Whitby Sustainability Advisory Committee Minutes

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Hybrid Meeting
Whitby Town Hall
Present:
  • Wenda Abel
  • Sara Best, Vice-Chair
  • Andrea Cecchetto
  • Janet Dignem
  • Anahita Jami
  • Brian Kelly
  • Patti Mavins
  • Catherine Philogene
  • Bryan Widner, Chair
Regrets:
  • Judy Rivers
  • Robynne Dunn
Also Present:
  • Sarah Shields, Staff Liaison, Project Manager, Sustainability and Climate Change
  • Suprajha Vaithianathan, Staff Liaison, Energy and Sustainability Program Coordinator
  • Heather Ellis, Council and Committee Coordinator
  • Kristin Palilionis, Staff Liaison, Climate Change Coordinator

1.
Call to Order

 

2.
Declarations of Conflict of Interest

 

There were no declarations of conflict of interest.

3.
Approval of Previous Minutes

 

  • Recommendation:

    Moved byPatti Mavins

    That the Whitby Sustainability Advisory Committee minutes of June 7, 2023 be approved.

    Carried

4.
Presentations

 

There were no presentations.

5.
Delegations

 

There were no delegations.

6.
General Business and Reports

 

6.1
Roebuck Street Project Update

 

Note: This item was postponed to a future Whitby Sustainability Advisory Committee meeting.

6.2
Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) - Year 3 Final Report

 

Suprajha Vaithianathan provided an update regarding the Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) report and stated that Whitby had the highest uptake of participation in the LEAF tree planting program among Durham Region municipalities.

6.3
Whitby Sustainability Advisory Committee Annual Report

 

Suprajha Vaithianathan advised that the draft Whitby Sustainability Advisory Committee Annual Report would be discussed at the Committee's October meeting with the final draft review taking place during the December meeting.

6.4
Whitby's Climate Emergency Response Plan, Phase 2: Mitigation

 

Kristin Palilionis advised that comments and feedback received regarding Phase 2 of Whitby’s Climate Emergency Response Plan were being incorporated into the draft and that the final version of the plan was expected to be presented to Council in fall 2023.

6.5
Project Planning and Work Plan

 

Bryan Widner requested an update from the Committee regarding data collected pertaining to public opinion and understanding of sustainability issues.

Sara Best advised that there were barriers to accessing the information.

Discussion ensued regarding:

  • utilizing provincial data to establish a baseline of public opinion and understanding regarding sustainability issues;
  • reviewing events hosted by the Town of Whitby and/or the Whitby Public Library as opportunities to connect with residents;
  • engaging people from different socio-economic groups within the Town of Whitby;
  • creating simple action items for residents similar to those outlined in the ‘10 Minutes to Save the Planet’ podcast series;
  • itemizing, prioritizing, and determining timelines for the completion of important action items for the Committee; and,
  • sharing messaging and attending events hosted by local groups within the Town of Whitby.

6.6
2023 Sustainability Events

 

National Forest Week - September 17 - 23, 2023

Kristin Palilionis provided an overview of events planned during National Forest Week including:

  • a Cullen Park tour hosted by LEAF on September 16, 2023;
  • a shrub and tree planting event at Whitby Civic Park on September 23, 2023; and,
  • Whitby’s Official Town Tree Campaign running September 18 to October 16, 2023.

Energy Efficiency Day - October 4, 2023

Suprajha Vaithianathan advised that the activity originally planned for Energy Efficiency Day was moved to Waste Reduction Week.

Waste Reduction Week - October 16 - 22, 2023

Suprajha Vaithianathan provided an overview of events planned for Waste Reduction Week including:

  • Bike Blenders event, an awareness campaign promoting energy efficiency; and,
  • Whitby Public Library events such as Repair Café, Story Time for Kids, and a Community Swap.

Ms. Vaithianathan advised that all events were posted on the Whitby Community Events Calendar.

7.
Correspondence

 

There was no correspondence.

8.
Council Update

 

There was no Council update.

9.
Other Business

 

9.1
Whitby Community Strategic Plan

 

Brian Kelly advised that Whitby Town Council approved the Whitby Community Strategic Plan.

9.2
Climate Justice - Durham Region

 

Brian Kelly stated that a climate protest would be held on Friday, September 15, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. outside of Durham Region Headquarters.

10.
Next Meeting

 

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 7:00 p.m.

11.
Adjournment

 

  • Recommendation:

    Moved byCatherine Philogene

    That the meeting adjourn.

    Carried

    The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.


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