2023 Recipients
Lookout Housing and Health Society
The grant empowered Lookout Housing and Health Society's North Shore Housing Centre, in collaboration with Our Community Bikes, to launch an exciting series of three bike maintenance and repair workshops for up to five peer workers. It also funded the creation of a bike repair tool library at NSHC, ensuring that resources would be available for ongoing learning.
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation Association and the North Shore Woman's Centre
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation Association's (BEST) Living Streets program launched Flaneuse on the North Shore in partnership with the North Shore Women's Centre. Flaneuse, a walking book club for self-identifying women from diverse backgrounds, encouraged participants to reflect on their role in public spaces and amplify their voices through discussions on walking, planning, and transportation.
Carson Graham Secondary School
Carson Graham's Community Initiatives and Leadership group students planned, prepared, and served nutritious monthly dinners at the school for those in need. The grant helped cover rising food costs and expanded the leadership program by funding materials for students, guided by sponsor teachers, to design and maintain garden boxes on the school grounds.
Vancouver Food Runners Society
In Canada, 58% of all food was wasted, while one in nine households in BC faced food insecurity. Vancouver Food Runners (VFR) tackled this issue with an innovative app powered by Food Rescue Hero and a network of volunteer drivers. The grant helped fund the North Shore Food Recovery Expansion Project, offering local businesses a simple way to donate surplus food to families and individuals in need.
North Shore Alliance Church (NSAC) Rain Garden
The North Shore Alliance Church (NSAC) had an asphalt parking lot that sent unfiltered runoff into Wagg Creek, a fish-bearing urban stream. To reduce pollution, NSAC partnered with North Shore Streamkeepers and SFU's Faculty of Environment to create a rain garden. The grant kick-started the project by removing 50m² of pavement to build the first phase of the garden, aimed at capturing and filtering runoff.
Queensbury Elementary School Parent Advisory Council
Queensbury Elementary's Parent Advisory Council used the funding to bring the North Shore Neighbourhood House’s Edible Garden Education Program to six classes for the 2023-2024 school year. Each class received eight hands-on lessons led by Edible Garden staff, with support from volunteers and teachers. Students explored the garden from September to June, learning about food cycles—planting, growing, harvesting, and preparing the food they cultivated.
Citizen of the City of North Vancouver
Representatives from diverse cultural communities were invited to share their insights on integrating sustainable practices into daily life at a free community panel. Attendees gained practical tips on adopting environmental sustainability and left inspired to reduce their impact. Targeting the broader community, especially new immigrants and marginalized groups, the event was promoted in partnership with organizations like Impact North Shore and the Museum of North Vancouver.
Wild Bird Trust of BC/Coast Salish Plant Nursery
The Coast Salish Plant Nursery (CSPN), a program of the Wild Bird Trust of BC, cultivated plants for restoration and educated the public on reconciliation and conservation. Guided by Coast Salish and Indigenous knowledge, the program focused on land-based education, native plant propagation, and ecological regeneration. The grant supported the ongoing development of these Indigenous-led programs for youth and adults, along with five workshops for CNV staff, officials, and school groups at Maplewood Flats.
North Shore Community Garden Society
The grant enabled the North Shore Community Garden Society to purchase native plants, compost, and install educational signs for pollinator gardens at Queen Mary, City Hall, and Eastern community gardens. These gardens provided vital habitats for pollinators, supporting healthy ecosystems. The public could enjoy their beauty while learning about pollinator-friendly plants and the importance of pollinators through the signs.
Fresh Air Learning Society
Fresh Air Learning Society used the grant to offer free fall and spring nature-based playgroups at Loutet Park and Farm for parents and children ages 2-8. The program featured nature connection, stories, songs, and exploration, running for eight weeks each season with weekly 1.5-hour sessions on Sundays. Up to 12 children and their families participated, with drop-ins encouraged.
