CANADA’S NATIONAL ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY AND FUND: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ADVOCATES by  Nicole Roach  |  Dec 20, 2021  |  Transportation  |  0 comments Canada’s recently released (and first ever!)  National Active Transportation Strategy and accompanying Active Transportation Fund  was decades in the making, with strong advocacy efforts and government collaboration having taken place over this time frame. A few months ago, we wrote a blog post titled “ Canada’s Active Transportation Strategy and Fund: What it Means for Communities ” that outlined the content of the National Active Transportation Strategy and Fund and how it can be used. As we await the launch of the Fund, the team at GCC thought it would be worthwhile to reflect on the process to achieve this milestone and explore what the future holds for active transportation in Canada. We reached out to some of the key players within the Canadian active transportation community, in...

BRAMPTON — This morning, the Canadian Constitution Foundation will appear at Brampton Courthouse to intervene in the case of a Mississauga homeowner whose natural garden was repeatedly destroyed by City officials enforcing an aesthetic standards bylaw. Wolf Ruck is challenging the constitutionality of Mississauga’s Nuisance Weed and Tall Grass Control By-law , which prohibits grasses taller than 20 centimetres and certain plant species. Mr. Ruck argues his garden of pollinator plants, tall grasses, and untrimmed bushes is a reflection of his environmentalist beliefs, and the bylaw violates his section 2(b) Charter right to freedom of expression. The City has admitted the law infringes on this right but claims the breach is justified because long grass poses a risk to safety. The CCF aims to establish that the burden is on the City to prove the admitted violation is reasonable and justified under section 1 of the Charter , and in this case the City has faile...

In 1996, the Ontario Court of Justice ruled municipal Tall Grass and Weeds By-Laws to be void, invalid, unenforceable and in contravention of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which guarantees Freedom of Expression [Ref. Bell v. Toronto (City)]. Yet, the City of Mississauga Council "deems tall grass and weeds to be a public nuisance" and continues to enforce its Nuisance Weeds and Tall Grass Control By-Law 125-2017 on homeowner private property based solely on "Anonymous Neighbour Complaints". As Canada's 29th "Bee City”, Mississauga’s stated commitment “to support pollinators and their habitats” and advising homeowners that, "By planting pollinator friendly plants in your garden you can help enhance habitat for insects that pollinate wildflowers and food crops", is self-contradictory virtue signaling when the City's Enforcement Division cites homeowners under By-Law 125-2017 for the wildlife-friendly tall grass and weeds growing on ...