The Last 10 Years
In April 2000, under Mayor Mel Lastman, City Council adopted the megacity’s first-ever environmental plan called Clean, Green and Healthy: A Plan for an Environmentally Sustainable Toronto. The environmental plan set the direction for action in a host of areas including:
- Pollution reduction
Waste diversion
Sustainable transportation
Sustainable energy
Green economic development
Education and awareness
So began 10 years of City Hall building a green city, work that started with Mayor Lastman and continues today under the leadership of Mayor Miller.
Today, many of the ideas first mentioned in Clean, Green and Healthy are being realized:
- The 2003 ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides reduced pollution on our land and in our water
- The Green Bin program has dramatically increased waste diversion
- The Ridership Growth Strategy[pdf], Transit City, the Bike Plan, and the Walking Strategy will create more sustainable transportation
- The Sustainable Energy Plan will build renewable power and promote energy efficiency
- Local manufacturing and local jobs will be created as green initiatives such as the the Sustainable Energy Plan and Transit City are implemented
- The Community Right to Know Bylaw, now in effect, requires industrial polluters to track and report their use of 25 toxic chemicals
These and many other policies make for healthier communities and businesses. This is happening because Torontonians and three successive City Councils have believed environmental solutions are a priority.