2022 Recipients
North Shore Neighbourhood House and the Edible Garden Project
The North Shore Neighbourhood House and the Edible Garden Project have joined to develop an innovative project to empower the residents living at Grant McNeil Place, located on West 1st Street and operated by BC Housing, by giving them the confidence and skills to grow healthy, nutritious and sustainable food for themselves and their families, and to share this knowledge with other residents. Weekly drop-ins, monthly food literacy workshops, and visits to Loutet Farm will provide residents the knowledge and inspiration to grow organic fruits and vegetables for nourishment, using the existing shared garden beds at Grant McNeil. Residents will be able to spend food coupons and buy fresh produce and other necessities (such as baked goods) at the Saturday Markets during their Loutet Farm trips. A potluck, and other food sharing opportunities, will also be arranged.
Jump Buddies Fellowship
The Loutet Jump Buddies are a group of dedicated volunteers who began to ride and maintain Loutet Bike Park, located southeast of Loutet Farm, in 2019. Though significant physical labour they have made substantial improvements to the park. These improvements have grown the ridership at the park establishing Loutet Bike Park as a local treasure. The Loutet Jump Buddies' current goal is to create and maintain a positive learning environment for locals to improve their skills in mountain biking regardless of their skill level, while their long term goal is to develop the Loutet Bike Park as the North Shore's Premier Bike Skills Park. As a step towards these goals, they are seeking grant funding to purchase equipment (quality wheelbarrows and tarps) for their volunteers to use to make physical improvements to the park's overall design and function. The group has also raised $1,400 from the community through a go-fund-me which they will use to purchase, customize, and install a tool shed at the park to lock up their tools and if funds allow purchase additional tools and a first aid kit.
North Shore Streamkeepers
North Shore Streamkeepers is a registered society and volunteer organization that has monitoring salmon populations, completed habitat restoration, and provided education and public outreach in North Vancouver since 2010. The grant is for an outreach pilot project to provide public education in a small-group setting to residents of properties adjacent to Wagg Creek between West 18th Street and West 23rd Street. The goal is helping streamside residents form a connection to the creek through understanding how individual (human) choices link to the creek. Neighbourhood walks, open to all ages and all abilities, led by local Streamkeepers will highlight the unique opportunity theses residents have to help the stream due to proximity, thereby contributing to a healthier neighbourhood environment. Feedback collected through a post-walk survey will be used to evaluate the potential to deliver this type of program in other streamside neighbourhoods.
Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club
Over the last year the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club (GVOC), a registered society, and CNV Parks staff have been discussing developing a permanent orienteering course within a City park to encourage the public at large to engage in active park use. GVOC is seeking grant funding to establish this course. Orienteering is suitable to all age participants, as there is complete flexibility to enhance active park use by using a map (printed or phone) to pass through course checkpoints/controls. Permanent orienteering courses are made out of a series of permanent fixtures (controls) that are laid out on a detailed map that participants have to navigate while walking, rolling, running casually, or racing. As the course's physical infrastructure remains in place people can participate on their own time, at their own pace, with friends, children, or on their own. Funds requested would be used for producing plates, designing the course, the course maps, the main sign and updating online maps.
Access21nnovate Foundation
Access21nnovate Foundation is a registered society with a mandate to reduce barriers to quality Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) education for all whether the barriers are socio-economic, physical or mental health challenges, or gender based. The grant will assist to create and implement local recycling program to divert 3D printing waste plastic from the landfill. 3D printing is growing in popularity and usage in businesses, schools, libraries and in homes, but currently most of the filament is not recyclable locally and the waste ends up in landfill. Those with 3D printers in North Vancouver will be identified and invited to participate by providing their 3D printing filament waste (drop-off or pick-up options). The waste would be crushed using a DIY crusher, then heated and extruded into new 3D printing filament with a machine called the Protocycler. In addition to the environmental benefits, the program will provide integrated learning experience for participants that are part of Access21nnovate Skills Trip program; a program that has been supported and funded by the Poverty Reduction and Social Development to enhance skills and opportunities for those facing persistent employability challenges. A template for how other organizations in local communities can set up a similar program will also be developed and shared.
