinator
populations. This included pollinator plantings, organized
garden assessments from an expert horticulturalist, and
educational campaigns to increase pollinator awareness
throughout the community.
Enhancing Community Gardens
The City partnered with Canada Bread Ltd., a local
Pickering-based company, to gift 6 groups who
committed to maintaining community pollinator gardens
with 500 native, nectar producing plants. The plants
were provided to each group to help pollinators in the
gardens. In addition, through a partnership with TRCA
47 Youth Corps participants each volunteered over
10 hours to plant and maintain gardens throughout the
year.
Pickering Butterflyway Project
The City partnered with Pickering -Ajax Butterflyway
Rangers on the David Suzuki Foundation Butterflyway
Project. This initiative is a volunteer-led movement
that is focused on creating habitat for pollinators, such
as bees, butterflies, and birds, in neighbourhoods
throughout Canada. To help the Rangers with this
goal, the City donated 250 Butterflyway signs for
residents to display on their lawns to encourage
others to plant more pollinator-friendly gardens.
Pollinator Week
The City celebrated National Pollinator Week from June
21st -27th by hosting a Gardening for Pollinators webinar
to help attendees of all ages understand the importance
of adding specific plants such as Cup Plant, Wild
Bergamot, Butterfly Milkweed and other native plants to
their garden to help pollinators.
Volunteer planting pollinator-friendly plants at
Autumn Crescent garden
Residents showcasing their sign for the
Butterflyway Project
Page | 5
Ontario Parks Association
(OPA) Award
The City of Pickering was honoured by
the OPA with the 2021 Protecting
Tomorrow Today® Community
Engagement Award for its efforts in
sustainability. This award recognized the
City's work to raise awareness of parks,
open spaces and environment through
the development and implementation of
community engagement activities.
City honoured with OPA award
Earth Month
In celebration of Earth Month, the City
offered free, educational, virtual
workshops with expert speakers from
Durham Master Gardeners, TRCA,
and the Toronto Zoo. Over
350 individuals participated in the
webinars to learn about a variety of
topics, including How to Plan a
Successful Garden, Composting at
Home, Decreasing Litter in the
Community and Sustainable
Gardening.
Slow Down for Wildlife Campaign
Animal Services, Sustainable Pickering
and Parks Canada launched a
promotional campaign to remind the
public to slow down for wildlife near
Amos Pond to address the high wildlife
mortality rates in the area. This included
innovative messaging and signage that
speaks directly to drivers. The campaign
also included a turtle webinar with the
Pickering Public Library, and the Ontario
Turtle Conservation Centre, for children
to learn about turtles and turtle Slow Down for Wildlife campaign message conservation efforts in Ontario.
Composting at Home webinar
Page | 6
Volunteers joining in the Litter & Plastics
Challenge
Litter & Plastics Challenge:
Every Piece Counts
With $15,000 financial support from the Great Lakes
Local Action Fund, the City partnered with PickWaste, a
local community group, to deliver the Litter & Plastics
Challenge: Every Piece Counts campaign. The
challenge encouraged 77 groups consisting of residents,
community groups and school based eco-clubs to
complete litter cleanups throughout the community. Over
5,950 kilograms of litter were collected through the
challenge.
Creating the Litter & Plastics Challenge
educational video
Civic Awards Program
Civic Awards is a recognition program to acknowledge
members of the Pickering community that have made a
significant contribution to the city. In 2021,
Alexander Petrogiani and Jaime Carney were awarded
the Sustainability Award for distributing $50,000 worth
of clothing donations to support both Pickering
residents and an orphanage in Peru. The Environment
Award was given to Ontario Power Generation -
Pickering Nuclear for their efforts to reduce carbon
emissions in operations and their ongoing commitment
to the environment through their Regional Biodiversity
Program, restoration efforts, and partnerships with
schools, businesses and the community.
Educational Tools
As part of the Litter & Plastics
Challenge, the City created two
educational videos focused on the
effects of litter to our environment and
the impacts of plastics in our
waterways. The videos were published
through the City's social channels with
over 19,000 viewers. The City also
hosted a webinar about the
environmental, societal, and economic
impacts of litter.
Civic Awards virtual ceremony
Page | 7
Take Pride in Pickering
As part of Take Pride in Pickering Day, Environmental
Stewardship Pickering (a partnership with the City,
Ontario Power Generation, and Toronto and Region
Conservation Authority) hosted a free native plant
giveaway by handing out 300 Serviceberry shrubs for
residents to plant in their backyard. The species
provide a useful early nectar and pollen resource in
the spring for early-emerging pollinators.
Giving away free shrubs at Take Pride in
Pickering Day
Environmental Schools Grant
The Environmental Schools Grant supports Pickering
school-based activities and programs that benefit the
community and contribute to a healthy environment. By
accessing the grant, six schools in Pickering were able to
undertake exciting projects, including creating pollinator
gardens, planting trees and shrubs for erosion control,
purchasing an indoor aeroponic growing tower, hosting
virtual workshops with Scientists in the School, and
installing bird feeders.
Planting a pollinator garden at St. Monica
Catholic School
Pickering City Centre Farmers' Market
The City successfully launched year 2 of the Virtual
Farmers' Market to help residents connect online with
local farmers, bakers, and artisans, as well as arrange
for contact-free curbside delivery, until the in-person
market reopened in the summer. The Virtual Market
was very successful with 9,874 website visits. The
in-person market ran for 16 weeks, with approximately
4,800 visitors, supporting upwards of 25 vendors. The
Market won "Best Farm Market" in the Durham
Region Readers' Choice Awards for the third
consecutive year thanks to community support.
