Milton/CMEDIA: Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State for Sport and Member of Parliament for Burlington North–Milton West and others announced a joint investment of nearly $340,000 towards permaculture landscaping in Milton.
Investment of $230,766 by the federal government is being made by the Blue Dot Stewards forest garden program through the Natural Infrastructure Fund (NIF), and the Muslim Families Development Corporation is contributing $107,612.
“Halton has no shortage of community leaders, and thanks to programs like the Blue Dot Stewards, more local youths can find their talents while making their community more beautiful and sustainable. We will advance this work by demonstrating the power young people have to create better communities,” said Adam van Koeverden on behalf of Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada.
The landscaping project will allow local youth to study and assess environmentally conscious and sustainable improvements focusing on underused, publicly accessible spaces.
Young people will advance designs through a youth mentorship and environmental leadership initiative — the Blue Dot Stewards programme — based on permaculture principles, planting native species that produce food or traditional medicines giving them more opportunities to lead and work together.
“Our youth here in Halton are at the forefront of positive transformation in our community. The Government of Canada supports this work because it engages youth leaders in fostering climate resilience, beautifying our communities, and improving the lives of Canadians by bringing nature closer to home,” said Kristina Tesser Derksen, Member of Parliament for Milton East—Halton Hills South
Work will be undertaken near Sherwood Park at the Indian Creek Trail Head, and the Milton Community Park, enhancing approximately 56,000 square-metres of public park space.
A design system that covers a wide variety of activities and perspectives, Permaculture is mostly focused on developing permanent agriculture that requires little human intervention to sustain, such as in food forests that can yield valuable seeds, fruits or vegetables.
Supporting projects that use natural or hybrid approaches to increase resilience to climate change, NIF helps mitigate carbon emissions, protect and preserve biodiversity and wildlife habitats, and promote Canadians’ access to nature.
Landscaping enhancements being undertaken through this investment, help to build more robust ecosystems, address food insecurity, and support greater resilience to climate change.
A community organization, Muslim Families is focused on youth development, social well-being, and civic engagement, particularly supporting diverse immigrant, and at-risk populations through meaningful, values-driven programming since 2018.
“This investment by the Government of Canada means real action on the ground — transforming…youth connected to the real world and get out there, work alongside community, municipal, and academic partners at this level and scale, and build something lasting for both people and the environment, with the support of the federal government, has been incredibly inspiring. It’s truly transformative!,” said Asif Siddiqui, Director of the Muslim Families Development Corporation
Concrete actions of Indigenous-led projects have been allocated a minimum of 10% of the overall program envelope.
Steps to strengthen the economy are being taken by the Government of Canada by investing in Canadians and supporting Canadian businesses in creating good jobs, accelerating home building and helping communities grow across the country.
Federal Funding is subject to the fulfilling of conditions on all requirements related to consultation with Indigenous groups and environmental assessment obligations.
