• Home
  • Actions
    • Political Action of the Week
    • Let’s Talk: Municipal Politics – Including Election Results
    • Community Engagement
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Fridays For Future Climate Strikes
    • Post Provincial Election
  • The Challenge
    • Community Carbon Challenge
    • Climate Change – 9 Lesson Unit
    • New Challenges
    • Business Carbon Challenge
    • Pledge List
    • Carbon Challenge Videos
    • Quick N Delish
    • Carbon 101
    • Sustainability Tool Kit
  • Our News
    • Weekly Newsletter
      • Fridays For Future Climate Strikes
      • Our Readers Write
    • Our News – Media Releases
    • Muskoka Drawdown
    • Meanwhile in Ontario
      • Meanwhile, in Ontario… 2023
    • Re-Imagining The Future
    • Building Back Better Column
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • What Is Climate Action Muskoka
  • Sectors
    • Education
    • Buildings
    • Transportation
    • Food and Agriculture
    • The Stuff We Buy
    • Land Use
      • Nature Based Solutions
    • Energy
    • Economics
  • Media
    • Local Media
    • Selected Reads
    • Podcasts-Books-Movies
      • Books
      • Movies
    • Ontario Climate News
    • Climate News Canada
    • From Around the World
      • COP 27
      • U.N. Biodiversity Conference in Montreal – Dec, 2022
    • Focus On The Science
      • IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change
    • Climate and the Law
  • Others
    • Communities Taking Action Feature
    • Local Climate Groups & Initiatives
    • Climate Action Initiatives in other Communities
    • Indigenous Peoples – Canada
      • Indigenous Peoples Around the World
    • Young women on the front lines of the climate movement.
    • Seniors In Action
  • Resources
    • Real Climate Facts And Figures And Solutions
    • EV Charger Map
    • Muskoka Water Web
    • Renewable Energy in Muskoka
    • Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
    • Governments at Every Level
      • Governments at Every Level
      • Our Provincial and Federal Representatives
      • Our District Government
    • Climate Emergency Declaration
      • Climate Emergency Declaration
      • Invitation to Endorse CAM’s Declaration of Climate Emergency Resolution
        • Endorsements — Climate Emergency Declaration
      • The Back Story
Skip to content

Climate Action Muskoka

  • Home
  • Actions
    • Political Action of the Week
    • Let’s Talk: Municipal Politics – Including Election Results
    • Community Engagement
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Fridays For Future Climate Strikes
    • Post Provincial Election
  • The Challenge
    • Community Carbon Challenge
    • Climate Change – 9 Lesson Unit
    • New Challenges
    • Business Carbon Challenge
    • Pledge List
    • Carbon Challenge Videos
    • Quick N Delish
    • Carbon 101
    • Sustainability Tool Kit
  • Our News
    • Weekly Newsletter
      • Fridays For Future Climate Strikes
      • Our Readers Write
    • Our News – Media Releases
    • Muskoka Drawdown
    • Meanwhile in Ontario
      • Meanwhile, in Ontario… 2023
    • Re-Imagining The Future
    • Building Back Better Column
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • What Is Climate Action Muskoka
  • Sectors
    • Education
    • Buildings
    • Transportation
    • Food and Agriculture
    • The Stuff We Buy
    • Land Use
      • Nature Based Solutions
    • Energy
    • Economics
  • Media
    • Local Media
    • Selected Reads
    • Podcasts-Books-Movies
      • Books
      • Movies
    • Ontario Climate News
    • Climate News Canada
    • From Around the World
      • COP 27
      • U.N. Biodiversity Conference in Montreal – Dec, 2022
    • Focus On The Science
      • IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change
    • Climate and the Law
  • Others
    • Communities Taking Action Feature
    • Local Climate Groups & Initiatives
    • Climate Action Initiatives in other Communities
    • Indigenous Peoples – Canada
      • Indigenous Peoples Around the World
    • Young women on the front lines of the climate movement.
    • Seniors In Action
  • Resources
    • Real Climate Facts And Figures And Solutions
    • EV Charger Map
    • Muskoka Water Web
    • Renewable Energy in Muskoka
    • Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
    • Governments at Every Level
      • Governments at Every Level
      • Our Provincial and Federal Representatives
      • Our District Government
    • Climate Emergency Declaration
      • Climate Emergency Declaration
      • Invitation to Endorse CAM’s Declaration of Climate Emergency Resolution
        • Endorsements — Climate Emergency Declaration
      • The Back Story

—-Municipal Candidate Survey —- CASSANDRA FORD

Muskoka Lakes Township — Councillor — Ward A /Ward 1

1.     What actions have you personally taken to support a greener, more sustainable climate?

At a personal level – we compost organics, we recycle plastic and paper and have reduced our garbage significantly. We have implemented smart thermostats for efficiency and LED lights again for efficiency.

