Becoming more resilient

The City of Beaconsfield’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan was developed in collaboration with members of the community and adopted in the Spring of 2021. Building on work done through the plan and in partnership with ICLEI Canada and several community-based organizations, the “Connecting Beaconsfield” project aims to increase social connection in order to build community climate resilience. The project was launched in Fall 2022 and will run until Fall 2025.

• Understanding climate impacts and their effects on those more sensitive to extreme weather events
• Identifying how social isolation contributes to climate exposure
• Identifying and prioritizing actions that that address social isolation, improve social connections, and build resilience
• Piloting and implementing actions that improve social connection in the community
• Supporting the existing work of partner organizations
• Developing a guide to share learnings with other communities across the country

The “Connecting Beaconsfield” project was initiated by the City of Beaconsfield and involves numerous partners. The City of Beaconsfield, ICLEI Canada, and the following local community groups and organizations are all working together to design, manage, and deliver the project. Since partners are key to the success of the project, additional partners are likely to join the initiative and support the implementation of actions. 

1. Beacon Hill Community Association
2. Beaconsfield 55+ Club
3. City of Beaconsfield’s Age-Friendly Advisory Committee
4. Espace MUNI
5. Friends for Mental Health
6. Les Amis du Village Beaurepaire
7. NOVA West Island
8. SPVM — Service de police de la Ville de Montréal
9. Table de Quartier Sud de l’Ouest-de-l’Île
10. Villa Beaurepaire
11. Volunteer West Island
12. West Island Citizen Advocacy

Why did we install an urban garden in Beaconsfield?

An area for sharing and mutual aid, Beaconsfield's urban garden, planted near the Herb Linder Annex at City Hall, will provide healthy meals to those in need.

A variety of fresh fruit and vegetables will grow over the summer until the garden closes later in the fall.

Residents will help bring this space to life by investing their time in watering, helping maintain the garden and by sharing gardening tips and best practices with others.

Children and the whole community will be involved in various activities. Kids participating in summer day camps and in the Summer Reading Club will help water the garden and learn about gardening.

The planting, opening and closing of the vegetable garden is being carried out in collaboration with an external organization, Urban Seedling, which specializes in creating organic vegetable gardens in urban areas.

 Who will get all the produce?

Harvests will be donated to Meals on Wheels, a volunteer-driven program that provides hot nutritious meals to homebound or isolated seniors and to those with reduced autonomy.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

Block parties are a great way to get to know your neighbours! These events are organized by residents, for residents. While block parties are meant to be informal and fun, a certain amount of planning is involved. The City of Beaconsfield’s block party template, guidelines and planning tools make this process as easy and simple as possible for residents.

Learn more

Do you know the people that live next to you? The “Who is my neighbour?” template was created by the City of Greater Sudbury through ICLEI Canada’s Advancing Adaptation project to encourage residents to get to know their neighbours and increase community resilience in the process. It is a great resource that can be used by anyone in any community.

Download

Free Tree Planting on Public Property 

Trees contribute to the improvement of the microclimate and air quality, to the reduction of dust, carbon dioxide and urban pollution. The tree planting program favours the planting of trees in parks, public grounds and roadsides. 

As part of its annual tree planting program, Beaconsfield offers to its residents the opportunity to request and obtain a tree free of charge, planted fronting their property, on the portion of land belonging to the City. As quantities are limited, we suggest registering your requests for plantation as soon as possible, by calling the Environment Inspector at Public Works at 514 428-4500 or by email at arbres_trees@beaconsfield.ca.

The City of Beaconsfield offers you the opportunity to choose a tree from a pre-established list. A consultation with the city's inspector will help determine the tree species best suited to your residential environment. Planting the right tree in the right place is essential to ensure its proper development.

Please note that these trees cannot be used as a replacement for a felled tree on private property.

You Want to Plant a Tree on City Property?

Why Do I Need Approval?

Approval is necessary to ensure that trees planted on City property are the right species in the right location and spaced appropriately apart for future maintenance.  

Approval is also required to ensure that the planting location is free of underground utilities and is not in an area designated for future municipal development, i.e. utility installation, road widening, etc.  

For approval, call for an appointment with the environment inspector.

All trees planted by the City on public property will be planted during the fall.

Recipe for Success

• Trees survive best if planted in early spring or late fall. 

• Planting instructions and spacing regulations will be provided. 

Remember: All trees planted on City property become the property of the City of Beaconsfield. 

Planting Tips

• Do not plant your tree too close to a building, driveway or street or under overhead power lines. 

• Do not plant near underground lines, such as water mains, sewers, power lines or gas lines. 

• Dig a hole slightly larger and deeper than the root ball. This way you can add some planting soil when you fill in the hole. 

• Add mulch around the trunk, but do not bury it. You can lay down some sheets of newspaper under the mulch to reduce the growth of weeds. 

• Water it…but don't drown it! Water it once or twice a week for the first two years. Avoid over-watering. Letting the soil dry out a little between watering encourages root growth. Take special care during very hot days, but be sure to comply with the municipal watering by-law. 

• Protect the trunk in the winter, at least for the first few years. Rodents love tree bark! 

Subsidy to Plant Trees on Private Property 

The City of Beaconsfield will once again take part in the Ensemble on verdit residential greening campaign. With the expertise of the non-profit organization GRAME, we are making the purchasing and planting process easier than ever by offering a competitively priced turnkey service which includes: 

• A tree of your choice among the species available 

• Delivery and planting with mulch and nutrients 

• Tips for taking care of your tree 

• A one-year warranty 

More details

The City adopted the Climate Change Adaptation Plan and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) Reduction Plan in the Spring of 2021. The Climate Action Plan, a synthesis of these two plans, presents the principal sources of GHG and the local vulnerabilities, and identifies specific projects to reduce GHG and limit climate risk. The actions undertaken will serve to make our community more resilient to climate and environmental change. 

This plan focuses on how we can adapt to climate change caused by GHG emissions.

Download the plan (French only)