The Green Door Citizens Supporting 's Prosperous and Sustainable Future

The Yorklands Green Hub Newsletter | April 2015 | No. 3 Greetings from the YGH Board We see YGH as part of the change- making. We have been assured that if GREAT NEWS: we can show enough public support for Yorklands Green Hub it will OUR FIRST happen. YOUR support is therefore critical to the Yorklands Green A.G.M.! Hub. Food and water security as The Yorklands Green Hub community health concerns, and will be holding its first sustainable urban agriculture (as The Superintendent's house Annual General Meeting on outlined in the Ontario Local Food Thursday, April 23rd at Act) will be central to our focus and We have important news to share with Innovation research. our supporters and members! 111 Farquhar St. Our renewable energy demon- Last fall we were informed by the strations will be the third pillar of our 7:00 PM Ministry of Infrastructure Ontario that outreach. Lifestyle changes are the Yorklands Green Hub lands and coming, and achieving carbon buildings will not be for lease, but BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! neutrality in our municipalities is a will only be for sale. We are now key overall goal. fundraising to purchase the Super- YGH is now a The “adaptive reuse” and “signifi- intendent's house and approximately membership cant natural area” designations on our 47 acres of the former Guelph organization. chosen site are important for us. Correctional Centre heritage site. This is a huge step for YGH, but one which will give us a more secure footing for We need a strong membership our eco-centre for the public good. to move ahead. So we now We continue to have supportive invite you to become a YGH discussions with the Ontario Minister member, as an individual or of Education, the Ontario Ministry of group. the Environment and Climate Change (OMECC) and other Ministries and Membership will give you a vote organizations. The recent cross- at our Annual General Meeting. Ontario townhall presentations by the Clythe Creek runs through the proposed OMECC indicate that change is 47-acre heritage site. Join online today at: needed and wanted. A quote: http://www.yorklandsgreenhub We will illuminate best .ca/become-member/ practices of today’s environmental "Fighting climate change and innovation and promotion while working to keep our air, land, and As a member, you may stand honoring the site’s rich indigenous, water clean will ensure Ontario's natural and cultural heritages. prosperity and quality of life for for the board or nominate someone else as a candidate. today and for future generations." Our success will depend on you - Glen Murray, Minister of the and your groups continuing to share Environment and Climate Change.” the YGH vision and grow our Your input is vitally important https://www.ontario.ca/environment- support. Please help us reach more and-energy/climate-change as we create this exciting people to sign the petition, and now new public green hub. – become members. ◙ The Green Door Page 2

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Burcher and YGH Chair Norah plan. (Interested readers should Re-Visioning the Chaloner accompanied the class on contact [email protected] Land on-site visits. In preparation for to get involved.) A master design is design work, the class considered key for turning visioning into University of Guelph landscape precedents to the type of adaptive re- planning, inspiring potential donors, architecture students' designs use envisaged, including the 's and communicating our project; and for YGH site on display Evergreen Brickworks, an ambitious creating one is an exciting next step project which transformed a for YGH. decommissioned brick factory and its The event was well-attended by water-filled quarry into a unique people from sustainability and community environmental education innovation communities from Guelph centre, naturalized pond, and wetland. and beyond. Specific objectives for this YGH would like to thank our portion of the design project were to sponsors and supporters – eMERGE meet the goals of the YGH vision for Guelph, 10 Carden, Live Kombucha, our proposed provincial sustainable Rawlicious, Trotters Butcher Shop, environment centre: food production and Ouderkirk & Taylor – as well as and security, water and wetland our dedicated and capable volunteers, Visitors view UofG student designs. for bringing together such an exciting protection and restoration, renewable event. On March 20th, Yorklands Green Hub energy demonstrations and job held a public Design Showcase Event creation. at eMERGE Guelph in the Old Quebec Street Mall. On display were several designs created by fourth-year Landscape Architecture students at the University of Guelph for a stretch of York Road that includes YGH. “The objective was to develop a master plan for an urban corridor on the northern side of York Road, and a greenspace master plan for the south side, which is where we addressed the development of the 36-acre YGH site,” writes Katie Brown, one of the designers. YGH welcomed visitors to consider, discuss and vote on site design features. It was a busy evening, as a steady stream of visitors scrutinized, “Our goal was to find out what And many thanks to all the student discussed and voted on their favourite everyone’s favorite features were of designers for such high-quality and proposed site features. each of the designs, so we could inspiring work, and our best wishes on Creating the details of an on-the- include them in our final plan,” said completing your program! ◙ ground vision for transforming a site Melissa Rasmussen, YGH Board is a complex undertaking. In the fall Member and coordinator for the of 2014, Yorklands Green Hub event. approached University of Guelph “We also wanted to inform people assistant professor Lise Burcher. about YGH and facilitate a con- Burcher and her final year class were versation space where a variety of offered the opportunity to imagine and people with interest in that site, and in create plans for how a part of the sustainability in municipalities, could former Guelph Correctional Centre connect with each other.” might become a 21st century With the feedback received at this Student designer Natalie Gibbs sustainable environments centre and event, YGH will be convening a (l.) with Prof.. Lise Burcher for world-class demonstration site. Design Committee to create our final the University of Guelph The Green Door Page 3

