EJQ7 - Winter 2026 - Journal - Page 4
The Brownie Awards are presented in partnership with the Canadian
Brown昀椀elds Network and SiteMedia, parent company of Environment Journal.
Nominations were received from a wide variety of remarkable projects: large
and small, urban and northern.
ONTARIO MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT,
CONSERVATION AND PARKS, TODD
MCCARTHY, ENVIRONMENT JOURNAL
EDITOR CONNIE VITELLO AND MASTER OF
CEREMONIES TODD LATHAM WERE AMONG
THE 300 BROWNIE AWARDS ATTENDEES
CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN BROWNFIELD
REDEVELOPMENT.
I’ve been lucky enough to be the communications representative on the
Brownie Awards jury for the past few years. I’m always blown away by the
variety of inspiring projects—it’s all con昀椀dential but I can tell you that this
year was the most di昀케cult one yet for the jury in terms of decision-making
with the quality of nominations—and that the scores were super close.
In his welcome address, Ontario’s Minister of Environment, Conservation
and Parks, Todd McCarthy, acknowledged how generating economic activities
through environmental consulting, remediation and construction—and then
turning these lands into functioning spaces, attracting investment, creating
new businesses, increasing property values and expanding municipal tax
bases—is building and strengthening communities and breathing new life into
neglected neighborhoods.
CUTLINE
This year’s keynote provided an inspiring talk on the importance of Indigenous
partnerships in achieving optimal project outcomes. Eco Entrepreneur Chris
Henderson, CEO and Curator of Transformative Energy, delivered an energetic
E N V I RON M E N T J OURN A L QUA RT E RLY RE PORT • W I NT E R 2 0 2 6 • P AGE 4