Urban Repurpose
Urban Repurpose is a not-for-profit social enterprise with the goal of reducing waste through reuse and upcycling while building consumer demand for upcycled and reused products through education, collaboration and empowerment. The grant will fund the inaugural Reuse and Upcycle Fair in the City, an event designed to showcase artists, designers and crafters using waste materials in the pieces they create and bring them together with potential consumers of their products. Think of it as a Sundance Film Festival for waste materials. In the first year two to three hundred visitors and fifteen to twenty artisans are expected. The festival will begin to change attitudes around what is considered waste. Through education the public will see the potential positive impact reuse and upcycling can have to the environment, this will grow the circular economy, and to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to design and create using waste materials. To this aim, the fair will include design and art competitions to be voted on by attendees and a select panel. This will excite and inspire the public and encourage experimentation in the hopes of finding new products and processes that will create new products on an industrial scale. Establishing relationships with potential sponsors of future events is specified.
The Craft Pod
The Craft Pod is a newly established little library providing free crafting and gardening supplies; the community is encouraged to visit and take/leave what they need/can offer. The grant will fund creation and distribution of free container gardening kits to all with a focus on those with small children, the elderly and those who live with limited connection to gardens or green space. Recipients will be able to choose an edible garden kit or a pollinator/native plant. Each kit will include soil, pots, seeds and instructions to grow and save seeds. Kits will come with education (on site at pick up and/or via video) on how small space can be best utilized to grow plants and how soil enhancement allows container gardens annual reuse. Recipients will be encouraged to donate seeds back to the library for the following years. The hope is the kits aid social connections, grows sense of belonging, enhances mental and physical well-being and ecological health, encourages upcycling and sharing of resources, and green spaces within the
City's urban areas.
St. Andrew's Community Gardens
In 2013 St. Andrew's United Church established a community garden, building 11 community garden beds for use by people in the CNV. In 2015, five more garden beds were built (four sharing beds, gardened by church volunteers, providing fresh produce for free community meal programs and one bed used by a church parishioner) for a total of 16. The church has offered many programs for people of all ages in relation to sustainable gardening, healthy cooking, and has operated a successful community kitchen in tandem with the gardens. In 2021 more than 8,000 healthy free meals were served to people in need at weekly meal-to-go program and community dinner-to-go program. A communal herb garden and a Butterfly and Bee Garden, both maintained by CNV gardeners, have also been established along the perimeter of the building at 1046 St. George's. In March 2022, four of the garden beds that were falling apart were replaced by the Church. The remaining 12 garden beds will likely last only until the current garden season ends. Grant funds requested would be used for wood and hardware for the 12 raised garden beds in need of replacement. Other revenue for the project includes in-kind and cash contributions from St. Andrew's United Church.
2021 Recipients
Note: due to the impact of COVID-19, no grants were given in 2020.
Creekside Housing Co-operative
Creekside Housing Co-op is a 42-unit affordable housing complex which was built in 1985. Co-op members include seniors, persons with disabilities, families and single persons with low-medium incomes and housing costs are based on a percentage of the members' gross income. The organization is proposing a community garden project to promote community wellness, alleviate pandemic-induced social isolation, assist with neighbourhood beautification, and contribute to the City's environmental goals. They will be planting native plants to benefit local wildlife and pollinators, and to provide environmental stewardship education to participants. This will also be a multi-generational project which will provide an opportunity for co-op members of different ages - from seniors to teenagers - to work together. The project will teach youth basic gardening techniques while learning about environmental stewardship with the co-benefit of older generations being able to share their skills and connect with their neighbours.
