Sustainability | Township of Tiny

Environmental sustainability is at the heart of several initiatives and industries in Tiny Township. Different organizations and projects are working to preserve our environment, and minimize our impact.

Severn Sound Sustainability

Severn Sound is a group of bays covering an area of approximately 130 km² and is located in southeastern Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. The immediate watershed of the Sound covers an area of approximately 1000 km². The contact between the Precambrian shield and the sedimentary bedrock with varying overburden runs down the middle of the Sound. The basin is a complex of sheltered to exposed bays ranging from 2 to 4 m deep in the eastern end to a 43 m deep basin off the northern end of Beausoleil Island where the Sound meets Georgian Bay.

The Severn Sound watershed encompasses a combination of small urban and rural areas with a permanent population of approximately 110,000 people and a seasonal population of 300,000 people. The small urban areas are served by nine municipal sewage plants and extensive areas on private sewage systems. Municipal water supplies include thirty two groundwater systems and two surface water systems.

Please visit the Severn Sound Environmental Association webpage for more information.

In 2016, the Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA) conducted a survey of private water wells in the Farlain Lake area, funded by the Township of Tiny. Review the report (PDF).

The SSEA wetland evaluation of Tiny Bog was reviewed and accepted by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The SSEA has subsequently prepared a final report on the project. Review the report (PDF).

Sustainable Severn Sound (SSS) is a regional sustainability program supported by seven of the municipalities in the Severn Sound area, including the Towns of Midland and Penetanguishene, and the Townships of Georgian Bay, Severn, Oro-Medonte, Tiny and Tay.
What SSS does
- Educates municipalities and the community on sustainable practices and policies
- Supports climate change initiatives and leads our Local Climate Change Action Plan: Regional Greenhouse Gas Summary (PDF)
- Works on behalf of the Township to meet membership requirements and advance the municipality through the Partners for Climate Protection program
- Creates sustainability report cards for municipalities part of the SSS program.
Contact SSS
Phone: 705-526-1371 ext. 112

Email

SSS Website

Severn Sound Sustainability Plan

The Severn Sound Sustainability Plan was created for the nine municipalities of the Severn Sound watershed (Tiny, Tay, Penetanguishene, Midland, Orillia, Georgian Bay, Oro-Medonte, Severn, and Springwater). The Severn Sound Sustainability Plan is a vision for the Severn Sound watershed, which states:

By 2050, the Severn Sound watershed will contain a network of communities that have achieved a sustainable quality of life for all citizens by developing a common culture of environmental, economic, and social balance.

The development of the Severn Sound Sustainability Plan was a collaborative process that began in December 2007. It was organized by a Steering Committee, and involved support from a 50+ member stakeholder group, and a 400+ member Citizen Panel. The Sustainability Plan was finalized and endorsed by all nine partner municipalities in Spring 2009 (including the Township of Tiny). Work on the implementation of the Sustainability Plan is underway.

The Sustainability Plan includes goals, strategies, and actions to ensure the environmental integrity, economic prosperity, and community well-being of the communities in the watershed. There are 15 priority areas, which include:

Environmental Integrity	Economic Prosperity	Community Well-Being
Natural heritage Biodiversity Resource consumption Infrastructure and land use Environmental education	Business retention and employment Communications Tourism Vibrant Downtowns Agriculture	Health and wellness Housing Active Living Arts & Culture Social Networks

For more information, please visit the Sustainable Severn Sound website.

Conservation & Environmental Initiatives

The Township of Tiny is honoured to be recognized as the first Blue Community in Ontario and the third in all of Canada. In order to become a Blue Community, a municipality must recognize water as a human right, ban the sale of bottled water in civic spaces and support the public ownership of water utilities.
Your Municipal Council has acted on these principles by contacting both the Federal and Provincial governments, urging them to advocate that the right to potable water be enshrined in international law. The municipality will no longer sell single-use bottled water in its facilities or provide it at municipal meetings where access to municipal tap water is available. The municipality will continue to own and operate, to the highest standards, our own water supply systems.
For more information, visit the Council of Canadians Blue Communities website.

Farming & Agriculture

Economic Development North Simcoe is a non-profit organization incorporated by the Town of Midland, the Town of Penetanguishene, the Township of Tay and the Township of Tiny for the purpose of collaboratively promoting the economic health and prosperity of North Simcoe, including the sustainable growth of farming and agriculture in the region.

Tay and Tiny Townships have been agricultural communities since the earliest settlers in this region, and they continue to live and promote the farming culture, even as the farming business evolves toward a greater degree of specialty and catering to healthier lifestyles. Still, there remains much opportunity to enhance the value of the crops and livestock, and add further value through agricultural supplies, services and processing.
Agriculture and agri-food play an important role in the federal and provincial economies. In Canada, the industries provide 1 in 9 jobs, employ 2 million people and account for 7% of total gross domestic product (GDP).
The North Simcoe Agriculture sector adds $6.3 million in wages to the economy and 260 jobs. Agriculture production is booming in North Simcoe even though there is a slight decrease in jobs since 2011.
- Hog and pig farming
- Sheep and goat farming
- Poultry and egg production
- Fruit and tree nut farming
- Dairy cattle and milk production
- Vegetable and melon farming
- Beef cattle ranching and farming
- Other animal production
- Oilseed and grain farming
- Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture
- Other crop farming such as hay farming and maple syrup production