To recognize the important services provided by pollinators, the Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA) and the Town of Midland are bringing awareness to National Pollinator Week, happening June 21-27.

To kick-off Pollinator Week, Mayor Stewart Strathearn has proclaimed the Town’s support for this important celebration, and Midland staff designed and built a display at Highway 93 and 12 to commemorate this! “The Town of Midland is proud to celebrate our first Pollinator Week as an official Bee City,” said Mayor Stewart Strathearn. “We have established “no-mow” zones throughout the town where mowing will no longer take place to provide suitable areas for pollinator habitat to be created, and I encourage all residents to get involved and learn more about what we can all do to help ensure pollinator populations thrive in our region.”

Pollinator populations have been declining at an alarming rate due to habitat loss, misuse of pesticides, and climate change There are nearly 1,000 different pollinators in Canada alone, and not only do pollinators provide us with the food we eat but they also help sustain our ecosystems by helping our native plants reproduce. In turn, these healthy ecosystems can absorb greenhouse gases, prevent soil erosion, protect water quality, and offer habitat for many important plants and animals.

The Town has made a commitment to helping and supporting pollinators as a designated Bee City municipality and within Midland’s Municipal Climate Change Action Plan. As a Bee City, Midland is taking on-the-ground action, including piloting a strategic mowing project, planting new pollinator habitat, and working with SSEA to plant native trees and combat invasive species. Visit Town staff at the Midland Summer Market, 526 Bay Street, Midland on Sunday, June 27 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. to pick up free wildflower seeds and learn more about how you can protect pollinators.

Here are some simple things everyone can do in their backyard to help bees, butterflies, and other pollinators:
1. Plant native flowers or trees. Our native pollinators have evolved alongside our native plants, so they are better matched as food sources for them than cultivated or non-native species of plants.
2. Pledge to not use chemicals in your garden. Rather than chemical herbicides, planting mint, thyme and marigolds attract beneficial insects that will prey on typical garden pests.
3. Education is the best tool in a gardener’s pocket! Check out Pollinator Partnership Canada’s website at www.pollinatorpartnership.ca and follow SSEA’s Sustainability and Climate Action Project Team on social media for more tips to be ‘bee-friendly’!
4. Read more about Bee City Canada or take the ‘Pollinator Pledge’. Visit www.beecitycanada.org.

Follow the SSEA’s Sustainability and Climate Action Project Team on Facebook: @sustainablesevernsound or Twitter: @sustainsevsound, or learn more about the programs led by Team SSEA at @ssea_ssrap and Instagram @severnsoundea.

Full details on the Town of Midland’s Bee City initiative, including maps identifying “no-mow” zones in the municipality, can found at: Midland.ca/Midland-is-a-Bee-City.

Learn how you can get involved in Pollinator Week, visit: https://pollinatorpartnership.ca/en/pollinator-week-canada

To find out more about the Bee City Canada Program, and to access pollinator information and resources, visit: https://beecitycanada.org/

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Despite limited resources, SSS has emerged as the local center for collaborative climate change action.

In 2018, SSS released the area’s first Local Climate Change Action Plan, and continued this important work by developing six corporate-level climate action plans for Severn Sound area municipalities which had committed to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program. These plans were developed to provide municipalities and their communities with the information needed to accelerate local climate action.

The integration of the SSS as a special project underneath the authority of the SSEA will allow for more capacity to realize these plans, while also building on the foundation of the work by both SSS and SSEA to further include considerations for climate resiliency and adaptation. This merger also delivers on the SSEA’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan: Building an Environmental Legacy. Moving forward, the SSS project will grow its climate-focused role and continue to add value for the Association’s eight partner municipalities while complementing the core environmental services provided by the SSEA.

Quotes
“Climate change efforts require a collaborative approach. The climate leadership shown by the Severn Sound municipalities during their relationship with SSS has put us on the path to realize actual GHG reductions, achieve cost-savings and improve the quality of life for our residents. This merger will ensure the effective implementation of our corporate climate change action plans, and pave the way for watershed resiliency and our future climate adaptation work.”
Steffen Walma, Chair of the SSEA Board, Deputy Mayor Township of Tiny

“The Township of Severn is committed to the effective stewardship of our unique physical environment, as demonstrated in our 2020-2022 Strategic Plan. The integration of the SSS underneath the strong and effective management of the SSEA will allow for the addition of a climate change lens to Township business through the implementation of Severn’s Climate Change Action Plan. The climate change challenge requires action by local governments, and as a member of the SSEA, Severn is responding in an efficient and fiscally-responsible manner while serviced by the combined efforts of the SSEA team.”
Mayor Mike Burkett, Township of Severn

Additional Resources
Severn Sound Environmental Association, Strategic Plan 2018-2023: Building an Environmental Legacy
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program

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