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Grand River Heritage buildings into a place for research, YGH Powers Up at Celebrated Beside education and work in sustainability. In keeping with the tradition of reform Canadian Solar Proposed Guelph at the old Ontario Reformatory site, YGH Site YGH unveiled its proposal to transform this property into a new A Neighborly Day for model of community environmental Yorklands Green Hub centre. Ideas for renewable energy demonstrations, urban farmer stimulus, water protection and shared use captured the support of Heritage River Day audience. The YGH slide show demonstrated how the beautiful Thanks to a connection made through sloping landscape graced with stone the Elevator Project, in March two walls, waterways, arching bridges and YGH Board Members gave a historic buildings will enable hands- presentation about our project to Mr. on learning and green enterprise to George Zhang, General Manager at grow a culture of sustainability for It was a stroke of watershed local green industry heavyweight Guelph and beyond. neighborliness. Canadian Solar. More details on the day’s Every year, Grand River Heritage Mr Zhang was supportive and wonderful presentations can be found Day is held in a different part of the receptive, and full of good ideas at www.grandriver.ca under Heritage watershed, with a focus on a different for how to include various accessible links. ◙ aspect of the Grand River's heritage. demonstrations of solar energy This year, for their eighteenth annual technology as part of the community all-day celebration, YGH enabled the engagement and green energy mission gathering to happen in Guelph. On GET INVOLVED of Yorklands Green Hub. This February 13th, over 200 heritage opportunity was facilitated by Gerrit enthusiasts packed the John McCrae WITH YGH! VanNieuwenhuizen, a longtime Royal Canadian Legion hall, a venue employee of Canadian Solar and a overlooking the Yorklands Green Hub ➢ If you haven't already, new, but avid, YGH supporter. proposed site along Clythe Creek and sign our petition to re- the Grand's tributary Eramosa River. purpose the site This annual celebration honours http://www.yorklandsgreenhu Parks Canada's designation of the b.ca/endorsers/ Grand River watershed as one of the country's “heritage rivers.” Canada's ➢ To sign up as a Heritage River System is a national volunteer: program to “promote, protect and http://www.yorklandsgreenhu enhance Canada's river heritage, and b.ca/volunteer/ ensure that Canada's leading rivers are sustainably managed.” The Yorklands ➢ If you’d like to become a Green Hub will emphasize this special member of YGH – go to Solar demonstrations will be a key feature as part of their river and http://www.yorklandsgreenhu feature in the Yorklands Green Hub project. wetland restoration and education. b.ca/become-member/ The grand finale of a day filled (we ask that committee After Norah Chaloner and Melissa with stories of the natural and cultural members be YGH members) Rasmussen gave their presentation, heritage of the Guelph area was they were guided on a tour of the offered by YGH. Chair Norah We look forward to factory floor. Canadian Solar produces Chaloner gave a presentation on the working with you in what over 5,000 solar panels a day, each Yorklands Green Hub's vision: to promises to be an exciting capable of providing green energy for transform a part of our section of the and fruitful year! twenty years or more. ◙ Grand River watershed land and

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Giza (Ontario Streams and YGH The Green Hub volunteer) and Celeste Longhurst Meets the from Evergreen Brickworks. Celeste has been with the Brickworks for a Where have you Evergreen few years, with experience in seen us recently? fundraising as a grant program Brickworks coordinator before moving over to being a project manager. YGH has had an active winter! Over the past three months, we have attended or been involved in the following events:

- The Elevator Project at 10 Carden - the Compass networking event - Pollinators Guelph LEED building and inner - the Guelph Farmer’s courtyard. Market, every Saturday - the Grand River Heritage In terms of great adaptive reuse Celeste discussed the target amounts Day Celebration transformations, Toronto's of money we should be focusing on, - the EcoMarket/H2O-Go Evergreen Brickworks is a and recommended some tools to help festival notable local example of turning track our fundraising. an industrial site - a decommis- - our own Design sioned brick factory - into a 21st Showcase Event century environmental - The Guelph Resilience community centre. Festival A YGH delegation went for a March visit. ******* Prior to a meeting, Jocelyn Kelly, Norah Chaloner and Colette Mesher took a short tour of the Evergreen Brickworks. This exciting repurposing of unused buildings and land was most inspiring as an example of what Historic site, new uses YGH can become: a dynamic eco- centre for community engagement, Bob and Celeste strongly support our with a broad focus on wetland and move to obtain charitable status, as water restoration, renewable energies there are twice as many grants and urban farming on an unused Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie stops by available to charities as to non-profits. Guelph heritage site. Despite the at the YGH Quebec Street Mall. booth Celeste also said to collect stories on to chat with Colette Mesher, our water winter cold, the sun was shining as we YGH events to help engage possible committee biologist. explored the detailed signage and corporate sponsors, and to “think big” outdoor artwork. We imagined our with regard to the capital campaign. own watershed map with Clythe We thanked Celeste for her time Creek making its way through our and hoped to meet up with her again proposed site to join the Eramosa and in the near future. ◙ then the heritage Grand River. After our tour, we met up with Bob The Green Door Page 5