Fresh Air Learning Society Vancouver
Fresh Air Learning was founded in 2010 and offers play-based nature programs for over 350 children ages 2-13 every year. Their mandate is to connect children to nature through play and hands-on learning. They are seeking grant funding to provide a free, nature-based playgroup program for parents and young children ages 2-6. The program would focus on natural environments in and around Heywood Park and would provide the opportunity for children to socialize and learn about the environments within the park. They would run three sessions of the class comprised of up to 12 children and their families, serving 36 families in the neighbourhood over the course of the summer. The purpose of the sessions would be to provide community and environmental connection after a year in which families have been socially isolated and to contribute to the stewardship of the park by having each class engage in restoration activities.
Larson Elementary School
Larson is a public elementary school providing instruction to approximately 490 students from Kindergarten through Grade 7. The project managers for the school garden project recently installed four garden beds on school property with the goal of providing hands-on gardening workshops for students. The project managers are also the Co-Chairs of the Parents Association of Larson School. They plan to partner with The Edible Garden Project which is an interactive educational program that brings students out of the classroom and into the garden to deliver the program. Students from all grades will participate in lessons from September to June that teach the cycles of food production from seed to soil.
North Shore Rain Garden Project
The North Shore Rain Garden Project is an initiative in SFU's Faculty of Environment. Launched in 2017, the North Shore Rain Garden Project aims to promote and expand the use of green infrastructure such as rain gardens in urban and residential environments. They are proposing a video project that will bring attention to Wagg Creek and encourage community conversation on what citizens can do to support the restoration of this creek. According to the North Shore Streamkeepers, Wagg Creek (lower Wagg) is one of the most polluted watersheds on the North Shore and restoration measures, including the installation of rain gardens in the watershed, are needed to benefit the creek and the ecosystems it supports. Some of the questions the film will explore include: What has led to this decline; what can be done to restore the creek; could rain gardens and other forms of green infrastructure play a role in this process; what can the community do? Can the fish return? The project also aims to bring the community together to form a positive vision of the future.
Ocean Ambassadors Canada
Ocean Ambassadors Canada is a registered charity that connects people with the ocean and engages them on the issue of plastic pollution. They are seeking support to offer a Zero Waste Coaching for Small Businesses program in the City of North Vancouver. The coaching program will support small businesses to decrease their use of single-use items, determine which single-use products are most sustainable for their businesses given the recycling systems in the City, increase recycling and food scraps diversion and move towards zero waste. Ocean Ambassadors has created a three page single-use item toolkit for small businesses and will meet with businesses owners to complete an informal audit of their recycling systems and single-use items. They will then suggest improvements, assist with purchasing options, and offer staff and customer training if a business is interested. Their goal is to help 20 small businesses in the City to move towards zero waste in 2021.
Roundabout Urban Gardens
Ruth and Erika lead the Roundabout Urban Gardens Project. They met in May of 2020 over their shared love of gardening, sustainability, and nature. Ruth is a co-founder of Cascadia Society for Social Working and has managed three roundabout gardens on Mahon Avenue for seven years. Through the conversion of unused public boulevard grass in Central Lonsdale to pollinator-friendly gardens, they plan to support local vulnerable populations with food donations in partnership with a non-profit, combat social isolation by enabling neighbours to connect through volunteering, inspire others to grow and share food, provide gardening skills development, and sequestering carbon in the soil. Through this project, they want to inspire others to emulate their model and to connect with each other to grow more food on boulevards, yards, or others' yards for those that don't have one.
2019 and Earlier Recipients
Cascadia Society for Social Working
For over 19 years, the Cascadia Society for Social Working has hosted shared homes and community inclusion day programs for adults with special needs in the City of North Vancouver. Their programs offer a variety of educational, skill-building and cultural experiences, including a daily gardening workshop where community members participate in composting, seeding, weeding and harvesting activities. The Cascadia Society is seeking funding to install a rainwater collection system in each of their two gardens to collect rainwater from roofs on the property and supply water for drip irrigation lines in the gardens.
