Tree Planters: A podcast about change for a better world

Margaret and Adam talk about Ontario's controversial Bill 23, which drastically changes how communities are planned, about the Ford government's attack on the Greenbelt, which is a reversal from their often repeated promise to not touch it, as well as many more topics. Adam swears once, hence the explicit tag. (We're talking about the Ford government here, so it's difficult to...

Municipal elections are just around the corner in Ontario, and the choice you make can have a big impact on the environment, the quality of our communities, and, believe it or not, on climate change. This episode Margaret and Adam talk about why municipal action on the environment can have such a big impact, and how you can make an informed choice on which candidate to support. Support the show

Orillia, a small city on the north shore of Lake Simcoe in central Ontario, is considering annexing nearby land in anticipation of population growth. Stop Sprawl Orillia , a citizen group, has organized to advocate for retaining current boundaries and placing an emphasis on intensification, rather than enabling sprawl outward by allowing continued building of single detached homes around the curre...

This month we talk tall sprawl, also known as vertical sprawl. Most of us think of the typical suburban development when we think of sprawl, and the answer to this, we are told, is to increase density within the urban boundary. (If you're familiar with our work at all you'll have heard us talk about the need for this.) Building high rises accomplishes this but putting far more people on...

This episode we are looking back at the year that was, and looking ahead at the year that might be. Oh, and we do a film review of Don't Look Up! Topics covered include the amazing summer students we were so lucky to have, and the very positive impact that they had on youth engagement in Simcoe County; how private profit is often made in our economy at the expense of the public, which also me...

This episode we speak with two citizens, Tricia Leuchter and Irene Ford, who are fighting the Bradford Bypass and Highway 413, respectively, which are proposed for their communities.  Doug Ford and other proponents of the highways have claimed that opponents are "downtown elites" and "radical activists." But, these characterizations are far from the truth, which is more in line...

This episode we talk about greenwashing, the practice of presenting a product in a way that makes it seem to consumers as if it is environmentally friendly, when in fact it is not. Greenwashing is most often thought of in terms of marketing a product. In a time when political discourse is increasingly branded and marketed, however, and when the action required to address environmental problems is...

On this episode of the Tree Planters podcast SCGC's youth engagement lead, Kelly, and youth advocacy intern, Blythe, talk about the barriers making it difficult for youth to engage in discussions around climate action, and how these can be addressed so that youth can help build a climate friendly future. Support the show

Our guest this episode, Victor Doyle, is considered one of the key architects of Ontario's Greenbelt. We talk about how the current provincial government is attempting to open up more land in the GTA for sprawl development, how highways don't solve congestion problems, but rather make them worse, and how the costs of infrastructure projects like highways tend to be shouldered by the publ...

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 By...

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...

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 Simcoe Shaks...

Links to resources: Making Change Sandy and Nora (podcast) Struggle in the Suburbs Google Doc - Anti-racism resources 10 Documentaries To Watch About Race Instead Of Asking A Person Of Colour To Explain Things For You We must defund the police. It is the only option. What a World Without Cops Would Look Like How Cities Offload the Cost of Police Brutality The Double Standard of the American Riot ‘...

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 f...

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 r...

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 u...

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 l...

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 scatte...

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 u...

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 s...

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...

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