June 15, 2015
Councillor Janet Davis (Ward 31 Beaches-East York), Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon (Ward 32 Beaches-East York) and City of Toronto staff joined representatives from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF), Tree Canada, local Business Improvement Areas, Danforth East Community Association and project volunteers to celebrate today's launch of the Adopt a Street Tree pilot project.
"The Adopt a Street Tree pilot is an opportunity to engage a number of partners to support street tree health," said Councillor Davis. "Toronto's street trees not only provide important environmental benefits to people, they also enhance street beauty and increase commercial and property values."
"The City is grateful to TD FEF and Tree Canada for the support in launching this project," said Councillor McMahon. "We know that to achieve our tree canopy goals, we can't do it alone. We are grateful to all of the volunteers and partners who will make this project a success."
The pilot program is meant to raise awareness and foster strong partnerships with community volunteers to support the City's tree canopy goals. The project is generously supported by $15,000 of funding from a 2015 TD Green Streets grant awarded by TD FEF and Tree Canada.
“The goal of TD Green Streets is to encourage the adoption of leading-edge practices in municipal forestry," said Mary Desjardins, Executive Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. "We want to commend the City of Toronto for developing a great program that promotes community involvement in the growth and care of our urban forest.”
The sign unveiling at the northwest corner of Danforth Avenue and Victoria Park Avenue was followed by a tree care demonstration with expert staff from Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF).
“We congratulate the City of Toronto for developing the Adopt a Street Tree pilot project that will support important green spaces in their community,” said Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. “We’re pleased that we have been able to support the efforts of the City of Toronto and we look forward to seeing their project come to life.”
Of the estimated 10.2 million trees in Toronto, approximately six per cent are street trees growing in urban conditions. Street trees improve pedestrian health by reducing pollution and noise, and providing shade.
TD Green Streets is open to Canadian municipalities, First Nations communities and Business Improvement Associations (BIAs) in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. Submissions are reviewed by regional Tree Canada advisors, board members, urban forest practitioners and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation representatives based on innovation, community involvement and technical expertise. More information about TD Green Streets is available at:
https://treecanada.ca/en/programs/td-green-streets/.
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit
http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.
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Media contacts:
Parks, Forestry and Recreation media line, 416-560-8726, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amanda Tran, Corporate and Public Affairs, TD Bank, 416-983-7212, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
