With new highways proposed in the GTA, there are concerns about a boondoggle waste of taxpayer's money that goes toward increased sprawl, increased congestion, and increased threats to the environment.We talk with Laura Bowman, lawyer for Ecojustice, about threats that new highways pose to sensitive natural areas, to communities, and to the Greenbelt.Show links:Map of where the Bradford Bypass is proposedMap of where the 413 is proposedArchived report on feasibility of proposed highway corridor (outlining that it isn't necessarily the best option)Notice exempting the Bradford Bypass from an environmental assessmentSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/treeplanterspodcast)

Tree Planters: A podcast about change for a better world

October 9, 2020 - Ontario wants to build more highways, and we talk about it with Laura Bowman of Ecojustice

This week (really last week, but there's been a lot happening and we've had our hands full!) we talk with Jennifer Van Gennip about affordable housing and the advent of modern homelessness.Jennifer works with a number of groups that address these issues, including the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH), the Simcoe County Poverty Reduction Task Group (PRTG), Redwood Park Communities, the Down Syndrome Association of Ontario... and this Isi just to name a few, believe it or not!Show links: Shooting The Hippo: Death By Deficit And Other Canadian Mythsby Linda McQuaigA Better World Ahead Means Shaping Emerging Narratives Now, by Kristen GrimmPush, the FilmRevisionist HistorySupport the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

July 7, 2020 - Affordable housing and modern homelessness, with guest, Jennifer Van Gennip

This week we talk with Shak Edwards about her work mentoring youth, particularly Black youth, and the values of humility and kindness that she works from. We also talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, about the efforts Shak, as well as others, have undertaken locally to support Black youth, and whether the Raptors will repeat as NBA champions this year.Show links:Just Recovery SimcoeShaks WorldUplift Black YouthMaking ChangeRevolution RamblingsSupport the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

June 19, 2020 - A just recovery, and we talk with Shak Edwards about her work mentoring youth, the value of humility and kindness, and the Black Lives Matter movement

Links to resources:Making ChangeSandy and Nora (podcast)Struggle in the SuburbsGoogle Doc - Anti-racism resources10 Documentaries To Watch About Race Instead Of Asking A Person Of Colour To Explain Things For YouWe must defund the police. It is the only option.What a World Without Cops Would Look LikeHow Cities Offload the Cost of Police BrutalityThe Double Standard of the American Riot‘No reader is too young to start’: anti-racist books for all children and teensDo the work: an anti-racist reading listGetting Real About the Job of Police: A Letter to Barack ObamaRacism is built into U.S. cities. Here’s how architects can fight backAmerica’s Cities Were Designed to OppressTo Defund the Police, Activists Rewrote City BudgetsSupport the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

June 5, 2020 - Black Lives Matter

More news on local street closures to help with the recovery from COVID-19, an update on Simcoe County's request for a Ministerial Zoning Order which would allow for more sprawl, and a chat with Franz Hartmann, former Executive Director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, who is currently engaged with the Small Change Fund and the Green Future Fund. Check the episode page and show notes for links to resources.Support the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

May 29, 2020 - Pedestrian zones, MZOs, and a chat with Franz Hartmann, Chief Engagement Officer of the Small Change Fund and Green Future Fund

The main portion of this show this week is an interview with Heather Keam, of the Tamarack Institute. Heather is manager of Cities, Cities Deepening Community, Vibrant Communities at Tamarack and she spoke with us about what Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is and how can help strengthen communities and build resilience.In the chat before the interview Margaret and Adam discuss concerns regarding the Ontario government's seemingly singular focus on business interests in their planning for  a recovery from COVID-19, why that could pose problems for future resilience to crises, and why we need a Just Recovery based on an inclusive dialogue with all, rather than a recovery that focuses simply on business. Check out the show notes on our website for links to resources.Support the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

May 22, 2020 - Just Recovery, and talking Asset Based Community Development with Heather Keam from the Tamarack Institute

This week we are joined by Mary Wagner of Friends of Simcoe Forests about their work to protect the Freele Tract on Horseshoe Valley Road and the County seeking a Ministerial Zoning Order to override due process.We also talk about the first openings of streets in our area to allow for safer physical distancing, London's announcement that it will greatly expand areas dedicated to pedestrian use, the risk-averse stance of many governments and how this can be a problem when it comes to the changes we need to counter climate change and many other environmental and social issues, and poked around a little on the topic of a just recovery. (We'll have much more to announce about a just recovery in the coming weeks.)Stay safe, and think about your risk/reward ratio if you are thinking about changing your behaviour as lock-down starts to lift! (Want to hang with some friends? Are the risks presented by COVID-19 less than the reward of their close physically proximity?)Support the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