North Shore Neighbourhood House, Edible Garden Project
The Edible Garden Project was established by the North Shore Neighbourhood House after food security on the North Shore was identified as a key priority during extensive community and stakeholder consultation. Loutet Farm, an initiative of the Edible Garden Project, produces locally-grown food for the community and provides opportunities for residents to learn about urban agriculture. The Edible Garden Project is seeking funding to establish and maintain two honey bee hives at Loutet Farm after their bee colonies collapsed last season. The new bee hives will offer greater pollination and increased yields in their produce fields and serve as an educational tool for school visits, a workshop series and community events. The funds would be used for the materials required to establish the bee colonies and to support an expert beekeeper to conduct regular inspections of the hives.
Gerry’s Garden Society
Established in 2008, Gerry’s Garden is a half acre community garden that is volunteer created and run. The space was previously covered in concrete, weeds and invasive plants before Gerry MacPherson and volunteers began to transform the area into a vibrant social meeting space that includes benches, paths, trees and habitats for birds, bees and butterflies. Gerry’s Garden has become a much loved asset to the community and is regularly visited by seniors, school children and residents alike. The Society is seeking funding to install shrubs, perennials and bedding plants to provide habitat for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and continue to beautify the area for visitors to enjoy.
Lower Lonsdale Community Gardens
For the past 35 years, Lower Lonsdale Community Gardens has provided green space for residents and visitors to enjoy, and affordable garden plots to enable residents of multifamily buildings in the Lower Lonsdale area to grow their own fruit and vegetables. The Gardens have been at their current location on the corner of St. George’s Avenue and East 2nd Street since 2004 and the garden plots are now in need of repair. Funding from the Living City Grant program would be used to contract a carpenter and for materials to repair and replace garden plot boards, signage and the shed roof. Labour for the project would be provided by member volunteers who are committed to improving the safety, aesthetics and function of the gardens.
Lookout Housing & Health Society
Since 1971, the Lookout Housing and Health Society has offered a range of housing options, community resources and health services to marginalized individuals in communities across Metro Vancouver. The North Shore Housing Centre provides emergency shelter beds, transitional housing units, weather response mats and an outreach team to serve as a “social safety-net” to community members in need. The proposal is for a peer-run program to monitor and clean up the areas surrounding Mosquito Creek near the Lookout property. Under the supervision of Lookout staff, guests and tenants would be provided with safety gear, supplies and training to pick up garbage, recycling and discarded clothing in the area, and be given small stipends to recognize their contributions of time and commitment.
Simon Fraser University, Pacific Water Research Centre
SFU’s Pacific Water Research Centre in the Faculty of Environment has developed a community-based volunteer Rain Garden Design Advisory Panel as a key component of their work to address complex water issues through community-engaged research. The Panel works with the North Shore municipalities and community groups to support the creation of new rain garden projects. The project proposal is for the development of a rain garden within a parking lot at Capilano Mall, in collaboration with QuadReal Property Group and the City Engineering Department. The goals of the project are to support the ecology of Mackay Creek, provide a demonstration project for commercial property owners and engage the community in positive, practical and achievable environmental action. Funding from the Living City Grant would be used to produce a short demonstration video, host a public workshop and help support a project coordinator.
Boundary Elementary School
Inspired by participation in the Cool Routes to School Program, students of Boundary Elementary School want to start a Spring Walking and Wheeling Campaign called “Walk BC”. Boundary Elementary is located on the boundary of the City and District with a significant number of City students attending the school. The school will work as a team to accumulate enough kilometers actively travelled to equal the length of British Columbia. Each day students will record the distance they walked or wheeled to and from school. Students in Nancy Dale’s Grade 4/5 class will regularly update and map the total distances travelled. The grand prize will be a school dance if the school can travel from White Rock to Fort Nelson (1570 km) in a month.
