Five SNAP Projects You Don’t Want to Miss

Learn about these Sustainable Neighbourhoods

Communities in the Credit River Watershed are taking action to fight climate change. CVC, the City of Brampton, the Town of Halton Hills and other local partners hosted events, built partnerships and supported the work of local residents and community organizations through the Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Program, or SNAP. Through these events and partnerships, innovative projects have been launched in the Fletchers Creek SNAP and Hungry Hollow SNAP Neighbourhoods.

Get to know these two neighbourhoods through five projects you might have missed this year.

1. Trees for Halton Hills Arboretum

The Trees for Halton Hills Arboretum officially opened in 2021 but remains a hidden gem in the Hungry Hollow SNAP Neighbourhood. The Arboretum includes dozens of native species of trees and shrubs. Each tree has a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone’s camera to learn more about it. Trees for Halton Hills hopes the arboretum will inspire residents to plant one of these species in their own yard and help reach the goal of one tree planted for every resident of Halton Hills, that’s 65,000 trees! Help track their progress by adding any tree you plant in Halton Hills.

A group of people outside, gathered around a sign. — Residents celebrate the grand opening of the arboretum in October 2021.

A sign in the foreground and a group of people around a tree in the background. — Hungry Hollow SNAP residents learn about the Trees for Halton Hills Arboretum at the first Hungry Hollow SNAP Neighbourhood Social in September 2022.

2. Neighbourhood Butterflyway at Cowton Family Meadow, Chris Gibson and Fred Kline Parks

Butterflies now have more space to call home. Cowton Family Meadow and areas of Chris Gibson and Fred Kline Parks that were previously mowed have now been naturalized and planted with native flowers and trees as part of the City of Brampton’s Don’t Mow, Let it Grow initiative and the Fletchers Creek SNAP Neighbourhood Butterflyway. These initiatives are contributing vital habitat and food for pollinators in a network across the neighbourhood.

Person kneeling beside a newly planted tree. — This year, residents in Fletchers Creek SNAP planted 105 native wildflowers and 60 trees and shrubs at Cowton Family Meadow.

Group of people planting trees in grassy field. — Fletchers Creek SNAP residents helped plant hundreds of trees in Chris Gibson Park this year.

3. Joseph Gibbons Park Naturalization and Pollinator Garden

This past spring, volunteers planted native trees and shrubs along the edges of Joseph Gibbons Park to help increase the urban tree canopy, provide shade, clean the air and cool the neighbourhood.

Volunteers with the Halton Butterflyway Project also created a pollinator garden to beautify the neighbourhood and provide food for pollinators all season long.

Native flowers grow a garden. — The pollinator garden in bloom at Joseph Gibbons Park.

4. Rain Garden at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School

This past summer, a beautiful rain garden was built at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School. This project was part of CVC’s Students for Stormwater project, in partnership with the Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board.

Students, teachers and staff planted an amazing 700 native wildflowers and 34 native trees and shrubs, which will help slow down and filter stormwater runoff before it enters Fletcher’s Creek. This is an important part of protecting the habitat of redside dace, an endangered fish present in the creek.

A young person kneeling in a garden next to potted plants. — Students at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School helped select and plant native flowers, trees and shrubs to create the new rain garden.

A garden with flowers and two trees and a school in the background. — A few short months later, the flowers were in bloom and providing food for pollinators.

5. SNAP Neighbourhood Socials

SNAP Neighbourhood Socials are new this year and will continue into 2023.

At our first Hungry Hollow SNAP Neighbourhood Social, residents were joined for coffee and treats by folks from Trees for Halton Hills, the Halton Butterflyway and Halton Hills Nature to get to know each other and get inspired to take action in the neighbourhood.

At our first Fletchers Creek SNAP Neighbourhood Social, a Chai and Coffee Night, residents mingled and spoke with City of Brampton and Region of Peel staff about why they love their neighbourhood and issues that matter to them.

A group of people gathered near an outdoor tent. — Hungry Hollow SNAP residents gathered for coffee and treats and to learn about recent projects in the neighbourhood.

11 people posing for a photo. — Fletchers Creek SNAP residents got to know each other and shared what they love about their neighbourhood.

Want to be the first to find out about new projects and events in Fletchers Creek and Hungry Hollow SNAPs? Subscribe to our newsletters to stay in the know.

By: Allie Lockhart, Program Assistant, Sustainable Neighbourhoods