Minutes

Environment Advisory Committee

The Corporation of the City of Brampton

Tuesday, August 06, 2024

6:00 P.m. - 8:00 P.m.

Hybrid Meeting - Virtual Option & In-Person in Council Chambers – 4th Floor – City Hall

Members Present:

• Raman Vasudev (Co-Chair)
• Sherry-Ann Ram (Co-Chair)
• Sukran Balaban
• Brajgeet Bhathal
• Pushproop Brar
• Charles Coimbra
• Subhash Chander Duggal
• Neil Fairhead
• Shailly Prajapati

Members Absent:

• Hardik Mankad
• Sandra Roppa
• Regional Councillor G. Toor - Wards 9 and 10

Staff Present:

• Pam Cooper, Manager, Environmental Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management
• Kristina Dokoska, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management
• Zoe Milligan, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management
• Richa Dave, Project Manager, Transportation Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management
• Sonya Pacheco, Legislative Coordinator, City Clerk's Office

---

1.

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 6:04 p.m. and adjourned at 7:20 p.m.

  

2.

Approval of Agenda

The following motion was considered.

• EAC018-2024

  That the agenda for the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of August 6, 2024, be approved.

  Carried

3.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Nil

  

4.

Previous Minutes

4.1

Minutes - Environment Advisory Committee - June 4, 2024

The minutes were considered by Committee of Council on June 19, 2024, and approved by Council on June 26, 2024.  The minutes were provided for Committee’s information.

  

5.

Presentations\Delegations

5.1

Delegation from Tony Iacobelli, Executive Director, and Laurie Dickson, Lead-Home Energy Retrofits, CCET, re: Centre for Community Energy Transformation (CCET) Update

Tony Iacobelli, Executive Director, CCET, provided a presentation on the Centre for Community Energy Transformation, which included information regarding:

• Peel Region 2022 emissions by sector
• CCET vision, mission, milestones and priority areas
• Home Energy Retrofits and Low Carbon District Energy programs
• Financing options for energy retrofits
• District energy priorities
• Request that the Environment Advisory Committee support the CCET with marketing and communications, and by participating in CCET programs 

The delegation responded to questions from Committee regarding the following:

• Building emission increases
• Local Improvement Charge (LIC) financing for home energy retrofits (also called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE))
• CCET focus on low rise residential dwellings
• Grant funding and loan capital from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) (e.g. Community Efficiency Financing (CEF) Capital Program)
• Increasing the 0.5% energy retrofit rate to 3%
• Increasing awareness of the benefits of LIC financing for home energy retrofits
• Clarification regarding energy emission increases
• Long term opportunities to expand the program to include commercial properties
• Collaboration with Enbridge on their energy efficiency programs/incentives
  • Relaunch of the Enbridge Home Efficiency Rebate program
• Communication and outreach goals
• Information regarding the Low Carbon District Energy Workshop on November 5, 2024

The following motion was considered.

• EAC019-2024

  That the delegation from Tony Iacobelli, Executive Director, and Laurie Dickson, Lead-Home Energy Retrofits, CCET, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of August 6, 2024, re: Centre for Community Energy Transformation (CCET) Update, be received.

  Carried

5.2

Presentation by Zoe Milligan, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Private Property Maintenance and Prohibited Plants By-law (Grass and Weed Cutting By-law 166-2011 Update)

Zoe Milligan, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided a presentation regarding the Private Property Maintenance and Prohibited Plants By-law (Grass and Weed Cutting By-law 166-2011 Update), which included information on updated provisions, goals, and timelines for the by-law update.

Committee discussion on this matter included the following:

• Concerns regarding the reduction of natural gardens and lack of permeable surfaces on residential properties
  • Staff advised that the City does not have a by-law requiring property owners to maintain a percentage of permeable landscape on their property  
• The need to encourage residents to create more sustainable and naturalized gardens
• Communications strategy and programs to educate residents on the updated by-law
• Clarification regarding the removal/disposal of vegetative cuttings and Region of Peel yard waste restrictions
• The City's practices relating to the application of pesticides
• Opportunity for the Environment Advisory Committee to support the updated by-law through a delegation to Council/Committee of Council

The following motion was considered.