Gerry’s Garden Society
Established in 2008, Gerry’s Garden is a half acre community garden that is volunteer created and run. The space was previously covered in concrete, weeds and invasive plants before Gerry MacPherson and volunteers began to transform the space into a vibrant social meeting space that includes benches, paths, trees and habitats for birds, bees and butterflies. Gerry’s Garden has become a much loved asset to the community and is regularly visited by seniors, school children and residents alike. The Society is seeking funding assistance for materials to rehabilitate garden beds and complete trail maintenance.
Ridgeway Parent Advisory Council
Established in 1995, the Ridgeway Parent Advisory Council aims to raise funds to provide Ridgeway students with special programs, equipment and supplies they would not normally have access to. The Council is seeking funding assistance to construct natural play and learning spaces to service the school and its growing community. The project will emphasize natural learning and play spaces that will challenge and inspire a wide range of ages. This project will also offer increased outdoor learning spaces and improve the aesthetics of the property.
North Shore Community Garden Society
Established in 2008, the North Shore Community Garden Society’s purpose is to oversee the use and management of community gardens on the North Shore. The society currently operates six community gardens (3 in CNV and 3 in DNV) with more than 300 gardeners taking advantage of their plots. The Society is seeking funding assistance to purchase materials required to maintain pathways and public spaces within the City’s Charros and Queen Mary Community Gardens. The remainder of all funds for materials and labour for the path renewal project will come out of society funds. Both gardens are integral parts of their neighbourhoods and receive a high volume of foot traffic. The project will ensure safe access for mobility challenged gardeners and visitors, reduce water pooling, slow weed growth and provide easier pathways for wheelbarrows to move plants and garden refuse.
Holy Trinity School
As part of a wider initiative to encourage students and parents to consider active transportation options, Holy Trinity Elementary School is seeking funding assistance to produce student designed notices or “reminder tickets” for parents dropping off their children to school. These tickets will allow volunteers to hand out information with tips and reminders to ensure students are safe within the school zone during arrival and dismissal. The tickets will function to reduce the volume of traffic around the school and ensure drop off zones are safer for those using active modes of transportation. The goal is to build a strong community, having parents and students working together to find ways to change behaviors and provide feedback in a non-confrontational manner.
Larson School Parents Association
The Parents Association of Larson School is seeking funding for a multitude of projects encouraging sustainable transportation for students, staff and parents. The project includes a volunteer run carnival distributing information and bike safety prizes during Bike to School Week, the development and distribution of a best bike routes map to Larson School, a bike safety education seminar and installation of a covered bike rack on school grounds. This project aims to raise awareness for the benefits of active transportation, reduce the amount of local greenhouse gas emissions and increase knowledge of safe routes to school.
Fraser River Keeper
Founded in 2004, Fraser Riverkeeper is a registered Canadian charity that aims to promote water literacy and nurture a network of water leaders who will conserve, protect and advocate for swimmable, drinkable, fishable water and prosperous communities for generations to come. This project will provide training to youth to test water quality in the Mosquito Creek Watershed, through interactive workshops, field training and innovative digital tools. The ultimate goal of the project in year one is to create and develop a successful model for citizen water quality monitoring that can then be replicated throughout Metro Vancouver and eventually across the province.
North Shore Fruit Tree Project Society
Established in 2010, the North Shore Fruit Tree Project Society is a non-profit society that aims to reduce waste and provide nourishing food to those in need through harvesting fruit on the North Shore. The Society raises awareness of sustainable practices, encourages fruit tree picking within the community to maximize fruit tree yields, and provides fruit to local food banks and organizations. Every year, the Society has seen increases the numbers of volunteers, "picks" held, and volume of fruit picked and distributed to agencies including Salvation Army, Harvest Project, Lookout Shelter, NS Crisis Services and NS Hospice. In 2016, the number of picks increased by one-third and the volume of fruit picked doubled that of 2015. In anticipation of continued increases, the Society is seeking funding assistance to ease the pressure of stretched resources and to purchase of a second set of picking equipment.
