When you are a newcomer the first months you spend in Canada can be a very busy and stressful time. Migratory process, settlement, finding a place to live, searching for a job or learning a new language are some of the challenges you face when you arrive in Canada. All this in an environment full of traffic, tall buildings, fast-changing weather and an intimidating city.

The Greenbelt Foundation’s Research & Policy team lead a group of newcomers/TDSB’ students into Rouge National Urban Park. We walked the Woodland Trail, a 4.5km roundtrip, through the woods alongside the Little Rouge Creek. For some of the students and the staff, it was their first time in the Greenbelt!

Are you a photographer? Do you know a photographer? The Greenbelt Foundation has partnered with the McMichael Art Collection of Canada to host a photo contest celebrating the Humber River Valley's 20th Anniversary as a Canadian Heritage River.

Added to the protected lands of the Greenbelt in 2017, the Humber River Valley is a critically important resource linking the rural lands of the Greenbelt to Lake Ontario, while traveling through one of the most densely populated areas in the country. 

Canada Day Weekend is upon us! With the summer in full swing it's time to take advantage of all the Greenbelt has to offer, from cycling the Greenbelt Route to barbecuing Greenbelt-grown food on the grill. To help you get started we've put together this handy guide:

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2lbs ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves of crushed garlic2
tablespoons olive oil
fine sea salt
4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable)
1/2 cup white wine
5 shakes of Tabasco (or more to taste)
10 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup of heavy cream (optional)

Working as a cook in Toronto for nearly a decade, I have experienced firsthand the amazing bounty of Ontario’s local food offerings. As Ontarians, we are fortunate to have year-round access to world class beef, pork, poultry, dairy and cheese. In the spring and summer, locally grown fruits and vegetables keep seasonal eating fresh and exciting. What all of Ontario’s local food has in common is it comes from amazingly fertile soil—an often overlooked and unsung hero.  As Local Food Week approaches, June 3-9, 2019, I think it’s important to realize that Ontario’s soil has much more to offer our communities than just delicious food; it also plays a critical role in Ontario’s environmental health and climate change resilience strategy.

From Niagara to Northumberland the Greenbelt has plenty of ways to spend the May long weekend. No matter what you’re looking for whether it be ingredients for your BBQ, a bike route, or just taking a stroll in the woods we have the resources to help you plan the best long-weekend possible.

What do you do when your canoe tips at the beginning of a 10 km journey? Carry on and support the Don!

On Sunday May 5, 2019, the Greenbelt team had a blast at Paddle the Don. Sponsored by Manulife, the annual Paddle the Don event brings together recreationalists, conservationists, and corporations to voyage Canada’s most urbanized watershed, the Don River. Over the course of 3 hours, paddlers took on 10km of rapids, portages and Canadian geese to raise awareness about the health and importance of having protected, flowing urban river valleys.

With the myriad of ecological problems facing us in 2019 – extreme weather, depleted soils, habitat loss – litter may seem like a minor issue. So why is Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation focusing on litter with our #Pick5toThrive campaign, inspired by Earth Month?

Soil health is essential for ensuring the long-term viability of farming and sustainability of the environment. A new report from the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation tells the stories of 14 farmers in the Greenbelt who are using a variety of practices to improve their soil health. Farming different crops in different regions across the Greenbelt, these farmers are taking leadership in protecting and conserving the rich diversity of soils in the Greenbelt that are critical to our food system.