Stop Sprawl Students brings advocates, students and community members to Manorun Farm to discuss impacts of urban expansion and pathways to sustainable development
For the second consecutive year, the campus student group Stop Sprawl Students hosted an event at Manorun Farm, located just outside of Hamilton in Copetown, Ontario.
Held on Nov. 2, 2024, the aim of the event was to help students and community members connect with Ontario farmlands and raise awareness about urban sprawl and sustainable urban planning. This event, held in collaboration with students from SUSTAIN 3S03, offered hands-on farming experiences and discussions around sustainable urban development.
Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas MPP Sandy Shaw, an environmental opposition critic, spoke to the Silhouette at the event. "It is so nice to see people who appreciate and are here to enjoy what Ontario farmland has to offer. We know that farmland is at risk, so this is a really inspiring and hopeful event for me," said Shaw.
Stop Sprawl Students emphasizes the negative effects of urban expansion, explaining how city growth into surrounding farmland and greenbelt areas contributes to the reduction of agricultural land and increases car dependency.
Emily Gual, co-founder and president of Stop Sprawl Students, said that Hamilton's Class 1 farmland, among the best in Ontario, is under threat from development. "This is a chance for students to see the real-world impact of sprawl," said Gaul, noting that many students have limited exposure to Ontario farmland. Gual claimed that this expansion into and reduction of farmland can increase grocery prices and reliance on imported foods.
This is a chance for students to see the real-world impact of sprawl.
Emily Gaul, co-founder and president
Stop Sprawl Students
Chris Krucker, who operates Manorun Farm with his family, provided a tour of the farm, detailing sustainability efforts like planting 1,500 native trees and shrubs, including pine, oak and various fruit trees, to support local ecosystems. He encouraged attendees at the event to grow locally grown food.
Addressing the group on farmland loss, MPP Shaw discussed Ontario’s loss of Class 1 farmland, noting that about 319 acres are lost daily. She highlighted projects like Highway 413, which would impact thousands of acres of farmland and waterways. “We need to realize what we’re losing in Ontario and once it’s lost, we’re not getting it back,” said Shaw.
Stop Sprawl Students is active in local advocacy, including a campaign to repeal Schedule 12 in Bill 185, which allows developers to appeal municipal building permit decisions to the Ontario Land Tribunal, enabling urban expansion.
MPP Shaw spoke about how she hopes students realize the power they can have when they raise their voices together. "I'm hoping the folks here [will] raise their voice to say that we need to protect this. People raised their voices about the Greenbelt [and] students need to know that when we stand together, we are powerful," said Shaw.
I'm hoping the folks here [will] raise their voice to say that we need to protect this. People raised their voices about the Greenbelt [and] students need to know that when we stand together, we are powerful.
Sandy Shaw, Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas MPP
The event provided both hands-on learning and insights into the significance of sustainable development. Evan Brooks, a third-year SUSTAIN 3S03 student, shared their thoughts after attending the event. “Beyond the games and the fun, there’s a powerful message here,” said Brooks.
Another attendee, Stop Sprawl Students member Leilani Hana, spoke about how important they think Stop Sprawl Students' activism is. “I really enjoy being a part of Stop Sprawl Students; it’s an important club teaching young people to be part of their environments,” said Hana.
Concluding the event, Gual urged students to “take action” in sustainable development and farmland preservation issues within their communities, emphasizing that involvement can range from attending city planning meetings and supporting local food sources to joining advocacy groups like Stop Sprawl Students.
While Indigenous communities still lack access to safe drinking water, we continue to pollute and take for granted our most precious, life-sustaining resource
If you are a citizen of a major urban city who is lucky enough to have four walls and a roof to come home to and a livable income, it is likely that without even realizing it, you take water for granted. If you ever feel the slightest bit of thirst, you merely turn on the tap, maybe even run the water through a Brita filter and just like that your thirst is quenched.
People might not think about where that water comes from or what happens to it when it passes through our sewage systems. Nor about the fact that not far from us are Indigenous communities which do have to worry daily about the safety of their drinking water.
Although we all live within the same country, Indigenous communities have faced and continue to face a lack of access to clean drinking water, posing a prominent health concern for decades.
Although we all live within the same country, Indigenous communities have faced and continue to face a lack of access to clean drinking water, posing a prominent health concern for decades.
Since 1995 the Neskantaga First Nation community has been living under a drinking water advisory. For 29 years this community, much like other Indigenous communities, have had to boil their water before consuming. The uncertain health risk has led to some communities only drinking bottled water. Imagine the only trustable source of water you have access to throughout your life was water that came in plastic bottles.