May 15, 2020 - COVID-19 Street Closures, Friends of Simcoe Forests, Rule by Fiat

In which we start another podcast format. Our Currents episodes will be focused on issues that are happening now, largely in our local community, and that our member organizations are involved with. It's less polished than our deep-dive episodes and more conversational.This week we talk about the impacts of COVID-19 on our communities, specifically regarding some of the lessons that we can learn from COVID-19 to help build resilience for the future. A lot of what we spend our time thinking about in this regard has to do with the impacts of climate change, and a couple of the areas we talk about have to do with food security and providing people with more options in how they access basic amenities (rather than relying only on a car).Support the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

Currents May 8, 2020 Tree Planters Podcast

An hour and a half north of Toronto there is a constant stream of cars pulling over to the side of the road.People get out, walk to the back of their vehicle, open the trunk and lift out jugs, which they carry to a small hut nearby.Inside the hut there is a trough with spouts above it from which a constant flow of water pours.Out one end of the trough water cascades down to a small creek scattered with watercress. Farm fields stretch away from the hut to a line of hills in the east. The hills form part of the Oro Moraine, part of which is known as the Waverley Uplands.The water that flows here has been tested, and the results show that it is more pure, or contains less contaminants, than water tens of thousands of years old that was taken from ice cores in the arctic. What may make this water so pure is also what attracts aggregate mining operations.Moraines consist of rock debris left over by glaciers, which pushed and rolled that debris underneath. The debris forms a filter for water, much like the one you may have in your fridge. It is also a primary resource used in construction.As you will hear, two large aggregate mines operate in the immediate area of these flows, and have applied to expand their operations.Impacts from aggregate mining include the use of large amounts of water to 'wash' gravel, as well, often, as digging beneath the water table, which can drastically change hydrogeology.Check out our site for further links and resources: https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/waverley_uplands Support the show (https://www.simcoecountygreenbelt.ca/donations)

The Fight to Protect the Waverley Uplands, the Cleanest Water in the World

This month we talk about the One Earth One Vote campaign with Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence. Organized by Environmental Defence, the David Suzuki Foundation, Ontario Nature, among others, and which SCGC is participating in, this campaign is meant to ensure the environment is the top priority this election.We get into some interesting areas as well, including how we can use geothermal to help transition jobs away from fossil fuels, so check it out!Support the show

One Earth One Vote with Tim Gray of Environment Defence Canada

This month we're looking at the difference between change that addresses root causes, such as poverty and inequality, and change that addresses symptoms, such as homelessness. The former is change upstream, while the later is change downstream. We talk with Naomi Wachowiak, who works in public health, about social determinants of health, some examples of upstream change and how it benefits society. During our talk Naomi notes the increasing focus being directed toward the impacts of climate change, and how much of these impacts will be disproportionately born by marginalized populations.Support the show

Upstream/Downstream: Root Cause or BandAid?

This month we are talking about activism. It's a term that can divide people, but we think that it can be found far more than we might think in our daily life. We speak to three community leaders, Hale Mahon, Keenan Aylwin, and Claire Malcolmson, who put a lot of time and effort into making their communities better places, and try to understand a little more about this divisive but important term.Support the show

Activism (What is it? Why do we do it?)

Our first episode! We explain how we came up with the Tree Planters name, as well as discuss who we are, what we do, and why we do it.Support the show

Why "Tree Planters"?

We live in a world running out of space, resources, and time. There are solutions. We can build a better world - a world that is fair, healthy, and prosperous. But this requires transformative change. Why Tree Planters Podcast you ask? Well, there's a great proverb that goes as follows:“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”We feel there's a scarcity of tree planters in positions of power these days. Each month we look at problems and solutions relating to how we live in modern society, including those of sprawl and associated consumption patterns and behaviour, climate change, habitat degradation and species loss, community development and empowerment, knowledge of and connection to place, leadership and accountable governance, among others.We welcome you to join us on our journey. Please don't hesitate to connect with us if you have suggestions or questions. New episodes on the 1st of every month.See simcoecountygreenbelt.ca for podcast transcripts.

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Tree Planters: A podcast about change for a better world

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