Mar 24, 2025
Climate Action Teams’ Activities, November – January, 2025
GBCAN is a network of ten Climate Action Teams from Bruce, Grey and Simcoe County. We meet five times a year to talk about what we have been up to and share ideas for effective climate action. Below you will find descriptions from each of the climate groups on things they have been doing this Winter
Blue Mountains CANN
CANN-TBM held a Think Tank to review, celebrate accomplishments, and identify lessons learned over 2024. We set out a strategy, priorities and working groups for 2025.
Summary of 2024 impacts include:
- raised funds
- participated in multiple markets and fair, the Green Economy Hubm TBM’s Natural Burial Project
- Launched Families Go Green for Blue pilot program and the CANN website launched
- Established active collaboration with BVO Youth Engagement Team
- Reviewed TBM Official Plan and met with officials and town staff
- In summary we will continue with our ongoing projects, and will focus
- our attention: on building relationships with Town, Council and other
- like-minded organizations
- Work on advocacy to encourage our levels of government to deliver
- on environmental commitments – don’t assume follow-through by
- governments…
- Inspire and empower youth to act, connect students with community
- mentors
- Preserve integrity of local trails
- Engage developers to use natural resources and generate energy
- Over the next months we will share our work on new projects and success
- or not of current involvements.
Plans for 2025:
- We will continue with our ongoing projects
- We will focus our attention on building relationships with Town, Council and like-minded organizations
- We will work on advocacy to encourage our levels of government to deliver on environmental commitments
- We will inspire and empower youth to act and will connect students with community mentors
- We will preserve integrity of local trails, engage developers to use natural resources and generate energy
- We will share our work on new projects and successes with the community.
Clearview Sustainability Network
- Clearview Sustainability Network’s Nature and Biodiversity members are hosting a panel discussion in Creemore on February 6th: ‘Boulevards Bylaws Butterflies and Birds‘, featuring Lorraine Johnson, with representatives from the NVCA and Clearview Township, and local resident and environmental scientist Brenna Lattimore.
- CSN members joined CCAT’s regional initiative. CSN has also joined Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.
- CSN’s Buildings and Development is continuing to research Green Development Standards.
Georgian Bluffs
- On January 31 we co-hosted with the Grey County Museum a reading by author Holly Hogan from her book “Message In a Bottle”
- Discussions begun for Green Homes Tour for 2025
- Blue Water District School Board Environmental Sustainability project has begun with first meeting happening on January 30th, with reps from GBCAT.
- Repair Cafe will have its first anniversary on March 8th – has been a great success
- Initiative to encourage Flato developer to do sustainable/ green builds is under way
- Discussions have begun to have a Climate exhibit at the Grey County museum- this includes a meeting with the ROM curator for climate change
- A member of GBCAT has been in touch with the FCM PCP group about adoption of the Green Fleet tool. Discussions have begun on how the tool can be made available to other municipalities.
Meaford
- Collingwood Climate Action Team presented to Meaford Council on the Green Economy Hub pilot. It was very well received by councillors. Request for funding support will be considered during the budget process.
- We participated in the first planning session of the Southern Georgian Bay Regional Initiative, spearheaded by Collingwood Climate Action Team. There were around 25 participants from the six Southern GB communities (Wasaga Beach, Clearview, Collingwood, Town of Blue Mountains, Grey Highlands and Meaford). There was good discussion about the “What” and “Why” of the group.
- The Meaford Repair Cafe continues to be held on the second Saturday of the month.
- Meaford staff continue to work on a Climate Action Plan. It was initiated early in 2023 and was scheduled to be completed by Fall 2024, but appears that staff are still at the data collection stage. We are awaiting an update from the Municipality.
- Meaford Library hosted a discussion, entitled “Going Green in Grey” in partnership with the Grey County Climate Team.
Owen Sound (CATOS)
- School Projects (Eco Teams): Continue to reach out to schools to follow up on YCAC projects.
- Green Economy Hub Canada. We reported on the Green Economy Hub Pilot for Southern Georgian Bay businesses, spearheaded by Climate Action Team Collingwood:
- Pollinate Owen Sound: A small group – 4 Master and (3 non-master) gardeners met last year to begin our winter sowing project. We will be winter sowing at least three species of native plants, one from each growing season. (Winter sowing means starting seeds outdoors during the winter. It is a low-cost and environmentally friendly way to grow many seedlings, easily.) We will meet again in the spring when it is time to pot up the hundreds of plants from winter sowing. We plan to share at an event this fall. Details TBA. If you haven’t signed up for the Pollinate Owen Sound monthly newsletter, email pollinateowensound@gmail.com to subscribe.
- Climate Action Event on the increasing importance of Adaptation based on Vulnerability and Risk analysis.
Northern Bruce
- The municipal Climate Action and Waste Diversion (CAWD) committee has published its report on corporate emissions to Council in 2023, showing a 1% reduction from 2020 levels. In 2022 Council had committed to a 20% reduction by 2030. The report noted that, beginning in 2024, the municipality began a number of energy efficiency retrofits and switching furnaces for heat pumps. While municipal emissions make up only about 3% of the community’s emissions, their role as a leader in decarbonizing the community is the committee’s focus.
- The CAWD and the Bruce Peninsula biosphere association are co-sponsoring a Solar workshop on Saturday March 22nd in Lion’s Head. Topics include installations, net metering, benefits of time of use hydro rate structures and a couple of case studies.
- BPEG and the Rotary club and the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association are co-sponsoring a family-oriented Earth Day event on April 19th.
Earth Works (West Grey)
- We had seven attendees at the Alliance for a Liveable Ontario webinar. There was a good discussion.
- Talk to Saugeen Nature on February 17th
- Repair Café scheduled for a Saturday in March
- Emergency Response letters to our community