Well known as a friend of the environment, Glenn has spent decades advocating for many important environmental issues. Glenn’s concern for the environment was reflected in his work on the board of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and as Toronto’s Tree Advocate during his time as a City Councillor.
Glenn’s inspiring achievements earned him a Volunteer Award from the former city of Scarborough, a Commemorative Medal from the Canadian government, a Queen’s Jubilee Award, and a Patron of Wildlife Award from the Toronto Wildlife Centre.
Before he was elected, Glenn worked hard to preserve our natural habitat by successfully proposing the creation of Canada’s largest urban park in the Rouge Valley and, a few years later, a 1,000-acre park on the Oak Ridges Moraine. (The photo below shows Glenn as a volunteer in the Rouge Valley.)
Glenn’s many other environmental initiatives include the following:
-
Glenn tends to the Rouge Valley in 1988.
calling for the establishment of a 1.8-million acre greenbelt in 2000; today, that greenbelt has been established and has won international awards; Glenn continues to fight for it!
- serving as Co-Chair of Municipal Leaders for the Greenbelt
- creating the world’s first mandatory bird-friendly development guidelines to prevent the unnecessary death of millions of migratory birds
- supporting a “community right-to-know” bylaw that requires companies to publish lists of hazardous materials they use on their properties
- opposing construction of a new incinerator at the Highland Creek treatment plant
- supporting the construction of “green roofs” on buildings such as the new French Catholic School at 2850 Eglinton Ave. East and solar panels on the roof of the Centennial Recreation Centre
- transferring 1,000 acres of city-owned land at the old Brock Road landfill site to the Toronto Region Conservation Authority—this will eventually create one of the largest ecological parks in southern Ontario
- calling for mandatory Soil Management Plans for all large-scale construction projects in the City of Toronto, and for the City to create a soil bank
