Celebrating 15 Years of Sustainable Neighbourhood Action!

“It has been an honour to work with SNAP Black Creek and the SNAP Rexdale program to bring joy and build community capacity for the residents of Toronto. SNAP built and developed the San Romanoway community garden 10 years ago, and in 2024 it supported ten community garden groups in the Rexdale area, getting training, seedlings, and support to residents to create their own food tolerantly, which is much needed in the city. Congratulations on 15 years and 15 more to come!!!” – Orlando Lopez Gomez, FoodShare Toronto

“Working on the Thornhill SNAP in Vaughan is such a rewarding experience! It’s an excellent example of implementing the actions in the City’s Green Directions Vaughan plan, on a neighbourhood scale. We’ve planted trees and pollinator gardens; we’ve held events, workshops and webinars; we’ve brought park revitalization ideas to life; we’ve seen residents take ownership of their community to become stewards; and we’ve seen City silos break down to facilitate collaboration. Congrats to 15 years!” – Alanna MacKenzie, City of Vaughan

“Working on the Ajax SNAP has been an incredibly fulfilling experience! Meeting and connecting with so many Ajax residents has brought a deeper sense of purpose to my work. Holly’s team has been amazing in helping to roll out projects that directly address the needs we’ve heard from the community, making the entire process truly satisfying.” – Alessia Mendoza, Town of Ajax

“It has been a pleasure working with the entire SNAP team to deliver Ajax SNAP, the very first SNAP neighbourhood in Durham Region! I look forward to continuing our journey together and sparking real climate action in Ajax.” – Cameron Richardson, Town of Ajax

“It has been such a delight partnering with Hally, Emma, and Patricia to bring the pollinator planting in the Pocket SNAP to life! The dedication of the staff and volunteers has been inspiring and a testament to the power of community action. Looking forward to seeing the plants all a-buzz next year, providing vital food and shelter for pollinators and other critters, and a beautiful space for humans to enjoy. Keep up the awesome work!” – Vicky Papuga, Canadian Wildlife Federation

“In a world so divided, SNAP is an effective antidote! SNAP offers a rare opportunity for neighbours, departments, and organizations to discover their common objectives, pool resources, and advance creative solutions that get many jobs done. My proudest memories are the many residents and municipal departments who said they met people they never knew and forged lasting working relationships to realize projects that would never have happened without SNAP. Congratulations on 15 years and more!” – Sonya Meek, Former Senior Manager, Sustainable Neighbourhoods, TRCA (Retired)

“I had the privilege of working for the SNAP program for 12 years, and saw it evolve from an idea to the amazing transformation of 17 neighbourhoods across 11 municipalities. From parks revitalization to green infrastructure development, from home retrofit programs to tower revitalization, the SNAP program has been unstoppable since its conception. It is a perfect example of the wonders that can be achieved through collective action between all sectors.” – Adriana Gomez, City of Toronto, Engineering and Construction Services

“It’s been a pleasure to collaborate alongside Justyna and Meredith and witness the positive change the SNAP program has brought to our communities. We’re grateful for the impact the SNAP program has made and are excited for future opportunities to work together.” – Kyle Rous, Town of Caledon

“The Bramalea SNAP Program has offered an enriching experience for me and my children. We’ve had opportunities to explore new places, form new bonds with our neighbours, and participate in community events. Cheers to 15 years of building sustainable communities and connecting people with nature.” – Nawattie Lall-Rajkumar, Peel District School Board

“It’s been a meaningful experience partnering with the TRCA’s SNAP project to provide culturally relevant agri-food education events for community members at McVean Farm! Seeing families, youth, and elders connecting to the land and growing and sharing food has been a transformative experience! We are looking forward to continuing our work together to create meaningful opportunities for learning, connection, and celebration!” – Sheldon Caruana, Black Youth Farming Collective

“Introducing SNAP to our neighborhood and working collaboratively has brought many significant improvements to the neighborhood, both environment and cultural. Keep up the good work.” – Jerry, West Bolton

“Working with Justyna and Bhavisha has been a highlight of my time at the City of Brampton. They are doing great work in transforming the community for the better, improving Bramalea’s environmental resiliency in addition to creating a more equitable streetscape for the many pedestrians in the neighbourhood.” – Tyron Nimalakumar, City of Brampton

“As a resident of Bramalea, being involved in SNAP projects and involving the community and schools has been incredibly rewarding. It has always been a great way to connect with others and get our hands dirty while making our neighbourhood beautiful! I look forward to seeing what the program has planned for us next. Congrats on 15 years of success!!!” – Alisa Cheddi, Bramalea

“County Court was my first experience with a SNAP project. I had just started BikeBrampton to make neighbourhoods in Brampton more bike accessible. Through TRCA I was invited to deliver a bicycle seminar to residents at 40 County Court Blvd. It was a great introduction to the community and the SNAP program. I learned about low impact development (LID), stormwater management, home energy retrofits and fusion landscaping. Congrats TRCA on 15 years of successful SNAP implementation!” – David Laing, Brampton Environmental Alliance Inc.

“The SNAP program has introduced me to so many ideas for retrofitting and renovating my home in a more sustainable way. The rain garden the TRCA installed at our house inspired my love of native gardening, and now our entire backyard is landscaped. I’ve been able to meet and learn from like-minded neighbours and community members, as well as a number of TRCA, Town of Caledon and Peel Region partners. Looking forward to future events with the SNAP program!” – Alessandra, West Bolton

“We were so pleased to work with TRCA on the mini forest planting in The Pocket neighbourhood … the dedication of the team in determining appropriate species selection for planting, monitoring, and maintaining the site, and managing many volunteers on event day was commendable! It’s amazing to see these transformations take place.” – Emily Amon, Green Communities Canada

“As part of the Sustainable Communities group here at TRCA, it has been so inspiring to see my colleagues in the SNAP program continue to make a real difference in neighbourhood communities throughout our watersheds … SNAP brings neighbours together to create a communal space they can be proud of. Congrats SNAP, here’s to the next 15 years and beyond!” – Julia Kole, TRCA

“My experience with SNAP has been so rewarding! Being part of projects and activities that make a real difference in our neighborhoods – whether it’s greening initiatives, sustainability efforts, or bringing people together – has been a highlight for me. I’ve enjoyed meeting and working with so many wonderful people – municipal staff, community partners, residents, and TRCA colleagues – who have all played a big part in making our work a success. I’m really excited to see what we can accomplish next!” – Justyna Braithwaite, TRCA

“It’s been awesome to see the program grow and expand over the years! The Harvest the Rain program and San Romanoway Revival project in Black Creek, the Urban Agriculture Implementation Initiative in Rexdale, and Ajax’s Adopt-a-Garden Pollinator Garden at Aldonschool Court have produced some of my proudest moments and fondest memories with SNAP. Big shout-out to all our community partners and participants for getting on board and making climate action and urban renewal happen in our neighborhoods!” – Holly Shaw-Lopez, TRCA