A component organization of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects

November 24, 2020

Andrea Horwath, MPP () Leader, Ontario NDP Main Legislative Building, Queen’s Park Room 381 Toronto, ON M7A 1A8

Dear Ms. Horwath,

Re: Congratulations on the Ontario NDP Green New Deal!

Hope you are doing well and staying safe during these challenging times.

I am writing today in my capacity as President of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA).

Thank you for providing us with a video with greetings for our virtual Annual General Meeting. It was very well received by our attendees.

We have very much enjoyed meeting with members of your caucus and found them all very helpful.

On February 20th, our Executive Director Aina Budrevics, former President and Practice Legislation Committee member Glenn O’Connor and Government Relations Consultant Howard Brown held a meeting with NDP Attorney General Critic and the NDP, Director of Stakeholder Relations Alex Callahan.

It was Mr. Callahan who had brought our attention to the ’s environmental policy entitled “Green New Deal”. Mr. Callahan requested the OALA provide the NDP with our feedback on the legislation. Over the last nine months, we have had our Practice Legislation Committee review the legislation and their thoughts are outlined in this letter.

By way of background, the OALA serves to govern and keep members informed on the latest developments which are happening within the industry. Our association is 2,000 members strong.

Landscape architecture is a profession which applies artistic principles to the research, planning, design and management of both natural and built environments. We are site planning and design experts that assist in solving complex problems related to land-use planning, site design, land development and rehabilitation. We work hard to ensure public safety, and that landscape architects’ designs and work helps the economy in the long run - in that it prevents legal action, injury etc.

Promoting, improving and advancing the profession of landscape architecture and maintaining standards of professional practice and conduct consistent with the need to serve and to protect the public interest.

• www.oala.ca • Tel: 416.231.4181 • Fax: 416.231.2679 • [email protected] • 3 Church Street, #506, Toronto, ON M5E 1M2 • The OALA agrees that there needs to be bold action to meet the climate crisis in Ontario.

Our profession in Ontario, throughout Canada and internationally, has been very engaged in advancing actions to mitigate climate impacts that have resulted in severe weather events. We are active advocates for emissions reduction, carbon sequestration and would be pleased to work with you to bring about essential change.

The OALA supports your goal of meeting the most ambitious targets of the Paris Agreement. We agree that net-zero targets are not only achievable but necessary to protect our planet and economy.

Recently, through our membership in the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), we voiced our commitment to advancing the principles of resilience, transformation and sustainability through progressive design and planning of our physical environment. This was expressed through our position paper, entitled Resilient, Transformative and Sustainable: A Positive Approach to a Changing Future: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/climate-change/climate-change.

Last year, we were signatories to the IFLA Declaration of a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency, followed immediately by the unanimous adoption of the ambitious ClimateACTION! Plan.

Landscape architects have long been leaders in: • planning and designing green infrastructure and nature-based solutions to the climate crisis • implementing measures to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions, which involves assisting communities to ensure the sustainability of their natural assets • designing green roofs, green streets and living shorelines • working on a wide array of green infrastructure projects that sequester greenhouse gases, manage storm water, and improve water and air quality

For example, in Toronto, the Port Lands Flood Protection work is being led by members of our profession who bring a strong and holistic vision; the technical capacity to lead the complex process of city building; and the ability to guide decision-making throughout design and construction.

These capacities allow us to deliver major projects, which are not simply traditional parks, but also flexible streets, infrastructure and urban renewal projects.

We have been leaders in Ontario decision-making and actions that protect and conserve vulnerable ecosystems and enhance natural assets, at all scales from large regional landscapes to small sites. We have the knowledge and skills to reduce the impact of the climate crisis, by improving community resilience and ensuring the well-being of our society.

In response to your request for advice, insights and specific actions for implementing the green democratic new deal, we have focused our response on the three questions regarding adaptation that you posed. 1. How can Ontario best invest in green infrastructure and build resiliency?

We suggest the following strategies:

• Invest in resilient infrastructure by restoring degraded and damaged watercourses to reduce erosion and increase the capacity for absorbing the impact of floods as critical components of resilience; • Expand nature-based infrastructure such as wetlands and detention ponds to reduce peak storm run-off; • Update regulated flood limits and improve coastal resilience through ecological restoration; • Undertake strategic investment to enhance urban forests and natural areas that are critical to absorbing catastrophic storm events; and • Manage forest resources throughout the province to reduce potential for forest fires and loss of critical habitat.

2. How can Ontario best protect our freshwater?

The public is an invaluable resource for reducing the use of freshwater and working to eliminate wasteful practices such as irrigation or discarding rain water into sewers. Specifically, homeowners can become partners in changing behaviours towards recycling rain run-off.

Our profession has for decades encouraged the public, institutions, industry, business and government to adaptively reuse storm water including:

• Employing permeable paving, bio-swales (these are channels designed to concentrate and convey storm water runoff while removing debris and pollution. They can also be beneficial in recharging groundwater), green walls to absorb rainfall; • Encouraging shade tree planting as a measure to absorb rainwater; • Developing rain gardens, storm ponds and wetlands that have the benefit recycling and cleaning rain water; • Designing green roofs to absorb rainfall and increase biodiversity; • Educating the public on climate positive design to ensure that the landscape sequesters more greenhouse gas emissions than it embodies or produces.

3. What changes to the Ontario Building Code, the planning regime or strategic investments must be made to ensure our infrastructure and buildings can withstand future climate threats?

Currently Ontario manages climate change through the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and partners with the Federal and Municipal governments to deliver climate change programs. There is a need to ensure that there is a science-based foundation to inform the activities of the provincial agencies, which are responsible for ensuring that the public is safe and protected from the catastrophic events that are occurring more frequently.

Investment in scientific research and the application of this research is needed to update flood regulations, as well as planning policy.

This should be a focus for an NDP provincial government.

Funds should be invested in comprehensive, coordinated and action-oriented programs, which:

• enable low carbon resilience measures • show leadership • stimulate the transition to a low carbon economy

Regulations to mandate climate positive design should include Net Zero Energy for buildings.

As well, it should provide support the Federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, with the funding administered through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

When landscape architects are engaged at the beginning of the planning process, development can achieve the goals of reducing our carbon output, protecting our freshwater supply and improving the return on the investment. But more significantly, this will lead to more sustainable and resilient towns and cities, transport systems, parkland, agriculture, forestry, energy and water system solutions.

This will result in a greater sense of place. All of this is vital for health, wealth and the well-being of communities.

We hope this information is helpful and reiterate that the OALA is prepared to work with you to solve this climate crisis.

Sincerely yours, ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

Jane Welsh, B.L.A., M.Sc. (Planning), FCSLA, OALA President, Ontario Association of Landscape Architects Chair, CSLA Committee on Climate Adaptation