Mississauga is going to have an environmental advisory committee again. And none too soon.
Our municipality is one of the few that has no formal avenue to address overriding environmental issues, which seems mighty strange for a place where growth – and the degradation to the natural environment it inevitably brings – has been a front-burner issue forever.
The environmental advisory committee is the initiative of Ward 11 Councillor George Carlson, who sees a need for, “an umbrella group that can tie together all the pieces – a central place to bring information. I’d like it to be a practical, useful committee that people can use as a resource on how to green your house, your car and your neighbourhood.”
Mississauga and Peel have lots of environmental groups, from formal agencies such as Credit Valley Conservation to the Peel Environmental Network, EcoSource, the newly-formed local chapter of the Sierra Club, etc. Those groups all serve slightly different roles. Carlson says he’s consulted them all and they like the idea of a body where they can have input right to council.
Maybe the best news is that the City’s one woman environmental band, Brenda Sakauye, whose title is environmental coordinator, will now have somebody to coordinate. “There’s a $200,000 budget for the committee and we’ll be hiring two people,” says Carlson.
Part of the function will be educational because, “I find the citizens are the biggest abusers of the environment a lot of the time,” says Carlson. All you need to do is drive down any street in the spring and see all the pesticide warning signs on front lawns to see whereof he speaks.
One of the things that will inevitably land on the committee’s agenda is whether Mississauga should join the many municipalities who have already banned use of pesticides on private property.
The committee will also include new Ward 6 Councillor, and long-time green girl, Carolyn Parrish and two citizens. (Anyone who wants to apply for the committee must attend a mandatory information session Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium on the main floor of City Hall to obtain an application.)
There’s no shortage of issues to tackle - woodlot preservation, water quality, the further greening of the City’s horticultural practices and transit and works fleets, energy conservation, protecting the City’s three peregrine falcon nesting sites, fighting the threat of the gypsy moth and the Asian long-haired Beatle (no wait - that was John Lennon in his Maharishi Mahesh Yogi period.)
Asked about the Donald Barber issue, Carlson says, “I won’t allow the committee to get hijacked by any individual or group with an axe to grind. This is more about the basics anyway. Eighty per cent of people are looking for help to be more green but they just don’t know where to turn. This is a kind of a one-stop shopping centre.”
As we absorb the reality that 75 per cent of our “land of snow and ice” will have a green Christmas this year, it’s nice to welcome the City of Mississauga to the table.
You can pick up your late slip at the office.
Comments (2)
This is Alex from down in the Circulation Department. I eagerly await the crackpot response from Mr. Barber on The-Democratic-Reporter.com.
Posted by crazyrabbits | December 21, 2006 7:18 PM
Posted on December 21, 2006 19:18
John, you wrote:
"Mississauga is going to have an environmental advisory committee again. And none too soon."
None too soon, John?
The Corporation's announcement that "Mississauga is going to have an environmental advisory committee" is PERFECT TIMING!
At the Ward 7 All-Candidates' debate on November 1, 2006, Mayor McCallion made this statement.
"Green-field development, as we call it, has disappeared. All the large sections of land have been properly dealt with or zoned --etc."
Now that 100% of all large green-field sections of land are "disappeared", The Corporation can find it unruffly-of-feathers to create an environmental advisory committee that is guaranteed not to interfere with the ambitions of bulldoze-the-greenfields-developers!
It's called Pseudo-Slamming of the Barn Door after the Horses have FLED, John.
Having said that, there's some evidence that The Corporation is creating the appearance of something-approaching-sincerity here with this latest environmental advisory committee. The "some evidence" being that both Carlson and Parrish are to serve on that committee.
That's quite a One-Two-Good-News punch for All-Things-Green. If *I* were a frog or a bullrush, I'd sure want Carlson and Parrish working for ME!...
John, you wrote:
"Asked about the Donald Barber issue, Carlson says, “I won’t allow the committee to get hijacked by any individual or group with an axe to grind. This is more about the basics anyway."
I respect Councillor Carlson a great deal. However, regarding his response to you raising "the Donald Barber issue", I'd like to remind Councillor Carlson of the MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2006 MINUTES of the THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.
72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:hZhZ6BB5R1wJ:www.mississauga.ca/ecity/download/%3FrepositoryKey%3DEcity%26itemDesc%3Dfile%26dataName%3Ddata%26mimeTypeName%3DmimeType%26id%3D31100014+%22CITY+OF+MISSISSAUGA%22+%22ENVIRONMENTAL+COMMITTEE%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6>
Yes, John, JANUARY 9, 2006 --almost a year ago from right now.
There's an entry in there about Donald Barber. Seems Barber cared enough to show up at that January 9, 2006 meeting. The minutes read:
"Also, Mr. Barber expressed disappointment that the City of Mississauga had disbanded its Environmental Committee which he felt was unacceptable and requested that a new Environmental Committee be created with citizen members, to safeguard the local environment."
Yeah. Barber.
John, you wrote:
"The committee will also include new Ward 6 Councillor, and long-time green girl, Carolyn Parrish and two citizens. (Anyone who wants to apply for the committee must attend a mandatory information session Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium on the main floor of City Hall to obtain an application.)"
I'd like to THANK Mr. Barber for speaking out on behalf of All-Things-Green back in January and for his role in getting the environmental committee re-established WITH citizen members even though, we all know that Mr. Barber would not be able to serve as a citizen member because he's not allowed near City Hall---oh yeah, plus, he's regarded (and treated) by The Corporation like a skunk-cabbage in a crowded elevator but I digress --a long awkward sentence, I know.
I tell you, John. The Corporation is waaaaaay more interesting that ANY soap opera... ANY episode of Survivor... ANY... never mind.
Love,
The (Environmentally-friendly) Mississauga Muse
Posted by The Mississauga Muse | December 21, 2006 1:19 PM
Posted on December 21, 2006 13:19