Environmental agencies pushing to make London greener
Two environmental agencies have released a policy framework aimed at helping Canadian cities, including London, ON, better integrate green infrastructure.
The project is spearheaded by Living Cities Canada, and supported locally by the London Environmental Network.
"We need the community to be on board," says Christine Mettler, Living Cities Canada's program manager.
In the last year, the agencies have initiated demonstration projects to get the ball rolling. They include de-paving concrete and asphalt areas, tearing them up and replacing them with water absorbing green spaces.
They also offer subsidies for people who want to add a rain garden to their yard, which reduces flood risks.
Rain garden in a London resident's yard (Courtesy: London Environmental Network)
"Green infrastructure essentially is a strategy to get cities to be more like naturalised areas," says Mettler.
"We kind of see ourselves as the middle man between the community and the city's work," says Marianne Griffith, the London Environmental Network's executive director. "(We're) helping people get actually involved, picking up resources, and implementing the projects."
With a policy framework now in place, both agencies will use it to develop community-specific plans to better integrate green infrastructure. London is one of five Canadian cities included in this stage. The others are Hamilton, Ont. Lethbridge, Alta., plus Dieppe and St. John, N.B.
The five communities were chosen to cover a wide range of population sizes, demographics, and geography, according to Living Cities Canada.
Rain garden in a London resident's yard (Courtesy: London Environmental Network)
The effects of climate change are seen more often in lower income and racialized communities, says Mettler. So bringing these project forward in an equitable way is important.
"There's higher risk of flooding, there's more exposure to urban heat island effects," Mettler says. "So a big part of this project is trying to address that gap."
The policy framework, as well as demonstration projects implemented in the last year, are made possible through funding from multiple private foundations, most significantly from the Definity Insurance Foundation.
The London Environmental Network wants to see more rain gardens built in the next year.
"We can amp up that work," says Griffith. "Work with the city, and folks like Green Communities Canada, to make that more mainstream."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
The Slovak defence minister says doctors are fighting for the life of the country's prime minister, who was shot multiple times after a political event Wednesday afternoon.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.