@toenviro
Since 1989, the Toronto Environmental Alliance has campaigned locally to find solutions to Toronto's urban environmental problems. As a not-for-profit organization, we advocate on behalf of all Torontonians for a green, healthy and equitable city.
UPDATE: We spoke up for tree protections-City Hall listened! Councillors voted yesterday at committee to add more tree enforcement & monitoring to the proposal.
Full City Council will vote Mar 25-27, send a message telling them to support this plan⬇️ www.torontoenvironment.org/speak_up_to_... #TOpoli
Our urban forests are irreplaceable! Trees bring shade, clean air, flood protection, climate benefits & health benefits. Toronto City Council will be voting soon on a plan for stronger private trees protection.
🌳 Speak up to help make sure this plan gets approved: https://loom.ly/sWXPztc 🌲
Tomorrow, February 19 we will start reviewing applications and continue on a rolling basis.
Early applications are encouraged, so please apply or share with those who might be interested!
Non-profit leaders & changemakers, please share!
TEA is recruiting a new permanent, full-time Executive Director to lead us.
We are sad to see our current ED Emmay Mah leave us, but we are happy for her as she starts a new phase in her career.
Apply here:
www.torontoenvironment.org/executive_di...
Until March 8 City staff are gathering public feedback on which actions to prioritize to reduce waste and improve waste diversion across Toronto.
We've broken down our recommendations, so you can read our breakdown and take the survey here! loom.ly/KFcfxQ0
#topoli
Until March 8 City staff are gathering public feedback on which actions to prioritise to reduce waste and improve waste diversion across Toronto.
We've broken down our recommendations so can read our breakdown and take the survey here! https://loom.ly/KFcfxQ0
Overall the 2026 budget makes modest investments in the right direction. To make the transformative changes we need, federal and provincial governments need to be engaged to make Toronto greener for all.
For more updates, sign up for TEA’s newsletter here: www.torontoenvironment.org/newsletter_s...
❌ Where we’re behind: More than half of the climate pollution in Toronto comes from buildings. While Toronto has good building decarbonization loan programs, we need more cooperation between all governments to fund and enable retrofits at the scale they have all committed to.
✅ #Affordability for home energy: The Toronto 2026 Budget continues retrofit loan and support programs, including heat pump installation supports and low-interest loans for large and small buildings.
✅ Waste and #CircularEconomy: The Toronto 2026 budget includes funding for new staff to work on the Circular Economy Roadmap passed in 2025. This includes key actions to cut waste, reduce carbon emissions, and support the local economy, like construction waste reuse and reusable foodware programs.
✅ Community climate action: The Toronto 2026 Budget funds more community #climateaction grants, including new funding for Black-led climate action grants. This increase will spark more neighbourhood-level projects like gardens, bike repair workshops, and an increased heat wave response.
✅ Transit: Budget 2026 increases #TTC service, which is key to Toronto’s climate action plan, and will improve transit service/affordability, meaning more people using transit & polluting less by:
-Fare freezes for the 3rd year in a row
-Funding a cap for the total # of fares a rider pays per month
✅ Protection from extreme weather: The Toronto 2026 Budget expands the pilot program providing indoor cooling units to vulnerable tenants, while continuing much-needed incentives to green properties to absorb more stormwater, and more grants to prevent basement flooding.
Toronto City Council just passed its 2026 Budget. Here’s our run down: both the good, and the not-so-good:
Ready? Here we go!! ⬇️ #topoli
The City is asking for help to shape waste diversion programs. We need a zero waste strategy for everyone:
-with better diversion in multi-unit buildings
-following Zero Waste Hierarchy with no incineration
Hear more & ask questions at the City’s online meeting today, 7pm: https://loom.ly/aIrG6VU
FUND OUR CITY 2026 Toronto budget rally Tuesday, February 10, 12 - 2 p.m. Toronto City Hall (100 Queen St. W) ACORN Toronto; Campaign 2000; The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto; Don Valley Community Legal Services; Family Service Toronto; Federation of Metro Tenants Association; North York Harvest Food Bank; Progress Toronto; Social Planning Toronto; South Asian Women’s and Immigrant Services; TNG Community Services; Toronto and York Region Labour Council; Toronto Community Benefits Network; Toronto Environmental Alliance; Toronto Public Library Workers Union Local 4948; TTCriders; YWCA Toronto
New sponsors have been announced for our 2026 Toronto Budget Rally!
Join us at City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 12 - 2 while City Council votes on the 2026 budget. It's time to send a strong message: we need to fund a city where everyone can thrive.
socialplanningtoronto.org/fundourcity
Grassy Narrows protesters briefly interrupt Premier Ford speech at Mississauga Board of Trade event this morning
Like and share the article below
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...
#GrassyNarrows #FreeGrassy
Some great environmental news for Canada today! The ban stays, more regulation is possible, & we won't see a return of plastic bags, straws & six pack rings to Toronto's streets & parks.
