For people who are concerned with the ongoing battles to protect Ontario’s natural spaces, an upcoming event will help fund their ongoing community programs.
'Gather … for the Greenbelt' is the name of a fundraising event being held at the Southshore Community Centre in Barrie on Saturday night. Organizers say it's coming-together of like-minded people from across Simcoe County who want to protect the Greenbelt land for future generations.
The event, which is sold out, is being described as “an unforgettable evening of inspiring conversation, live music, art, and food and drink — all in support of our work fighting for and protecting Ontario's Greenbelt."
There will also be several guests in attendance at the estimated 250-seat event, most notably among them iconic Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, who was originally slated to be a host but will be joining virtually due to a recent health issue, along with singer-songwriter and environmentalist Sarah Harmer. Also joining them will be former Beausoleil First Nation chief Jeff Monague (who also writes a regular column for BradfordToday) and City of Barrie poet laureate Tyneisha Thomas.
Continuing the fight for the Greenbelt's health is ongoing, says Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition executive director Margaret Prophet.
“What we’ve seen in the news recently is the backwards legislation that has put our communities at risk,” Prophet tells BradfordToday. “What we see is climate impacts are getting worse and there doesn't seem to be any real serious policy or actions that are being taken by several levels of government.
“I think if the people want to ensure that we have a healthy Simcoe, healthy lakes, healthy watersheds, that will have to be our responsibility to make sure that we see that through," she says.
Prophet says most of the money will be going to the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition, as they will be starting a campaign in the new year to map out areas across Simcoe County that need stronger protections and are under what they see as threats, such as aggregate extraction or sprawl.
“These areas need to be recognized and understood by the public, as well as to ask for policies to make sure that these places are protected permanently,” she says.
She also says money will be donated to the Greenbelt Promise campaign, a network of grassroots organizations working together to stop development in the Greenbelt, which has helped achieve the recent policy reversal by the provincial government.
The gathering runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, and is for people 19 years of age and older.
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