Growing Greener Streets in Halton Hills: New Trees Planted Along Guelph and Queen Street

HALTON HILLS, ON – The Town of Halton Hills continues to invest in a healthier, more resilient community through new tree plantings along two key commercial corridors.

In 2025, the Town launched a large-scale tree planting initiative to increase the number of trees planted along streets, in parks and around Town facilities, with a goal of planting 2,600 trees by the end of 2026. The initiative focuses on expanding the urban tree canopy in areas with lower existing tree cover to help maximize environmental, social, and economic benefits for the community.

To support the initiative, the Town successfully secured $283,670 in funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) program, which is made possible with support from the Government of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees program. The funding covers approximately half the cost of the project and helps advance climate resilience and greening efforts across the municipality.

“FCM’s Growing Canada's Community Canopies (GCCC) funding has been integral to our expanded tree planting program throughout the town,” said Mayor Lawlor. “Trees are critical to climate resilience, providing shade and cooling and supporting biodiversity. Of course, we all appreciate the beauty they add, particularly to our commercial areas.”

“The people of Halton Hills care about building healthier, greener communities. Through support for local tree planting initiatives in Halton Hills, our government is investing to help create more vibrant public spaces, strengthen local environments, and build sustainable communities for future generations,” said Kristina Tesser Derksen, Member of Parliament for Milton East—Halton Hills South.

As part of the spring 2026 planting season, 40 trees were planted along Guelph Street and 50 trees along Queen Street. These locations were selected to help fill gaps in the Town’s tree cover and enhance streetscapes in areas that experience high pedestrian activity and limited shade.

Trees play an important role in improving air quality, reducing stormwater runoff, and providing cooling shade. In commercial areas, increased tree cover has also been shown to encourage people to spend more time near businesses, supporting local economic activity and sales.

Guelph Street and Queen Street are important commercial corridors within the Town, and increased tree cover will provide shade, enhance streetscapes and encourage residents to spend more time in the area. The plantings also support other Town initiatives, including the Guelph Street Revitalization Plan, Fairy Lake Revival and the Acton Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan.

The Town will continue planting trees throughout 2026 as part of its ongoing commitment to growing a healthier, greener community.

Learn more about the Town’s tree planting initiatives by visiting the project page on letstalkhaltonhills.ca.

About the Town of Halton Hills

The Town of Halton Hills, with a population of approximately 64,000, consists of two urban centres, Georgetown and Acton, the Halton Hills Premier Gateway employment area, three hamlets – Glen Williams, Stewarttown and Norval – and several smaller settlements. Halton Hills has long been recognized for its natural beauty, active agricultural community, high quality of life and proximity to major centres, including Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto.  The Town is ranked as one of the top small communities in Canada by a national magazine. 

Visit the Town's website 

About FCM's Green Municipal Fund

FCM’s Green Municipal Fund (GMF) is a globally unique organization providing funding and education to municipalities to help them both reach net-zero and build resilient communities, while also delivering economic and social benefits such as jobs, housing and infrastructure. Since inception in 2000, it has helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.98 million tonnes, funded more than 16,000 person-years of employment, and contributed $1.53 billion to the national GDP via the more than 2,700 approved projects. GMF manages approximately $2.4 billion in programs funded by the Government of Canada.