Minutes

Environment Advisory Committee

The Corporation of the City of Brampton

Tuesday, June 03, 2025

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

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

Members Present:

• Charles Coimbra, (Co-Chair)
• Sherry-Ann Ram (Co-Chair)
• Brajgeet Bhathal
• Pushproop Brar
• Subhash Chander Duggal
• Shailly Prajapati
• Sandra Roppa

Members Absent:

• Sukran Balaban
• Raman Vasudev
• Regional Councillor G. Toor - Wards 9 and 10 (personal)

Staff Present:

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

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1.

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 6:09 p.m. and adjourned at 6:55 p.m.

  

2.

Approval of Agenda

Committee discussion took place with respect to proposed amendments to the agenda. 

The following motion was considered. 

• EAC013-2025

  That the agenda for the Environment Advisory Committee meeting of June 3, 2025, be approved, as amended, to add the following items: 

  7.2 Discussion Item at the request of Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, re: Establishment of a Planning Sub-committee

  7.3 Verbal Update re: Engagement Sub-committee

  Carried

3.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Nil

  

4.

Previous Minutes

4.1

Minutes - Environment Advisory Committee - April 1, 2025

The minutes were considered by Committee of Council on April 23, 2025, and were approved by Council on April 30, 2025. The minutes were provided for Committee’s information.

  

5.

Presentations\Delegations

Nil

  

6.

Reports/Updates

6.1

Verbal Update from Tooba Shakeel, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Grow Green Festival

Tooba Shakeel, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided an overview of the 2025 Brampton Grow Green Festival, which took place on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at the Paul Palleschi Recreation Centre, in celebration of World Environment Day, the inauguration of the Etobicoke Creek Wetlands Enhancement Project, and Brampton's​ environmental community. Tooba Shakeel highlighted the success of the event and thanked Committee members and staff for their support and volunteer work. 

The following motion was considered.

• EAC014-2025

  That the verbal update from Tooba Shakeel, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of June 3, 2025, re: Grow Green Festival, be received.

  Carried

6.2

Verbal Update from Tooba Shakeel, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Invasive Species Management Strategy

Tooba Shakeel, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, explained the negative impacts of invasive species and advised the City is developing its first Invasive Species Management Strategy, which will include a comprehensive framework and actions to inform the City's work. It was noted that collaboration with various stakeholders, including the Environment Advisory Committee, would take place to assist with the development of the strategy, and information was provided regarding community engagement (i.e. launch of online community survey, outreach materials).

The following motion was considered. 

• EAC015-2025

  That the verbal update from Tooba Shakeel, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of June 3, 2025, re: Invasive Species Management Strategy, be received.

  Carried

6.3

Verbal Update from Karley Cianchino, Supervisor, Wetlands and Environmental Projects, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Loafers Lake Restoration

Pam Cooper, Manager, Environmental Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided an update regarding the Loafer's Lake Restoration project, which included an overview of the work undertaken for the Etobicoke Creek Wetland Enhancement project and next steps. 

In response to a question from Committee, staff advised they would review and assess whether additional fencing is required, in addition to existing signage, to restrict access to sanded areas.

The following motion was considered.

• EAC016-2025

  That the verbal update from Pam Cooper, Manager, Environmental Planning, Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of June 3, 2025, re: Loafers Lake Restoration, be received.

  Carried

6.4

Verbal Update from Karley Cianchino, Supervisor, Wetlands and Environmental Projects, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Donnelly Ponds Restoration

Pam Cooper, Manager, Environmental Planning, Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided an update regarding the progress on the Donnelly Ponds Restoration project and the work undertaken to date. 

The following motion was considered.

• EAC017-2025

  That the verbal update from Pam Cooper, Manager, Environmental Planning, Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of June 3, 2025, re: Donnelly Ponds Restoration, be received.

  Carried

6.5

Verbal Update from Kristina Dokoska, Senior Environmental Planner, Planning, Building and Growth Management, re: Assessing Natural Systems Climate Change Vulnerability in Brampton Project

Kristina Dokoska, Senior Environmental Planner, Planning, Building and Growth Management, provided an update and overview of the Assessing Natural Systems Climate Change Vulnerability project, which included information on the City's partnership with the TRCA, purpose of this project, potential grants and funding sources to undertake this project, and support from the Environment Advisory Committee (EAC). It was noted that staff will be seeking Council approval to proceed with this project at a future meeting. 

