[Sust-mar] Bridgewater Sustainability Forum: Saturday April 4th, 2:30-5PM

[Leon de Vreede]

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Bridgewater Sustainability Forum: Featuring Mayor David Miller of Toronto!
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To celebrate a community planning process, and offer a venue for public
dialogue on "sustainability", the Town of Bridgewater is hosting the
Bridgewater Sustainability Forum on Saturday April 4th, from 2:30 to 5:00PM
at the Michelin Social Club (221 Logan Rd) in Bridgewater.

The Forum, subtitled "how we can all create global, regional, and local
solutions. today" will feature a high profile cast of speakers. Each will
present how their work contributes to a sustainable society, and offer
insights into what the community of Bridgewater can learn from their
experiences.

The keynote speaker will be David Miller, Mayor of Toronto. Offering
insights and lessons learned from Toronto's successes and challenges in
creating liveable neighbourhoods, public transit systems, affordable
housing, extensive environmental programs and more, Mayor Miller will
provide a valuable big-picture perspective on how governments, communities
and businesses can collaborate to create a healthy future.

Visitors to this free event will also hear from the following local
speakers:
 - Barry Zwicker, CEO of Scotian Windfields, will discuss the opportunities
in renewable energy for Nova Scotians
 - Jim Reid, CEO of Green Solutions North America, will describe the
business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility
 - Alex Godbold, a teacher at Parkview Education Centre, will speak about
how school gardens are promoting sustainability right in our own backyard

In addition to these speakers, Town of Bridgewater political leaders will
describe work being done by the Town to plan for a better future through the
Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP). The event will then
culminate in a panel discussion where presenters will accept questions from
members of the public.

>From 2008 to 2010, the Town of Bridgewater is developing the ICSP, a
long-term vision and action plan for the community. The process to develop
this plan is called "Sustainable Bridgewater". Sustainability planning for
municipalities is not new but this practice is growing rapidly in Canada
thanks to a federal program called the Gas Tax Transfer. Using this
dedicated source of funding, all 55 municipalities in Nova Scotia are
required to produce ICSPs by 2010. Bridgewater is using some of its Gas Tax
dollars to fund a series of public education and consultation events,
including this Forum. Mayor Miller's visit and the Forum are generously
co-sponsored by Conserve Nova Scotia.

More information on the Forum and Sustainable Bridgewater is available
online (www.bridgewater.ca/sustainability).

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bernie Maughan, Public
Participation Coordinator, Town of Bridgewater
Telephone: 541-4386
Email: bmaughan at bridgewater.ca 
Town of Bridgewater
60 Pleasant Street
Bridgewater, NS B4V 3X9
Voice 1-902-541-4386 or Fax 1-902-543-6876

We hope to see you there!