Episode notes
When we think about building better cities, nature rarely gets top billing. Jan Sumner wants to fix that.
As Executive Director of the Wildlands League, Jan makes a powerful case that urban nature isn’t just nice to have — it’s critical infrastructure. From wetlands that reduce flood risk to green corridors that support biodiversity and mental health, she’s helping cities across Canada reconnect with the natural world, one park, prairie, and paddling trip at a time.
In this episode, we explore how National Urban Parks are becoming a unifying thread for a fragmented country — and why we should stop seeing development and nature as being at odds. We dig into what went wrong at Ontario Place, what went right at the Rouge, and how to build momentum with both legislation and joy.
Jan explains why:
Keywords
torontochallenger cityontariochallenger citiesurban parkstreesnaturerouge national urban parkwildlands leaguechallen