On top of this, Ontario has been and continues to release only partially treated sewage water into Lake Ontario. This has led to our waterfronts being unsafe to drink from or even swim in. In addition, the Great Lakes are now polluted with microplastics.
Recently in Hamilton there has been an increase of sewage flowing into Lake Ontario. Not only has this been an ongoing issue, but it’s becoming worse as the years progress. As wastewater spreads into our waterways, it negatively impacts the biodiversity found within these ecosystems which further feeds into the negative spiral of poor water quality.
Recently in Hamilton there has been an increase of sewage flowing into Lake Ontario. Not only has this been an ongoing issue, but it’s becoming worse as the years progress.
The Hamilton sewage leakage in 2019 was reported to leak approximately 24 billion litres of wastewater into Chedoke Creek over four years. The latest reports on the progress of addressing this issue state that the city is still working on cleaning up the contamination of sewage.
We all share Earth’s water supply because water is fluid. How one region of the globe pollutes its water supply impacts all of us. Just because our pollution is localized to the Great Lakes doesn’t mean that this water hasn’t travelled internationally.
Our communities are all connected. Thus, we need to do better in how we treat our water before we return the water we have used to nature. If you have not yet experienced direct impacts of this issue, we can assure you that consequences are beginning to appear.
For example, there have been frequent E. coli warnings at the Ontario beaches this summer preventing people from enjoying the water. The dangerous levels of E. coli have been attributed to the poor management of rainwater during storms, leading to a backlog of sewage seeping into our beach water.
We hope that we can safely assume our readers believe that access to safe drinking water is a human right. Water being a human right means that we ought to ensure everyone has access to it and that we treat it with great care.
The next time you go to turn on the tap, think about why you and not someone else doesn’t have to fear they won’t be hydrated one day.
The next time you go to turn on the tap, think about why you and not someone else doesn’t have to fear they won’t be hydrated one day. We encourage you reflect on the immense privilege so many of us possess and speak up about what today should no longer be an issue.
I live in a twelve-bedroom student house. In a single week, we have, at minimum, between two and three large bags of garbage. So far, the city has taken our bags, but this will soon change once we run out of trash tags. While my crowded housing situation might be unique, many other students are in a similarly tight position in regards to Hamilton’s garbage and recycling policy.
Since 2010, Hamilton has had a one-bag per limit policy for homeowners. This means that the city will collect only one bag of trash during the weekly curbside collection, with no limits placed on the amount of recycling collected.
The policy was created to improve the city’s waste diversion efforts, with a goal to divert 65 per cent of residential garbage away from landfills by 2021. With the city’s waste diversion rate currently standing in the mid-40 per cent, it is evident that there is still much work to be done.
The policy has undergone several revisions since its initial implementation but has stayed firm in its one-bag limit. The most important revision has been the increase in available trash tags. If more than one garbage bag needs to be picked up for the week, the additional bags require trash tags.
Each household receives 12 trash tags and can request once per year, with no fee, up to 14 more. Once requested, no more trash tags can be ordered until the following year.
This translates to 26 additional bags of trash that can be collected per year. While this seems like a lot, that is not enough to sustain a house that produces at least two bags of trash per week for a year. Untagged bags of trash are not collected, so where does this excess trash go?
The city’s recommendation is that excess waste is dropped off at the nearest community recycling centre, with an associated fee. Unfortunately, many students lack the time, resources and finances to utilize these centres. What typically results then is either illegal dumping or the storing of excess waste somewhere in the household, with hopes that it will be collected during the next collection period.
Both alternatives have their consequences. Illegal dumping often counteracts any environmental benefits that a one-bag limit creates. While storing excess waste in one’s house can temporarily solve the issue, this can lead to a build-up of trash that has the potential to cause a number of health and safety concerns.
It is not feasible for large student households to greatly reduce their total waste to meet a one-bag limit. There ought to then be a balance between reaching the city’s waste-reduction goals and forcing students to look for alternative, costly means to dispose of their waste. Until changes are made, these issues will continue to plague the city.
A complete elimination of the one-bag limit is not necessary; what should be developed is a special consideration for student households. A special consideration policy has already been developed for certain individuals that are likely to have more than one garbage bag every week.
Households that involve people with medical circumstances, families with two or more children under the age of four, registered home day cares, or agricultural businesses can apply for special consideration. Upon approval, these households are given extra trash tags that can be used on a need-be basis. By listing student households as one of the accepted special consideration cases, this can allow large student households to request additional support from the city as needed.
While obviously the one-bag trash limit was founded with good intentions, it is ultimately an unrealistic policy for every student house to abide by. With the appropriate change, however, the city can continue to strive towards its environmental goals while accommodating its large student population.
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