• EAC020-2024

  That the presentation by Zoe Milligan, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of August 6, 2024, re: Private Property Maintenance and Prohibited Plants By-law (Grass and Weed Cutting By-law 166-2011 Update), be received.

  Carried

6.

Reports/Updates

6.1

Report from Kristina Dokoska, Environmental Planner, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Update on the 2024 Earth Day Environmental Celebration Event

Kristina Dokoska, Environmental Planner, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided an overview of the 2024 Earth Day Environmental Celebration Event, including the Grow Green Awards, and provided information on future expansion of this event.

The following motion was considered.

• EAC021-2024

  That the report from Kristina Dokoska, Environmental Planner, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of August 6, 2024, re: Update on the 2024 Earth Day Environmental Celebration Event, be received.

  Carried

6.2

Verbal Update from Richa Dave, Project Manager, Transportation Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Brampton Mobility Plan

Richa Dave, Project Manager, Transportation Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided a verbal update regarding the Brampton Mobility Plan (Transportation Master Plan), which will guide investment and planning over a 20-year period. Information was provided in regard to the following:

• Alternative network solutions to address travel demand in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner
• Seven guiding principles endorsed by Council to guide and inform the plan and serve as the evaluation framework for assessing alternative network solutions
• Evaluation criteria metrics
• Phase 3 of the plan
• Upcoming public consultation/engagement opportunities in September and October 2024, and a request that the Environment Advisory Committee participate in, and help promote, these events

In response to concerns from a Committee Member regarding e-scooters, Richa Dave advised that staff are gathering information and feedback to evaluate the e-scooter pilot project and will provide a recommendation to Council in this regard. In addition, it was noted that e-scooters are not permitted on sidewalks and staff are aware of instances of non-compliance.

Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, advised that the City has an Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC), which deals with these types of issues/concerns, and staff confirmed this verbal update will also be provided to the ATAC.

The following motion was considered.

• EAC022-2024

  That the verbal update from Richa Dave, Project Manager, Transportation Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of August 6, 2024, re: Brampton Mobility Plan, be received.

  Carried

6.3

Verbal Update from Karline McCawley, Environmental Project Specialist, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Dearbourne Pollinator Habitat Update and Upcoming Events

Karline McCawley, Environmental Project Specialist, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided an update regarding the Dearbourne Pollinator Habitat, which included information on the current state of the habitat, phase two plantings, and the monthly community stewardship events. Karline advised that the phase two planting event is taking place on September 21, 2024 and invited Committee Members to participate. 

The following motion was considered.

• EAC023-2024

  That the verbal update from Karline McCawley, Environmental Project Specialist, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of August 6, 2024, re: Dearbourne Pollinator Habitat Update and Upcoming Events, be received.

  Carried

7.

Sub-Committees

7.1

Minutes - Engagement Sub-Committee - July 17, 2024

Shailly Prajapati and Brajgeet Bhathal, Engagement Sub-Committee Members, provided an overview of the July 17, 2024 meeting and outlined the need for staff support and guidance with respect to event participation, community outreach, and collaboration with organizations such as the Brampton Environmental Alliance (BEA).

Pam Cooper, Manager, Environmental Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, responded to questions with respect to establishing a new program to engage newcomers, collaborating with organizations on existing programs, and suggested that the Engagement Sub-Committee develop a workplan.

The following motion was considered.

• EAC024-2024

  That the Minutes of the Engagement Sub-Committee Meeting of July 17, 2024, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of August 6, 2024, be approved.

  Carried

8.

Other New/Business

Nil

  

9.

Correspondence

Nil

  

10.

Question Period

Nil

  

11.

Public Question Period

The public was given the opportunity to submit questions in person or via e-mail to the City Clerk’s Office regarding any decisions made at this meeting. Sonya Pacheco, Legislative Coordinator, confirmed there were no questions from the public.

  

12.

Adjournment

The following motion was considered.

• EAC025-2024

  That the Environment Advisory Committee do now adjourn to meet again for a regular meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. or at the call of the Chair.

  Carried