Toronto, ON – Tenants and staff from Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and staff members from the City of Toronto's Urban Forestry Branch, along with partners from Green Communities Canada, Trees for Life and Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), gathered on November 9 to celebrate another successful year of the TCHC Planting and Stewardship Program. The event highlighted how tenants and staff have transformed TCHC properties into vibrant green spaces while fostering a stronger sense of community.
The recognition event took place at 20 Gordonridge Place, where 71 native trees, including serviceberry, bur oak, American elm and Freeman maple, have been planted since 2020. Trees were selected and planted with input from tenants and TCHC staff, and LEAF provided training and supplies for tenant-led Tree Care Teams, who have ensured the trees thrived during their first critical years.
Since the program’s launch in 2018, 546 trees and 1,864 native shrubs have been planted and distributed across over 100 TCHC properties. Shrubs such as St. John’s wort, bush honeysuckle, common snowberry and lowbush blueberry have added colour, supported local biodiversity and helped create welcoming, nature-filled spaces for tenants to enjoy.
This year, the program continued to expand, with 60 additional trees planted across ten TCHC locations, supported by the City of Toronto through the Urban Forestry Community Planting and Stewardship Grant, and matching grants from Green Communities Canada and Trees for Life.
Urban trees play a vital role in human health. Their ability to clean our air, reduce summer temperatures, enhance biodiversity, and provide tenants with beautiful greenspaces make urban trees powerful tools in building community and enhancing quality of life.
For more information on the TCHC Planting and Stewardship Program, please visit https://www.yourleaf.org/tch-planting-and-stewardship-program.
QUOTES:
The goal of this program is to give tenants the tools and confidence to take an active role in greening their communities, and we are inspired by their dedication to tree care. We’re also grateful for the support of TCHC, the City of Toronto, Green Communities Canada and Trees for Life, and we are proud to work together to transform these spaces into thriving, vibrant communities.
- Brian Millward, Community Programs Manager at LEAF
It is critically important that TCHC tenants have access to the environmental, health, and economic benefits of living in communities with strong urban forest coverage. We are grateful to our partners who make the tree planting program at TCHC a reality. It is one of the many ways our tenants, staff, and community partners work together to enrich the neighbourhoods around them and deliver on our vision to create vibrant communities where people are proud to live and work.
- Noah Slater, Vice President, Facilities Management, Toronto Community Housing.
The City of Toronto is thrilled to support LEAF and Toronto Community Housing in delivering such a successful community-led planting program. Greening communities helps to contribute to improved health and wellbeing for residents, but also supports the overall growth of Toronto’s urban canopy. We wish to applaud all residents who came together to make this program a continued success!
- Jennifer Gibb, Supervisor of Strategic Tree Planting Projects at the City of Toronto
We are thrilled to support LEAF in their 2025 tree planting and stewardship efforts through the Living Cities Canada Fund. Each tree planted gets us one step closer to Toronto’s 40% canopy coverage target by 2050. We are excited to watch these trees grow with the communities that they support.
- Brianna Salmon, Executive Director, Green Communities Canada
At Trees for Life, we believe that planting trees is about more than restoring nature - it’s about restoring connection. The transformation of TCHC communities shows how trees can bring people together, inspire stewardship, and create lasting green spaces where everyone belongs.
- Marina Dimitriadis, Executive Director, Trees for Life
PARTNERS:
About Toronto Community Housing (TCHC): Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) is Canada's largest social housing provider. TCHC is owned by the City of Toronto and provides homes for nearly 60,000 low- and moderate-income households in 106 of the city’s 144 neighbourhoods. Their 2,100 buildings represent a $10-billion public asset. More information is available at torontohousing.ca.
About the City of Toronto’s Urban Forestry Branch: The City of Toronto's Urban Forestry Branch is home to one of the largest urban forestry programs in Canada. It is responsible for the management, growth and stewardship of Toronto's urban forest through maintenance, planting, protection and planning. Toronto's urban forest comprises more than 11.5 million trees and is valued at $7.04 billion.
About Green Communities Canada: Green Communities Canada has been leading a community-based climate action movement for more than 25 years, working together with our members and partners from across the country to advance transformative, equitable, and lasting change. As a national organization, our goal is to support and sustain grassroots action. We do this by acting as a network, funder, backbone, and accelerator. We have a solid track record of leading community-engaged green infrastructure programming through our Depave Paradise Initiative, National Mini Forest Program, and Living Cities Canada Fund.
About Trees for Life: Trees for Life is a Canadian charity driven to inspire, support and mobilize community-led tree and shrub-planting initiatives. Its mission is to create a healthier, happier Canada by planting native trees where people live, work, and play. Including the work of its first projects, the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign and GrandTrees Climate Solutions, Trees for Life has raised over $18 million to support the planting and stewardship of over 3.3 million trees across Canada.
To learn more, donate, or suggest a project, visit treesforlife.ca, or follow @CdnTreesforLife on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
About LEAF: LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests)is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of the urban forest. Beginning in 1996, LEAF has been delivering successful planting and stewardship programs that engage citizens. LEAF envisions healthy, vibrant communities where everyone values and cares for the urban forest.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
City of Toronto
Green Communities Canada
Leif Einarson, Communications Manager
leinarson@greencommunitiescanada.org
Syeda Hasan, Communications Specialist
shasan@greencommunitiescanada.org
Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF)
Justin Lewis, Marketing and Communications Lead
416-413-9244 | justin@yourleaf.org