All levels of government, non-profit organizations, community groups and businesses must play a role in protecting and growing Ontario’s urban forests. Coordination and collaboration is imperative, which is why GIO has developed a Call to Action for Ontario’s Urban Forests. This process has established consensus around key actions the province should take to support urban forests. We collectively agree that the Province needs to take a leadership role in developing a province-wide urban forest strategy and facilitating urban forest knowledge transfer.

GIO’s recently-published State of the Urban Forest in the Greater Toronto Area report is a landmark effort drawing on data from 17 municipal and regional governments in the Greater Toronto Area to provide a comprehensive overview of the local urban forest. The report identifies the key benefits of the urban forest and outlines the challenges and opportunities associated with maintaining and growing this vital resource.

In a June 2015 letter to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, we emphasized the benefits that urban forests provide, outlined the issues facing the urban forest, and suggested specific ways that the Province can support urban forest stewardship at the community level — namely, working with GIO to develop an Ontario Urban Forest Strategy, and supporting urban forest knowledge transfer. Read the full letter HERE.

GIO has provided commentary on the proposed Climate Mitigation and Low Carbon Economy Act, 2016 – Bill 172. GIO supports the carbon reduction targets, and provides three specific suggestions for the ministry’s consideration. Read the comments here.

In March 2016 GIO wrote a memo to urge Canada’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities to include living green infrastructure in its assessment criteria for infrastructure funding applications. Read the full memo here.