Food and Farming

The Foundation helps farmers become more economically successful while being stewards of the land...

 

Environment

The Foundation is committed to protecting and enhancing the natural features of the Greenbelt to ensure we have clean air, clean water and a healthy ecosystem...

 

Economy

The Foundation is investing in building and strengthening of our local economy, from food to tourism to nurturing a working landscape that sustains jobs...

 

Growth and Planning

The Foundation actively encourages rural and urban communities to imagine a healthier future and find new approaches to planning challenges...

 

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Toronto Star

 

Featured News

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Greenbelt drives economic opportunity, study says

Innovative planning aids advancement of food, farming and environment By Lilian Schaer It might be hard to find a bigger advocate for Niagara Region than Patrick Robson. Ask him about the opportunities for food, farming and culture in the area and the region’s head of planning quickly lists half a dozen initiatives that are helping to rejuvenate Niagara’s economy as it transitions away from... Continue reading

 

Announcing Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation New Grants

 For Immediate Release January 10, 2012 Attention: Southern Ontario Assignment, GTA, Urban Affairs, Food, Lifestyle, Environment    Protecting Water and Restoring Wetlands in the Greenbelt -Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation Announces New Grants-  (Toronto, Ontario) – Water is the focus of a new round of grants announced today by the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation... Continue reading

 

 

The Greenbelt is a great thing for Ontario. It’s a world-leading law that protects 1.8 million acres of prime farmland and green spaces around the Greater Golden Horseshoe. It gives us clean water, healthy local food and $2.6 billion per year in ecological services. Over 90% of Ontarians agree that the Greenbelt is one of the most important contributions to the future of our Province, and 93% strongly support it.

Featured Grants

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Lincoln Agricultural Society

Niagara Agricultural Education Day

The Lincoln County Fair has been around for over 150 years, but its newest addition, the Niagara Agri-Education Day, has already been successful in spreading valuable agricultural information to school children for the past three years. Continue reading

Grants Made:

$25,000 - June 25, 2007

 

The Greenbelt Foundation is

  • Supporting the Credit Valley Conservation Authority to protect and restore wetlands

  • Funding visionary planning processes such as the new Cootes to Escarpment Park Management Plan, and a massive reforestation plan in Rouge Park

  • Convincing Peel school boards to buy Greenbelt food for students

  • Partnering with Harbourfront Centre to tell the story of Ontario’s Greenbelt to 12 million people via a year-long, outdoor photography exhibit

  • Enhancing Farmers’ Markets, increasing sales for farmers in the Greenbelt and beyond

  • Supporting tourism initiatives including in the Niagara and Caledon areas

  • Assisting in designing new policies to protect Lake Simcoe through timely research

  • Hosted the first ever Global Greenbelts Conference in Toronto in March 2011 with speakers and delegates from over nine countries

  • Developing a successful culinary tourism platform for Niagara

  • Supporting development of action plans for a variety of agricultural areas and commodities

  • Supporting the creation of an award-winning Greenbelt granola bar

  • Identifying barriers to opening markets for Greenbelt farmers and proposing solutions

  • Providing grants and support to significantly increase sales at farmers’ markets

  • Creating a network of Farmer’s Markets to help improve our local food economy

  • Bridging farming and hiking interests to acknowledge environmental progress by farmers

  • Creating Greenbeltfresh.ca, the leading electronic marketplace to source local, Greenbelt foods from over 600 producers

  • Funding the Holland Marsh Growers’ transition from an export, commodity focus to one that serves the local market with value- added products

  • Successfully merging social welfare initiatives with environmental concerns

  • Supporting the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance to foster strong Greenbelt Plan implementation at the municipal level

  • Increasing amount of Greenbelt food in food share program 140%

  • Supporting food policy council in Durham to create food charter

  • Engaging with over 170 million Ontarians directly through our marketing, events and communications activities

  • Supporting interested Greenbelt Farmers to Go Organic

  • Contributing to greater sales of Greenbelt wines at the LCBO

  • Funding policy changes to encourage more local food to be sold in Durham

  • Supporting the development of multi-cultural crops and training new Canadian Farmers

  • Supporting the creation of new multi-cultural crops and development of ethnic local food guides in Toronto and York Region

  • Reaching over 75 million by placing 220 permanent highway and regional road signs to ensure Ontarians and visitors know about this valuable protected area

  • Building a local food economy from developing new markets to enhancing distribution channels

  • Hosting the successful Tour de Greenbelt to promote Ontario’s Greenbelt as a tourism destination

  • Engaged Hamilton schools to switch to Greenbelt food for their students

  • Contributing $2.65 million to Greenbelt farmers to improve their operations (leveraging millions of dollars from federal sources), and to employ the opportunities of the Green Energy Act

  • Securing local food procurement commitments for Peel, U of T. City of Toronto Facilities and Markham

  • Funding research and analysis on greenbelts around the globe which concluded that Ontario’s Greenbelt is the most robust in the world, with a strong legal and policy framework

  • Participating strategically in growing the Greenbelt by working with Toronto, Peel, Halton, and Guelph

  • Securing local food procurement commitments for Peel schools, City of Toronto, City of Markham and others

  • Bringing thousands of Ontarians out into the Greenbelt each year through grantee activities and the Annual Tour de Greenbelt cycling event

  • Supporting changing the City of Toronto policy to adopt a local food purchasing bylaw for city facilities

 
Learn more about what the Greenbelt Foundation has done for you »

The Greenbelt Blog

World Crops: An Exciting Year in Review

Early last week the Globe and Mail featured an article on the growing popularity of world crops in Canada. Recognizing Canada’s rapidly changing demographics and the $800 million market, farmers...

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