“An active neighbourhood with lots of family homes, schools, a park, and businesses.”

“Great school, great neighbours, lots of green space.”

“Suburban but very beautiful!”

These are just some of the ways that Kawartha Heights residents describe their neighbourhood. Kawartha Heights is a post-war neighbourhood located on the western edge of the city, in Monaghan Ward. The area is bordered by Sherbrooke St. to the north, the Kawartha Golf and Country Club to the east, Brealey Drive and Westridge Blvd. in the west, and Landsdowne St. West in the south. The area is part of the Byersville Creek watershed, and you can catch a glimpse of the creek in Kawartha Heights Park! There are four schools and multiple parks located in this large suburban neighbourhood.

What the Neighbourhood is saying:

Since 2017 we’ve been hearing residents’ feedback about their homes and neighbourhood, and how the neighbourhood could become a more sustainable place to live, work, and play. The priorities we’ve heard about most in Kawartha Heights include:

• Water management: Conserve the amount of water used by homes and businesses; protect the local watershed; minimize the impacts of local flooding.
• Healthy, active transportation & recreation: Increase the vibrancy and use of parks and other greenspace; increase shade cover to support healthy recreation; improve the safety of roads in the neighbourhood for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Habitat & urban forest: Increase the number and diversity of trees and native plant species in the area; support habitat for pollinators and other wildlife; increase shade cover.
• Community building: Increase the number of inclusive, family-friendly events and activities in the neighbourhood.
• Energy: Reduce the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced in the neighbourhood; improve the energy efficiency of people’s homes and businesses.

Help us continue the Neighbourhood Action Planning process by ranking these themes in order of their importance to your vision for a more sustainable neighbourhood. There is space to provide us with additional information about your neighbourhood and ideas for change. This poll will close on December 1^st 2018. The results will help guide the collaborative Neighbourhood Action Plan drafting process in 2019.

Neighbourhood successes

The SUN team has attended dozens of community events and spoken with more than 300 people in Kawartha Heights about their homes and neighbourhood. Together we’re building a network of neighbourhood ‘champions’ who are passionate about building a more sustainable future. Their collective knowledge is critical for developing a bold and practical Neighbourhood Action Plan.

In June, SUN and James Strath Public School teamed up to install a 55 square metre pollinator garden on the property of APEX Cardiology (corner of Sherbrooke St. & Brealey Drive). The garden is located along the fence line at the southeastern end of the property, near the large maple tree. Stop by and have a look!

We’ve also been working with Kawartha Heights Public School and the Ontario Invasive Species Awareness Program to revitalize an overgrown nature area off of Applewood Crescent. This ongoing project will help restore this area into an educational space for the school and wider community to enjoy!