We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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Toronto

The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) follows common traits of most affluent cities with a disproportionate contribution to climate change, nitrogen cycle, change in land use and fresh water consumption, as highlighted in Figure 1 and Table 1. Of the 44,838 species assessed in the IUCN ‘Red List’ [1], 16,928 are listed as threatened, of which 180 are local to Ontario, Canada, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry [2]. Canada’s ecological footprint is used to estimate biodiversity loss in Toronto, as these numbers are reported at country scale in the WWF’s 2014 Living Planet Report [3]. Values are expected to be further refined with additional consideration for activities such as migratory bird loss in Toronto (caused by birds striking high-rise buildings at night).

Toronto1

Figure 1: Physical Science: Toronto vs. Global Condition

Figure 2 and Table 2 highlight Toronto’s relative strength in social boundaries. On average, compared to the global values, Toronto has higher opportunities for youth, a larger per capita economy, full energy access and higher public safety and security indicators.

Figure 2: Socio-Economic: Toronto vs. Global Condition

References

[1] IUCN, 2014, Iucn Red List of Threatened Species, IUCN Global Species Programme Red List Unit, August 19, 2014, http://www.iucnredlist.org/about/summary-statistics#Tables_1_2

[2] Jason Travers, 2009, Species at Risk Stewardship Fund Projects in the Greater Toronto Area, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, August 19, 2014, http://news.ontario.ca/mnr/en/2009/07/species-at-risk-stewardship-fund-projects-in-the-greater-toronto-area.html

[3] WWF, 2014, Living Planet Report 2014, World Wide Fund (WWF), Switzerland.