Credit River Tree Planting

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Making the Credit River a better place

Doing their part to overcome the build-up of greenhouse gases and also rehabilitate the Credit River and its banks, the Credit River Anglers Association (CRAA) received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for $213,600 over the next three years for their ongoing efforts.

CRAA Trillium Foundation Award 2013

Mississauga-Streetsville MPP Bob Delaney presents CRAA President John Kendall with a plaque describing CRAA’s Ontario Trillium Foundation 2013 grant of $213,600. Also present are Ontario Trillium Foundation volunteer and Mississauga environmentalist Rohit Mehta; Mississauga Ward 11 City Councillor George Carlson; and Mississauga-Streetsville MP Brad Butt.

In the past twenty years, CRAA has planted 405,000 trees in the Credit Valley watershed. The new trees replace the forests logged and leveled for farmland in the 19th century. With the removal of its trees, and the damming of the Credit River for power and irrigation, soil ran off into the river, filing it with silt. Unprotected by its canopy of trees, the Credit River heated up in the summer, killing many native species of fish. The dams mae it impossible for the salmon to swim upstream to spawn.

Beginning in the 1980s, and continuing to the present day, the Credit River Anglers Association and other bodies, have restored many trees to the banks of the Credit River, stopping the runoff of soil and allowing the shade to cool the Credit’s waters. Many dams have been removed over the years. Today, the salmon are physically lifted over the two remaining dams: in Huttonville and in Norval, near Georgetown. The CRAA and other conservation groups today operate fish ladders; lift fish over the remaining dams; transport spawning fish past barriers; operate a fish hatchery; stock the river; rehabilitate streams and tributaries of the Credit; and conduct research, education and public outreach.

Established in 1989, CRAA became a non-profit in 1990. It has stocked more than 1.5 million Steelhead, Brown Trout and Atlantic Salmon in the Credit River. Each year, CRAA hosts at least one tree-planting, and does garbage clean-ups and fish stocking. In a typical year, CRAA will plant about 18,000 trees. More significantly, they ensure that the new saplings are protected from beavers, and get a chance to take root and grow.

Gul Nawaz

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Tribute to a community leader and builder

On Saturday May 11, the City of Mississauga lost a community leader and champion of the arts, health care, the needy, and better ties between Canada and Pakistan with the sudden passing of Gul Nawaz. Gul was a past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, which awarded him fellowship, its highest honour. I paid tribute to Gul Nawaz on Monday May 13 in the Ontario Legislature.

Mississauga lost a strong, generous, passionate community leader this past weekend, and Liberals and Conservatives lost a decent, honest principled Chartered Accountant in Gul Nawaz. Allah called him home on the afternoon of Saturday May 11, while he worked at his desk.

Gul Nawaz obtained his Chartered Accountant designation 40 years ago, and was a leader among his peers, serving as the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. He was honoured for his contributions to the CA profession with his FCA – his Fellowship among Chartered Accountants, a rare honour. Gul’s community and board governance contributions are as long as they are distinguished. Gul has helped the Mississauga Arts Council, Credit Valley Hospital, Peel Multicultural Council, Canadian Spectrum, Sheridan and Etobicoke Colleges, and the University of Toronto at Mississauga. And that is only a partial list.

Gul stood as a federal Alliance candidate in the November 2000 election, and though he did not win that election, Gul Nawaz got my vote. And he was our Provincial Liberal Riding Association’s auditor. He was my constituent, and he was a friend of mine and Andrea’s.

His native land of Pakistan was always important to Gul Nawaz, who worked constantly to build better ties between Canada and Pakistan. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Gul’s wife, Ghazala, and to his family and many, many friends. The legacy of Gul Nawaz Zindabad. Thank you, Speaker. Shoukria.