Environmental Advisory Committee

That the Agenda be approved as presented.

That the minutes of the Environmental Advisory Committee meeting of June 11, 2026 be received and adopted as presented.

the City of Kawartha Lakes has been officially designated as a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada; And whereas reducing threats to birds, including collisions with glass, is a key component of maintaining Bird Friendly City status; And whereas an estimated 25 million birds die annually in Canada because of collisions with windows and other glass surfaces, and research has demonstrated that bird-friendly window treatments are an effective way of preventing bird-window collisions; And whereas Bird Friendly Audits of eight City buildings identified as priorities by the former Manager of Building and Property have been completed with funding from Nature Canada, providing detailed assessments of treatment needs, priority locations, and estimated costs; And whereas the City has already implemented bird-collision mitigation window treatments at the Bobcaygeon Library and Service Centre following an earlier audit, providing a local model for future projects; And whereas treating high-use City buildings will help protect birds from preventable collisions while demonstrating a practical conservation measure those residents, institutions, and businesses can also adopt; That the Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee recommends that, commencing in 2027, City Council include a minimum annual allocation of $10,000 in the City’s budget for bird-collision mitigation window treatments at priority City facilities, beginning with those identified through the Bird Friendly Audit progra

, City of Kawartha Lakes is a provincial and nationally significant area of biodiversity for both amphibian and reptile populations; And whereas , amphibians and reptiles, when compared to other animals, are particularly at risk of being struck by vehicles because they move slowly, bask on warm, sunny roads, and nest along gravel road shoulders; And whereas, annual roadside mortality of amphibians and reptiles represent a loss of approximately 10% of the adult population of respective species; And whereas , roadside mortality accounts for approximately one million amphibian and reptile deaths on Ontario roads annually; And whereas , many amphibian and reptile populations are slow to mature and to reproduce, population dynamics limit successful growth of these populations when impacted by external factors such as wildlife-vehicle collisions; And whereas , ecological passages are specialized wildlife tunnels and exclusion fences, which allow animals to safely cross busy roads; And whereas , ecological passages enhance the effectiveness of ecological corridors; And whereas , ecological passages are especially important in areas where roads fragment critical habitat and prevent animals from reaching their breeding grounds; And whereas , there is a parallel roadway every two kilometres in City of Kawartha Lakes, often traversing Provincially Significant Wetlands; And whereas , City of Kawartha Lakes' Healthy Environment Plan outlines localized strategies, including the Natural Env

That the Committee adopt the Closed Session Agenda.

That nominations for the Bee Hero Awards program are approved for presentation to City Council.

That the nominations for the Individual Environmental Hero Awards are approved for presentation to City Council.

That the nominations for Business Environmental Hero Awards are approved for presentation to City Council.

That the nominations for Student Environmental Hero Awards are approved for presentation to City Council.

That the Environmental Advisory Committee come out of the Closed Session.

That Staff prepare a report to City Council requesting approval of the nominees for Bee a Hero and Environmental Hero Awards as approved by the Environmental Advisory Committee.

That the meeting be adjourned at 3:50 p.m.

Whereas the City of Kawartha Lakes has been officially designated as a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada; And whereas reducing threats to birds, including collisions with glass, is a key component of maintaining Bird Friendly City status; And whereas an estimated 25 million birds die annually in Canada because of collisions with windows and other glass surfaces, and research has demonstrated that bird-friendly window treatments are an effective way of preventing bird-window collisions; And whereas Bird Friendly Audits of eight City buildings identified as priorities by the former Manager of Building and Property have been completed with funding from Nature Canada, providing detailed assessments of treatment needs, priority locations, and estimated costs; And whereas the City has already implemented bird-collision mitigation window treatments at the Bobcaygeon Library and Service Centre following an earlier audit, providing a local model for future projects; And whereas treating high-use City buildings will help protect birds from preventable collisions while demonstrating a practical conservation measure those residents, institutions, and businesses can also adopt; That the Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee recommends that, commencing in 2027, City Council include a minimum annual allocation of $10,000 in the City’s budget for bird-collision mitigation window treatments at priority City facilities, beginning with those identified through the Bird Friendly Audi

Whereas, City of Kawartha Lakes is a provincial and nationally significant area of biodiversity for both amphibian and reptile populations; And whereas, amphibians and reptiles, when compared to other animals, are particularly at risk of being struck by vehicles because they move slowly, bask on warm, sunny roads, and nest along gravel road shoulders; And whereas, annual roadside mortality of amphibians and reptiles represent a loss of approximately 10% of the adult population of respective species; And whereas, roadside mortality accounts for approximately one million amphibian and reptile deaths on Ontario roads annually; And whereas, many amphibian and reptile populations are slow to mature and to reproduce, population dynamics limit successful growth of these populations when impacted by external factors such as wildlife-vehicle collisions; 6 And whereas, ecological passages are specialized wildlife tunnels and exclusion fences, which allow animals to safely cross busy roads; And whereas, ecological passages enhance the effectiveness of ecological corridors; And whereas, ecological passages are especially important in areas where roads fragment critical habitat and prevent animals from reaching their breeding grounds; And whereas, there is a parallel roadway every two kilometres in City of Kawartha Lakes, often traversing Provincially Significant Wetlands; And whereas, City of Kawartha Lakes' Healthy Environment Plan outlines localized strategies, including the Natural En

8 That nominations for the Bee Hero Awards program are approved for presentation to City Council.