More than 160 trees and shrubs are being planted at Rapley Park as volunteers joined forces with TD and the Municipality of Port Hope on Sunday, October 18, to help create a greener, healthier community.
The community tree-planting event, held at Rapley Park on Rapley Boulevard, was organized through the Municipality of Port Hope’s Environmental Advisory Committee in partnership with TD Tree Days, bringing together TD employees, community members and local representatives to enhance the public green space.
Municipality of Port Hope Councillor Claire Holloway Wadhwani described the project as an opportunity to establish a “mini forest” while advancing the municipality’s environmental goals.
“For the municipality side, this is an event that was coordinated on our end through the Environmental Advisory Committee as part of their leadership of implementation of our community climate action plan,” she said.
TD Tree Days is a national volunteer initiative that brings communities together to plant trees and shrubs, improve green spaces and support environmental sustainability.
Port Hope was selected to participate following an application submitted by the municipality.
“TD, in fact, is the one that has organized most of these volunteers, TD employees, and they’re the ones that have purchased all the tree seedlings that we’re putting in the ground right behind me,” Holloway Wadhwani explained.
Annie Campoli, Region Head for TD’s Ottawa-401 Corridor, thanked the volunteers, municipal representatives and TD colleagues who helped bring the project to life.
“This year marks the 16th anniversary of TD Tree Days, the flagship volunteer program of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF),” Campoli said.
Since 1990, the foundation has supported more than 30,000 environmental projects across Canada, providing more than $121 million in funding to help create and enhance green spaces, protect wildlife habitats and connect communities with nature.
Campoli said TD was working with 75 organizations in 2026, with a goal of planting more than 30,000 trees and shrubs across North America.
The latest plantings build on the more than 590,000 trees and shrubs planted through TD Tree Days since the program began in 2010.
“I’d like to thank the Municipality of Port Hope for hosting us and for its ongoing work to support greener, healthier public spaces in the community,” Campoli said.
She also recognized Rodney Pinto, TD District Vice President for Belleville and Peterborough, along with the local TD team, for their leadership in organizing the event.
“As Region Head for the Ottawa-401 Corridor, I am proud to see our team come together in Port Hope to support a project that will have a lasting local impact,” Campoli said.
“The trees and shrubs we plant today will help strengthen Rapley Park and contribute to a greener community for years to come.”
For Holloway Wadhwani, the importance of the event extended beyond adding trees to a neighbourhood park.
She said the current municipal council has taken meaningful steps toward recognizing the role trees play in the community, including recently passing a resolution recognizing trees as crucial municipal infrastructure.
“Trees are crucial, and in fact, this council that’s now at the end of our term has really recognized that in a meaningful way,” she said.
The councillor noted that trees provide benefits well beyond their contribution to natural landscapes and recreational spaces.
“Not just as nature and part of our recreation spaces, but for the functions that they play in things like stormwater management, where they’re actually working alongside built infrastructure to keep our community safe and to keep things working properly,” she said.
Trees can help manage stormwater runoff, support biodiversity, provide shade and contribute to healthier public spaces. Planting them in parks can also help strengthen the community’s natural environment for future generations.
Sunday’s event also offered volunteers an opportunity to learn about proper tree-planting techniques.
Holloway Wadhwani praised the resident arborist serving on the Environmental Advisory Committee, for demonstrating how to plant trees correctly to encourage healthy root development and improve their chances of long-term survival.
“I was just fascinated. We just had the resident arborist on our Environmental Advisory Committee, Josh, just did an absolutely fantastic demonstration of the right way to plant a tree if you want to support a healthy root system and longevity for that tree’s lifespan,” she said.
“So, it’s been a learning experience for everyone who showed up today as well as an opportunity to get our hands a bit dirty.”
With sunshine and blue skies providing ideal conditions for the outdoor gathering, Holloway Wadhwani said the turnout demonstrated the value of community participation.
“Could not be more beautiful,” she said. “It’s blue skies and sunshine all the way and the temperature is wonderful. It’s just glorious community coming out to this.”
And with more than 160 trees and shrubs to plant, plenty of helping hands were welcome.
“Exactly. And I think we’ve got a lot of hands here today. So I think we’re going to make short work of this,” she said.
The Rapley Park project reflects a shared effort between the municipality, a national environmental initiative and local volunteers to invest in public green space.
As the new trees and shrubs take root, organizers hope their benefits will extend well beyond the day’s planting, helping create a healthier environment and a lasting natural legacy for Port Hope.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