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Honouring Those Those who remained were disbanded Who Came and largely absorbed into other Six Before Us Nations groups. What is the Yorklands The most influential leader of the First Nations Land Chonnoton was Tsouharissen, a chief Green Hub? Acknowledgement whose council united some ten First The Yorklands Green Hub is a of Yorklands Site Nations groups to form, at a time non-partisan citizens' group that is when confederacies were the common promoting the creation of an form of tribal alliances, a powerful Yorklands Green Hub chiefdom. Tsouharissen, “Child of the Ontario sustainable eco-centre at wishes to honour its Sun,” ruled as both priest and chief the former Guelph Correctional First Nations antecedents on the over his domain from the settlement Centre (GCC). This will be a self- beautiful Guelph site where we are of Ounontisaston (SE of present day sustaining forum where institu- looking to create a sustainable ). His influence was noted tions, groups and sustainable environments centre. by French missionaries who were In the 16th and 17th centuries, received by him at the peak of his businesses can come together in according to archaeologist Rob powers. a structured setting, with indoor McDonald of the University of and outdoor displays, rotating Waterloo, the area around the western exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, end of , into the , and as far north as what are videos and resource materials that now Guelph and Waterloo was promote greater understanding of inhabited and hunted by people who the importance and possibilities called themselves the Chonnonton, or for making the change towards a “people who tend the deer.” They are low-emissions, stable-climate also commonly referred to as the Attawandaron, a name given them by future. the Huron, which translates as “people whose speak a bit differently.” But perhaps more familiar is the term Neutral Nation, a title assigned to Yorklands Green Hub these peoples by the French explorer Board of Directors Champlain. Despite the fact that they were a large and often warlike nation, Champlain called them 'neutral' for an Norah Chaloner An early French map of the Great Lakes important reason: they kept the peace John Dennis with his allies, the Huron, as well as - the Chonnonton or Neutral lived north and west of Lake Ontario, and north of the Hurons' enemies, the of . Eduardo Garay present-day northern state.

The Chonnonton or Neutrals were Following Tsouharissen's death in Val Morse the largest Aboriginal group in about 1646, his chiefdom dis- Northeast America, estimated at up to Melissa Rasmussen integrated, and the Iroquois dispersed 40,000 by the early 1600s. They were and destroyed the “Neutral” nation by known for penning deer and using the mid-1600s. them for trade as far afield as Their history is an important part Chesapeake Bay. Many were lost to You can contact YGH at of our own history.◙ epidemics of European-transmitted [email protected] diseases or were driven out of their territories by wars that ensued between tribal alliances with European fur traders in the second half of the 1600s. The Green Door Page 6

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SUPPORT FOR YGH Once again we wish to thank all our petition signers and endorsing groups. Volunteer with the We now have more than 3,000 Yorklands Green Hub! signatures on our petition to the Ontario government to re-purpose a portion of the former Guelph Correctional Centre (36 acres and two buildings) for use as a public eco- centre, and 45 endorsing groups. YGH ANNUAL GENERAL We're about to launch a campaign to MEETING (AGM) seek group endorsements farther Wednesday, April 23, 2015 afield in the province. If you've 7:00 pm already signed, you can support us by Innovation Guelph asking your friends to sign our 111 Farquhar St. , Guelph petition too! Site bio-blitz! http://www.yorklandsgreenhub.ca/en We're pleased to invite you to join us dorsers/ Our organization is an all- at our first Annual volunteer citizens' group. General Meeting, DONATE TO YGH which we will be This opens up all kinds of Now that we know that our chosen holding on April 23rd excellent opportunities for our site will be available only through during Earth Week. members to learn, contribute purchase, we are embarking on an all- to community development, out fundraising campaign towards the It will take place in Guelph at 7:00 share knowledge and skills, goal of raising the needed capital and help us achieve our dream pm, and we look forward to many of funds. You can make a donation to of a unique public sustain- you attending. Please check our support our work through our website. ability centre in Guelph. Facebook page and Twitter for http://www.yorklandsgreenhub.ca/en more details closer to the date. dorsers/ OTHER EVENTS WHERE YOU WILL FIND YGH SOON: BECOME A MEMBER Now there's a new way to support Jane's Walks Guelph – early May YGH's work: you can take out a membership. It's easy to do on line at 2 Rivers Festival Guelph – June our website. http://www.yorklandsgreenhub.ca/be En Plein Air arts festival – July come-member/ If you care about a sustainable Bioblitz – Summer 2015 JOIN THE BOARD future, we invite and To become a candidate for elections, encourage you to join us! http://www.yorklandsgreenhub.ca/join- the-board/ Sign up to get monthly updates with volunteer opportunities “The Green Door” is a publication of the Yorklands Green Hub by emailing “Bulletin” to: Communications and Outreach Committee. We welcome news, [email protected] articles and letters. Each must include the author's name and full contact information. We reserve the right to refuse or edit all If you're interested in submissions. volunteering on a committee, please fill out this form: http://www.yorklandsgreenhu Questions should be directed to the editor or a member of the b.ca/volunteer/ Board of Directors at [email protected]