Toronto Environmental Alliance

For over 21 years, TEA has been campaigning locally to find solutions to Toronto's urban environmental problems. And we're proud of what we've been able to accomplish along with our members and supporters.

In the 1990s we built an organization Torontonians could turn to to work together and advocate for real change. We first brought together volunteers and then hired professional staff who helped focus community efforts to bring about policy change at Toronto City Hall. By the late 1990s, our efforts began paying off with tangible green policies. Since then, we've celebrated lots of victories. Here are some of them:

2010 - Recent Successes

Election:

1. On February 11, 2010, TEA launched its six priorities for the 2010 Municipal Elections, asking Toronto’s Council candidates to continue building on the city’s 10 years of environmental success. 
2. During the months leading up to the election, TEA staff, in coordination with more than 30 volunteers, worked passionately to advocate for the continued building of a green Toronto.
3. We sent out surveys to over 300 candidates, attended almost 50 community and all-candidates meetings, organized a successful mayoral debate that was attended by over 300 people and released report cards grading Mayoral candidates. 
4. TEA’s work received excellent media coverage - including more than 30 news stories and a number of TV and radio interviews.
5. On October 25th, TEA’s goal to encourage Torontonians to elect a green council was realized when Torontonians elected more than 24 Councillors who scored an A or higher on our survey.  

To get a detailed picture of our election activities, please read TEA’s Election Campaign Timeline.

Greenbelting

The City of Toronto agreed to ask the Province to expand the Greenbelt further into Toronto through the public lands in the Don and Humber River Valleys. This was done unanimously by Toronto City Council and was a fitting way to celebrate the Greenbelt's 5th Anniversary.

Transit:

1. TEA worked with Torontonians and organizations from across the city to form the Public Transit Coalition (www.publictransitcoalition.ca). This diverse group of more than 14,000 individuals and nearly 40 organizations believe that the TTC should be kept public, be properly funded by all levels of Government, and that the Transit City Light Rail Plan be completed by 2020. The PTC succeeded in stopping the idea of privatizing the TTC as a viable municipal election issue. (www.KeepTTCPublic.ca)
2. TEA has succeeded in reemerging as a major voice on transit issues in Toronto.  After a period of dormancy, TEA's opinion on issues related the TTC and public transit is now sought out but media, politicians and members of the public.

Toxics:

1. TEA's Good Neighbour Campaign in Scarborough won key commitments from a local industry to voluntarily reduce pollution. In less than a year, they have already invested one million dollars to start resolving the community's odour, noise and chemical concerns.
2. Toronto's Environmental Reporting and Disclosure (Community Right to Know) by-law came into effect. 2010 marks the first year that facilities had to start tracking their chemical use and releases. www.toronto.ca/chemtrac/report.htm
3. TEA advocated to shut down the last City-owned biosolids incinerator in Toronto and won! The Highland Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant will no longer be one of the largest polluters in Toronto.

2009: TEA launches TTCriders.ca - a public transit advocacy groups that gives transit riders a voice.

2008: TEA publishes first-ever ethnic food guides that provide information about where Torontonians can buy fresh, locally grown food used in Chinese and South Asian cuisine.

2008: City passes country’s first ever Community Right to Know Bylaw that will require businesses - from dry cleaners to funeral homes and auto-body repair shops - to reveal their discharges of 25 priority chemicals.

2008: City Council adopts a local food procurement policy that includes a target to buy 50% local food as soon as possible.

2007: TEA launches Toronto's first-ever multicultural local food guides that provides information for where to buy locally-grown produce used in Chinese and South Asian cooking.

2007: TEA launches Secrecyistoxic.ca, an innovative website that allows Torontonians to learn about toxic concerns and green businesses in their neighbourhood. NOW Magazine awards Secrecyistoxic.ca as best community initiative.

2007: City adopts smog and climate change plan including key recommendations made by TEA over the past 10 years.

2006: TEA succeeds in getting Mayor David Miller and other candidates to include important environmental goals in their election platforms.

2006: TEA launches its Community Right to Know Campaign, calling on Toronto to adopt a bylaw that discloses the use, storage and release of toxic chemicals in our neighbourhoods.

2005: TEA works with tenants to launch an innovative tenant-led energy conservation program at an east-end Toronto Community Housing neighbourhood. The program wins a prestigeous "Green Toronto" award.

2005: TEA co-founds the Low Income Energy Network (LIEN) to address the burden of home energy costs on low-income families and to advocate for low-income energy efficiency and conservation programs. The Ontario government adopts and implements many of LIEN’s recommendations.

2004: TEA convinces City to increase TTC ridership and expand transit service.

2003: TEA succeeds in getting the City to pass a pesticide ban on private property.

2002: TEA works with a coalition of community groups to stop attempts to privatize Toronto's public water system.

2002: TEA is instrumental in developing Toronto’s Wet Weather Flow Master Plan, which outlines a 25 year work-plan to improve Toronto’s beaches, rivers and waterways by reducing pollution resulting from combined sewers and storm water run-off.

2002: TEA gets public and politicians to take seriously 10 years of underfunding to the TTC.

2002: City finally implements TEA plan for Green Bins.

2001: TEA launches the Beach Watch campaign to help educate beach goers about the sources of Beach pollution and the need for homeowner water conservation.

2000: TEA works with local citizens in Toronto and Kirkland lake to stop city plan to ship Toronto's garbage to the Adams Mine in Kirkland Lake.

2000: City adopts first-ever Environmental Plan, with key input from TEA.

1998: City adopts TEA's Smog Alert Action Plan to reduce smog emissions on smog days.

Open the file below for a printable timeline of some of TEA's accomplishments over the past 20 years.