THE ENVIRONMENT
From her very first City Council meeting to this day, Janice has consistently proven to be a vocal champion of preserving woodlots, wetlands, watercourse embankments, and prime agricultural lands. She has consistently voted against development of natural heritage sites and expansion of the urban boundary into prime agricultural areas.
Janice has been a strong voice for the preservation of the Jolley Cut as an evolved natural landscape. She is the only incumbent who has maintained their position that it should be 100% publicly owned and controlled.
One of her reasons for voting against the three high-rise towers planned for the Loretto site was the loss of a grove of mature trees the plan entailed. More information can be found at http://www.friendsofniagarafalls.org/
This term, as a Co-chair of the Park in the City Committee, Janice promoted the importance of greening and sustainability initiatives (instead of just beautification), and on planting trees and perennials rather than annuals. She supported the work of the volunteers who earned our city a top bloom rating in its first-ever entry in the Provincial Communities In Bloom competition. The committee, which organizes annual events such as the Trillium Awards, Schools in Bloom, and Community Clean Sweep, recently received the Region’s Greenest Non-profit Organization in Niagara
The Park in the City Committee also spearheaded the effort which led to the elimination of the sale of beverages in plastic bottles at municipally-owned facilities. Janice was extensively involved behind the scenes in that effort. She notes that, besides the positive environmental impacts of this initiative:
“We pay, through our property tax bill, landfilling and recycling costs. By keeping plastic beverage bottles out of waste stream, we reduce these costs. This accomplishes the goal of keeping property taxes low, and frees up tax monies to repair aging water and sewer infrastructure and improve the delivery of municipal services.”
Janice has promoted other Zero Waste initiatives, including Ministry of the Environment’s “Toward A Zero Waste Future.” She realizes it is more important to focus on reducing than on recycling: The best way to deal with a ton of waste is not to create it in the first place.
Janice was very proactive in garnering Council support for the concept of full Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the Blue Box recycling program. If implemented, it will make those who produce consumer packaging, rather than taxpayers, responsible for paying the costs of waste disposal or recycling of all consumer goods.
Janice has also been a vocal opponent of the visual pollution created by the proliferation of signage – especially billboards and rooftop signs – in our city.
Other areas in which Janice has played leadership roles in recent years include …
Heritage | Transportation | The Arts | Animal Welfare | The Environment | Protecting Seniors | 
