Green by definition

A workshop held by the Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition hopes to educate residents on environmental issues

Paul Ronan, executive director of Ontario Parks Association, gave a presentation issues at the Valhalla Inn on April 5, 2011.

An Ontario environmental coalition says it needs input from cities across the province before green infrastructure can be credibly defined.

The Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition held a workshop about urban environmental issues at the Valhalla Inn on Tuesday. The GIOC also held workshops at five other cities across Ontario in an attempt to get feedback about specific regional environmental issues.

Paul Ronan, executive director of Ontario Parks Association, gave a presentation on the importance of green infrastructures.

He said he wanted feedback from the Thunder Bay stakeholders to know what specific issues need to be lobbied. So far, each city across the province has echoed the concerns that not enough people understand what green infrastructure is.

But there isn’t a definitive answer, and Ronan said that’s the point of the workshops. For him, green infrastructure is anything that’s living and produces chlorophyll, but that’s not a definition everyone shares.

"When we get (what is green infrastructure) answered it is not going to be unilateral," Ronan said. "We need your opinions in each of the communities. This isn’t a cake that’s already been baked and we’re taking it out of the oven. This is a cake that we’re putting in the ingredients into and we’re going to learn what those ingredients are.

"When it comes out it will be a collaboration between all the communities that we’ve heard from.”

When the coalition has that definition, they will be able to lobby more effectively to the province and federal governments.

Shelley Vescio, forester for the City of Thunder Bay Park’s Division, said she never thought that in her wildest dreams that she would attend a workshop about green infrastructure.

She attended the workshop to know how they can move forward with developing legislation and policy to protect and support urban forests. Municipalities are on their own when it comes to maintaining urban forestry.

Vescio said she would like to lobby for more assistance from the provincial and federal governments.

"We’re definitely moving forward. In comparison to other cities we’re doing quite well," Vescio said. "Citizens of Thunder Bay and our city council really support urban forestry. They want to see the city greener and they understand that there are a lot of benefits to the urban forest besides atheistic."