As a business owner – we have implemented compostable take away containers, and the restaurant also have smart thermostats for efficiency and LED lights. Our kitchen uses very high efficiency ovens and induction stove tops which are all very energy efficient to reduce our impact. The business also recycles plastics and paper and compost.

We fought the district of Muskoka to pick up our compost from the restaurant since a significant amount of our waste is compostable which has significantly reduced the number of garbage bags headed to landfill. The current district plans do not include businesses in their reduction of garbage for the landfill reduction plan which we found to be quite ridiculous.

2.     What opportunities for climate leadership at the municipal level (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)) would you champion in one or more of these areas: Buildings | Housing | Land use (sprawl) | Transportation | Other

Buildings: A plan should be undertaken to review all municipal buildings to retrofit for efficiency and the associated costs. Building retrofits with the highest impact with a sliding scale could be brought through the budget cycle for implementation.

Housing: The Township of Muskoka Lakes has a chronic shortage of housing, and this should be a priority for the next elected council. There are effective solutions such as 3D printed homes that could be potentially used in the urban areas to quickly provide housing. With more housing, more people could live and work in Muskoka. Currently, there are a great number of people that travel into Muskoka from outside the township due to the lack of housing. With housing solutions travelling to work and the environmental impact could be greatly reduced within the Township of Muskoka Lakes.

Land use (sprawl): The Township of Muskoka Lakes has identified Bala and Port Carling as the urban development areas. The official plan does not identify multi-housing or apartment style buildings which needs to be included to address urban sprawl. There are some other communities as well that could potentially be highlighted as urban areas which could include Mactier, Milford Bay and Torrance. A plan would need to be developed with the district to provide infrastructure such as sewer and water to increase the urban areas and to ensure that Port Carling and Bala are properly supported for any additional housing growth.

Transportation: I do not believe that we have a population in the urban centers that go to one location where public transportation makes sense. Other jurisdictions have opted to use service companies for transportation with support from the municipal government which could be reviewed for travel for people instead of all owning a car or two. Many people within the urban areas live and work in their town.

Other: Given the number of hydro-generating plants that are on the Muskoka watershed – the government of Ontario could implement EV charging stations to provide more infrastructure for the green car transition leveraging the local power. At this point, the infrastructure is not reliable or in place to support an EV draw on our local grids. There are already many unexplained power outages unrelated to storms, etc. There are very few charging stations across the Township of Muskoka Lakes.

3.     A long-term problem requires a long-term solution. What is your 100-year plan? If elected, what would be your first action?

Efficient housing in my opinion in the urban centers could be instrumental in reducing the continuous travelers into Muskoka from outside. It also addresses a significant community need to attract people to live and work in Muskoka. Housing today that is energy efficient will have a lasting impact on the environment.

A compost solution in terms of an animal proof compost bins for pick up or metal containers for composting onsite for the lakefront property owners will greatly reduce the amount of garbage that goes to our landfill locations across the district. It would be an expensive solution initially but, it will have a lasting impact on our environment. Lakefront property owners have little services provided for the taxes spent and it would be a significantly welcomed initiative.

Let's take action together in 2022
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Mail

Our Weekly Newsletter

View
Subscribe

Regular Features

Political Action of the Week -Attend community open house on new hospitals for inclusion of climate solutions

Select Online Reads - The Magic Green Belt - Margaret Atwood

Muskoka Drawdown -  Frank’s guest is Gideon Forman, a climate change and transportation policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation.

Feature Podcast – For inspiration: Bill McKibben on CBC's Reasons For Optimism

Climate And The Law - Environmental groups taking provincial government to court over attack on Hamilton’s official plan

Buildings - Concrete Built The Modern World. Now It’s Destroying It.

Focus On The Science - Exxon scientists accurately predicted the pace and scale of climate change more than 40 years ago.

Quick N Delish - Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup.

Listen to The Music - “PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER” - C!C!C! with Patti Smith - Get inspired to join a Climate Rally 

On The Road To Zero

New Challenges

Quote Me

"The people have spoken. I'm going to listen to them, they don't want me to touch the Greenbelt, we won't touch the Greenbelt." - Doug Ford


Contact Your Representative

Graydon Smith -- MPP Parry Sound-Muskoka

Scott Aitchison — MP Parry Sound-Muskoka

Our District and Municipal Councils - Find your local representative

Search

Our News

  • Climate groups in Parry Sound Muskoka sit down face to face with MPP Graydon Smith
  • OPEN LETTER TO MPP HON. GRAYDON SMITH
  • BILL 23 MUST GO.
  • Climate Action Muskoka Raises The Alarm About Bill 23
  • Sept 24 – Municipal Candidates – Climate Action?

Centre For Truth and Reconciliation

For more information click on the logo

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Instagram
  • Mail

Our Weekly Newsletter

View
Subscribe
Donations
Powered by WordPress Theme: BlogX by wpthemespace.com