Thank You for Making 2024 a Great Year!
This year, Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP) residents took action in their communities to make positive change happen on the ground. They participated in programs and events that fostered environmental stewardship, community connection and innovative solutions to local challenges.
By working together, residents in the Fletchers Creek, Hungry Hollow and Cooksville SNAP neighbourhoods demonstrated the strength of collaboration in achieving sustainability goals.
Highlights of 2024’s SNAP Achievements
Community Comes Together in Fletchers Creek SNAP
We celebrated five years of implementing Fletchers Creek SNAP with a series of impactful events throughout 2024.
Our Neighbourhood Chai and Coffee Nights connected residents and provided a forum for sharing ideas, including a mapping exercise to identify community hubs, local priorities and opportunities.
Families enjoyed the nature walk at Chris Gibson Park, where they learned about innovative projects we’ve completed in Fletchers Creek SNAP.
This year, we celebrated a five-year milestone for the Fletchers Creek SNAP. Residents and community partners joined us at Fred Kline Park for a nature walk, invasive species pull and a birds of prey interactive exhibit. Project partners and community groups contributed over ten interactive table displays to the event.
Over the past five years of project implementation, we’ve achieved the following accomplishments together:
- Engaged nearly 7,500 residents in over 300 events.
- Planted over 5,000 trees and shrubs.
- Planted over 7,000 wildflowers, grasses and sedges.
- Transformed 2.41 hectares of land.
Together we are beautifying the neighbourhood and creating a more resilient Fletchers Creek for future generations to enjoy.
Community Comes Together in Hungry Hollow SNAP
Hungry Hollow SNAP neighbourhood residents participated in impactful events which supported local climate action. A wellness nature walk in Cedarvale Park saw 35 participants attend and learn first-hand about the health advantages of spending time outdoors. A tree identification walk on the Hungry Hollow Trail saw 24 attendees who learned how to identify local tree species. Residents also came together at Dominion Gardens Park to discuss the Hungry Hollow SNAP Action Plan’s progress and share their ideas for future initiatives.
Other highlights completed by Hungry Hollow SNAP event participants include:
- Collection of 30 pounds of litter from local parks.
- A gathering at George Kennedy Public School to explore climate resilient projects, including the school’s new rain garden and the smart blue roof at our head office.
Action in Cooksville SNAP
We achieved a significant milestone with the Cooksville SNAP community by bringing together residents, community leaders and project partners to engage in the Action Plan development throughout 2024.
Through our events, we have developed a plan for the neighbourhood that aligns with local opportunities and priorities.
Community members showed their passion for sustainability by taking part in:
- A nature walk through Richard Jones Park.
- Two litter clean up events, with 70 volunteers collecting over 250 pounds of litter.
- An invasive species pull in Cooksville Park.
Residents also helped beautify the community by planting 33 new trees and shrubs on in their yards.
Brainstorming Opportunities to Shape Cooksville
2024 began with Cooksville SNAP’s first community partners’ workshop.
The draft Action Plan for the neighbourhood received extensive feedback through a variety of engagement events, including:
- A second partners workshop, with representatives from 18 organizations.
- A public open house.
- Four community pop-up events and a public survey, including a multilingual phone survey conducted in over 16 languages.
The final Cooksville SNAP Action Plan reflects local needs and sustainability goals, incorporates feedback from over 2,500 comments and 11,000 votes received during the two-year action planning process.
The plan, which is awaiting approval from the City of Mississauga’s Environmental Action Committee, General Committee of Council and CVC’s Board of Directors, will be put into action by CVC, project partners and community members starting in early 2025. We are thrilled to see what else we can achieve by working together!
Supporting Youth Engagement
SNAP staff participated in a youth engagement event at the Peel Environmental Youth Alliance’s EcoBuzz conference. We showcased our current projects and shared our knowledge to inspire young people to create impactful environmental initiatives both within their schools and in their communities.
This year’s conference theme was “Bridging the Green Divide: Inclusive Environmentalism for All”. The goal of this conference is to provide an interactive and hands-on venue for Peel Region teachers and grade 6 through 12 students to explore environmental issues concerning youth and inspire climate action.
Wrapping Up 2024
Collaboration between residents, community groups, project staff and municipalities made 2024 a year of progress for SNAP neighbourhoods, characterized by learning, growth and the creation of more sustainable communities.
Thank you to the community members, project partners and CVC staff members who worked together to create a successful SNAP year.
Each community’s dedication to enhancing sustainability and well-being highlights how local efforts can drive meaningful change and create thriving neighbourhoods.
Check if you live in a SNAP neighbourhood and learn how to get involved.
By Jessica Hamilton, Coordinator, Sustainable Neighbourhoods