Most importantly, science, environmental protection & health has prevailed —the Big Plastic industry didn't!
Krissan Veerasingam, Director and Co-Founder of Scarborough Environmental Association (SEA) speaking to Councillors and city staff in Scarborough
Sarah Buchanan, Campaigns Manager at the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) speaking to Councillors and city staff in Scarborough
TEA joined friends @ttcriders.bsky.social & Scarborough Environmental Alliance to speak up about the City's annual budget in #Scarborough this week. You can read our budget analysis here: www.torontoenvironment.org/breaking_dow...
Partially frozen Lake Ontario with ice in the foreground and the City of Toronto skyline in the background. Text reads: Our Analysis of the City's 2026 Budget
Want to know what the City's 2026 draft budget does (or doesn't do) for our environment? We've broken it down for you: www.torontoenvironment.org/breaking_dow...
The City of TO released the draft 2026 budget, TEA is particularly pleased to see expansion of the pilot project providing cooling to vulnerable tenants to keep them safe as summers get hotter
Stay tuned for more budget analysis updates next week & sign up www.torontoenvironment.org/newsletter_s...
This system will only work if governments sets strong, clear rules. Instead the Ford government caved to lobbying and weakened the rules at every turn.
Corporations aren’t going to fix these rules, it’s the province’s job. Ford needs to step up and fix the mess they made.
#onpoli
A Toronto blue wheelie bin with a circular materials sticker on it. Text from a Toronto Star article reads, "Ontario's new blue bin system starts today. Why some fear it will be a 'disaster'. Beginning New Year’s Day, Ontario municipalities will no longer be responsible for curbside recycling, sparking fears of more waste going to landfill. “Circular Materials, along with producers, have done a lot of advocacy to narrow the scope and slow down Ontario’s regulations, which is the main cause of the problems, along with ongoing changes that have made it impossible for municipalities to plan.” Residents are learning what they can put in their bin and who is picking it up, Alfred said, “but the bigger issue is that this is part of a systematic erosion of recycling and all waste programs in Ontario. “We’re expecting the new blue box system in Ontario is going to be a disaster.” —TEA Senior Campaigner, Emily Alfred"
Ontario's new Blue Box system is a mess. Behind the scenes, it's even worse. Circular Materials is run by big corporations like McDonalds & Coca-Cola who are focused on weakening regulation and protecting their profits, not on reducing waste.
www.thestar.com/news/ontario...
Wondering what's going on with the shift away from City #BlueBox collection on Jan 1st? Here's our blog to answer your questions! ⬇️
www.torontoenvironment.org/ontarios_blu... #ONpoli #bluebin
City Council voted unanimously for Toronto’s next TransformTO 5-year plan, a plan that was almost missing a critical policy to green existing buildings.
Thanks to thousands of people speaking up & a motion from @paulafletcherto.bsky.social the policy is back on the table! Learn more: loom.ly/Uy1n1yE
We thank everyone who spoke up to demand strong climate action - you changed your city for the better! And we thank @MayorChow for a motion to bring back a vote on a max temperature bylaw to protect renters even sooner, in May. We'll see you back at Council then!
City Council voted yesterday to take meaningful steps to protect us from extreme heat. TEA & allies have been advocating for some of these steps for years - like a bylaw setting a max temperature in rental units, a better Heat Relief Strategy, & long-term climate resilience steps. #topoli
A split screen graphic of a mother and daughter, on one side is a hot room with the text, 'Extreme heat and wildfire smoke put Torontonians at risk.' The other side of the split is a cool room with the text, 'Heat pumps cool and improve air quality.'
A green buildings policy in Toronto would spur heat pump adoption across the city, making homes safer, healthier, & less polluting.
Send a quick email to your city councillor telling them to vote for this important green buildings policy at City Hall this week! ➡️ act.stand.earth/page/88238/d...
City Hall Toronto sign with a graphic of a headline from a Toronto Star article that reads, 'Two key Toronto climate policies appeared set to be shelved. Then, the public spoke up' and a quote from the article reading, 'After the building emissions standards were revived, Councillor Saxe addressed the dozens of speakers who showed up, saying their support refuted the idea that “people don’t care” about climate change. “I do want to say thank you to the passionate people who’ve given up — what are we at now, seven, eight hours of their day? — to come here and tell us why this is important. We have survey after survey telling us that the majority of people do care about this, and want to see real action."
1000s of people sent emails, made phone calls and Dec 4 and 9 dozens of people spoke at City Hall asking them to step up—they listened! Toronto's climate plan is still intact and we sped up plans for to protect tenants from extreme heat.
We did this! ➡️ https://loom.ly/cuTJLno #topoli
Councillors on the Infrastructure & Environment Committee voted to direct staff to report back in 2027 on a plan to implement building emissions performance standards, with economic & legal studies to support it. You can find out more about why these standards are so important here: loom.ly/Uy1n1yE