In response to questions from Committee, staff provided information on how the EAC could support this project, and provided additional clarification regarding the purpose of this project, noting that the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment will inform the City's asset management, the prioritization of restoration work, updates to the natural heritage systems and the budget process.

In response to a further question regarding the impact of traffic on turtles in the Heart Lake area, staff provided information on the Road Ecology Program and indicated that this issue can be reviewed as part of the Assessing Natural Systems Climate Change Vulnerability project.

The following motion was considered.

• EAC018-2025

  That the verbal update from Kristina Dokoska, Senior Environmental Planner, Planning, Building and Growth Management, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of June 3, 2025, re: Assessing Natural Systems Climate Change Vulnerability in Brampton Project, be received.

  Carried

7.

Sub-Committees

7.1

Discussion Item at the request of Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, re: Joint Sub-Committee Meetings

Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, advised Committee that, in light of the current vacancies on the Environment Advisory Committee (EAC) and low membership on the Events and Engagement Sub-committees, consideration has been given to holding joint meetings of the sub-committees.

Committee members expressed their support for this approach. 

In response to questions from Committee, Sonya Pacheco, Legislative Coordinator, City Clerk's Office, provided an update on the process for filling vacancies on the EAC, and advised that information regarding sub-committee meetings (e.g. meeting dates, location, agenda), should be shared with all committee members. 

  

7.2

Discussion Item at the request of Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, re: Establishment of a Planning Sub-committee

Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, suggested that a Planning Sub-committee be established to develop a work plan and/or goals for the Environment Advisory Committee (EAC) for the remainder of the term.  

Committee members expressed their support for the establishment of a Planning Sub-committee, outlined their interest in being a member, and discussed the requirement for sub-committee meeting minutes to be submitted to the City Clerk's Office for inclusion on EAC meeting agendas.

The following motion was considered. 

• EAC019-2025

  That a Planning Sub-committee be established for the term of Council ending November 14, 2026, and the following members be appointed thereto:
  •    Sherry-Ann Ram
  •    Pushproop Brar
  •    Bragjeet Bhathal
  •    Sandra Roppa
  •    Charles Coimbra

  Carried

7.3

Verbal Update re: Engagement Sub-committee

Shailly Prajapati, Engagement Sub-committee member, and Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, provided a verbal update regarding the Engagement Sub-committee meeting held on June 2, 2025, which included the following:

• Holding joint sub-committee meetings in light of the current low membership
• Potential future initiatives
• Questions regarding the current status of various programs (e.g. One Million Trees, Farmers' Market, Bike the Creek) and how the Environment Advisory Committee (EAC) can get involved
• Questions regarding opportunities for the EAC to engage with environmental organizations, including the TRCA, CVC, and the Brampton Environmental Alliance (BEA)

Pam Cooper, Manager, Environmental Planning, Planning, Building and Growth Management, outlined a number of programs and events taking place in which committee members can sign-up to participate and advised this information will be provided to Committee members. In addition, information was provided regarding the One Million Trees Program.

The following motion was considered.

• EAC020-2025

  That the verbal update from Shailly Prajapati, Engagement Sub-committee member, and Sherry-Ann Ram, Co-Chair, to the Environment Advisory Committee Meeting of June 3, 2025, re: Engagement Sub-committee, be received.

  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 during this meeting. Sonya Pacheco, Legislative Coordinator, read the following question submitted by email from Amninder Brar, Brampton Resident:

"I'm wondering if the invasive species management stragey will also include invasive grasses. Lawn grass tends to be kentucky blue grass, which isn't native. Will all non-native grass seeds be banned to help the native ones, or will they be restricted? From my experience, the grass seeds sold for lawns tend to be largely non-native.

Also, will invasive species removal be used as a way to help generate green jobs?"

Tooba Shakeel, Policy Planner - Environment, Planning, Building and Growth Management, advised that the points raised by the resident will be included as part of the community survey and information collected for the development of the Invasive Species Management Strategy, and indicated that staff will be looking at all invasive species.

In response to a follow up question from Committee, staff advised that they will be engaging and partnering with various stakeholders including municipal partners, conservation authorities and community organizations. 

 

12.

Adjournment

The following motion was considered.

• EAC021-2025

  That the Environment Advisory Committee do now adjourn to meet again for a regular meeting on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. or at the call of the Chair.

  Carried