Pacific Water Research Center, Simon Fraser University
Formed in 2015, the Pacific Water Research Centre adds value to ongoing and emerging research activities in SFU's Faculty of Environment. The focus of this project is to mobilize the community to learn about why and how rain gardens work to build flood resilience in residential, neighbourhood and community scales. The project proposed is a pilot that will inform a bigger initiative involving the three North Shore municipalities. This demonstration project would engage local citizens, local government, NGOs, university researchers and students in shared learning about the role of rain gardens in improving water quality and managing storm water. This pilot project will focus on learning through structured and interactive workshops and field site visits. This project aims to raise the awareness of the benefits of rain gardens and show residents how to access information and resources that will assist them in designing and constructing their own rain gardens.
BeeFriendly Native Bee Conservation Society
Established in 2012, the Beefriendly Native Bee Conservation Society aims to increase community awareness and education for the conservation of habitat and forage sources for the declining native bee species on the North Shore. Gerry’s Garden, located at East 14th Street and Rufus Avenue, is certified as a Wildlife Habitat space by the Canadian Wildlife Federation. This project is in response to arson in 2016, as well as, drought and winter conditions. It would include three parts: garden restructuring, installation of an irrigation system, planting, and replacement of the Beefriendly native bee hotel.
North Shore Table Matters
Table Matters is a network of local citizens, organizations, businesses, governments and schools working together to support food policy and food related development projects. This project will celebrate projects and people doing food systems work on the North Shore and to convene a community dialogue around diversity in its many forms: environmental diversity, indigenous foods and Reconciliation, socioeconomic diversity and poverty, and multicultural diversity – all under the banner/theme of ‘food’. This project aims to strengthen connections amongst organizations and individuals doing food related work on the North Shore, to energize and inspire people
doing food related work and wanting to be involved, to enjoy and appreciate good food in good company, and to spark some new thinking/dialogue about diversity.
Affordable Housing Advisory Association
The Affordable Housing Advisory Association is establishing an organic vegetable garden on the roof of the parkade between the two Twin Towers buildings at 172 2nd St E, as part of their senior services program. The grant will be used to help purchase seeds, soil and other supplies, as well as to help prepare the garden plots for planting. The gardens will provide locally grown, fresh organic produce that will be available for tenants, and will also provide social benefits for seniors through the opportunity to work in and enjoy the garden.
North Shore Community Garden Society
The Queen Mary Community Garden officially opened in June 2010 and consists of 62 garden plots and other amenities, which are now in need of repair. The North Shore Community Garden Society will use the grant for supplies and labour to repair and replace garden plot boards, replace soil, install panels to prevent soil erosion, repair gates and compost bins, and re-paint the shed and picnic tables. These repairs will benefit the local community by helping improve the safety, aesthetics and function of the gardens, so community members can continue to grow their own produce and enjoy the sustainable community space.
Edible Garden Project
The Edible Garden Project (EGP) will be installing drip irrigation in five of their Sharing Gardens in the City, to increase water efficiency while continuing to grow fresh produce for those most in need in the community. EGP’s goal is to decrease water consumption in the vegetable gardens by 40 - 50% to reduce unnecessary water usage and prepare for anticipated water shortages. The grant will be used to develop and install the irrigation system, and also to develop, promote and provide public education and hands-on activities to increase awareness of water conservation and sustainability in the community.
Queen Mary Community School
The Queen Mary Green Team, a group of students supported by volunteer parents and teachers, has formed a Bike Club to help improve transportation safety around the school and support students in transitioning to more active modes of transportation to commute to school and around the community. The grant will be used to organize Bike to School Weeks in both the spring and fall, as well as towards transportation planning and data collection. The Green Team will also provide bike skills training workshops in connection with HASTE, and ensure the school has appropriate infrastructure to support bike use.