Visitors enjoying the Pickering City
Centre Farmers' Market
Page | 8
Waste Reduction Week and Education
The City celebrated Waste Reduction Week by focusing
on the principles of a circular economy, resource
efficiency, and waste reduction. A virtual educational
campaign was delivered from October 18th -24th
to teach residents new ways to reduce textiles, electronics,
plastics, food waste and promote a shared economy. In an
effort to improve corporate waste diversion, educational
waste diversion training was delivered to all staff and waste
diversion banners installed in City facilities.
In addition, through automating City services staff have
decreased paper use by approximately 600,000 pages per
year over the last two years.
Dog Waste
The Dog Waste Diversion Program is available in 17 parks
across Pickering. In 2021, approximately 9 tonnes of dog
waste was collected and delivered to a facility that converted
it into electricity.
Collecting food donations at Diversion Day
Electronic waste dropped off at Diversion
Day
Diversion Day
In partnership with the Region of Durham, the City
hosted a drive thru Diversion Day at Don Beer Arena.
Over 500 residents came out to drop-off electronic
waste, household hazardous waste and reusable
items. The free event was also paired with a food
drive, where residents were encouraged to bring a
non-perishable food item, to be donated to St Paul's
on-the-Hill Community Food Bank. Thanks to
participant's support, the City filled its electric vehicle
with goods for the food bank.
Battery Recycling Program
The Battery Recycling program allows residents to
drop-off batteries to Chestnut Hill Developments
Recreation Complex, Pickering Central Library,
Pickering Museum Village, George Ashe and East
Shore community centres. In 2021, 372 kilograms of
batteries were recycled responsibly.
Page | 9
Plug'n Drive E-Mission Road Show
The Region of Durham, Elexicon Energy and Oshawa
PUC, in collaboration with Plug'n Drive launched the
E-Mission campaign. E-Mission was a region-wide
zero emission vehicle education and awareness
initiative. The City of Pickering was a host community
for the popular three day event. Residents were given
the opportunity to test drive different electric vehicles,
and learn more about the benefits of electric vehicles
on the environment and economy.
Electric Equipment
To date, the City has purchased a variety of
environmentally friendly equipment, including electric
snow blowers, wheelbarrows, chainsaws, pruners, and
zero-turn mowers. The new electric equipment has
many positive features:
• does not use fuel or produce exhaust fumes
• more ergonomically friendly for the user
• less noisy for residents enjoying the park space
Energy Retrofit Projects
The City installed hydronic heating on its underground
parking ramp. This mechanism consists of a loop in slab
PEX piping with a circulating glycol-water mixture. This
heating method has lower operational costs, and
improved energy efficiency, when compared to
traditional electric heating.
In addition to improve efficiency, air quality and reduce
energy consumption, the City installed VFDs (variable
frequency drives) in all new air handling units, chilled
water pumps, and condenser water pumps at various
City facilities. Furthermore, the City incorporated new
mechanical equipment into its energy managemen t
system.
Plug'n Drive E-Mission Road Show event
Glycol loop in underground parking ramp
Page | 10
Sustainable Development Standards
In 2021, sustainability staff provided comments on
58 development proposal/application circulations.
However, the City is developing new Integrated
Sustainable Design Standards for all new development in
the city to replace the 2007 Sustainable Development
Guidelines.
Developing a new set of standards will allow the City to
review development through a lens that includes modern
green best practices and technology.
These standards will also reflect the work being done by
both the City and Region of Durham to address climate
change, support urban forests, pollinators, waste
reduction, water conservation, energy efficiency, and
improve access to local food and greenspaces. Through
successful grant applications this work is being funded
by $86,000 from The Atmospheric Fund and $10,000
from the Region of Durham. This work is occurring in
2022, visit LetsTalkPickering.ca/standards to learn more
and get involved.
Accessible Pedestrian Connections
The City enhanced park pathways by increasing
accessible pedestrian connections between
neighbourhoods. This includes connecting Lynn Heights
Park to Alanbury Crescent, Sherman Crescent and Lynn
Heights Drive. As well, an accessible pedestrian
walkway was installed from Lydia Crescent to Finch
Avenue.
Advancing Adaptation to Climate Change
The City of Pickering was 1 of 40 municipalities selected to participate in ICLEI Canada's
Advancing Adaptation project. This program utilizes their BARC framework (Building Adaptive and
Resilient Communities), which is a milestone-based approach to help prepare the community for
the impacts resulting from climate change, such as more extreme heat days, greater instances of
flooding, infrastructure damage, etc. The end result will be a climate change adaptation plan
outlining actions to assist in the City's preparations for these and other local impacts. This work
began in 2021 and will continue throughout 2022.
Sustainable Development in Pickering
Accessible Pedestrian Connections at Lynn
Heights Park
In 2022, the City of Pickering will continue its longstanding commitment to create a more
sustainable community. Join us on the journey to become one of the most sustainable cities
in Canada. There are many fun and inspiring ways to make Pickering a better place
socially, environmentally, and economically. To learn how you can get involved, visit:
pickering.ca/sustainable.
We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please contact the City's
Sustainability staff at sustainability@pickering.ca
Alternate formats available upon request at 905.683.7575 o r customercare@pickering.ca