City of Brantford Council unanimously voted to move forward in honouring the late Tracey Bucci with a memorial sign on the Brant’s Crossing Pedestrian Bridge during their Committee of the Whole, Operations meeting on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
According to the staff report, Bucci was a “passionate volunteer, activist, supporter, and an exceptional Brantford resident who devoted her time and love to both her family and the greater community.”
Bucci spent nearly 20 years organizing the annual Grand River Environmental Festival at Brant’s Crossing, where she encouraged volunteers to get together and clean up garbage and debris along the Grand River watershed.
On top of that, Bucci was also known for establishing the Brantford Guardian Angels back in September of 2018. Herself, along with various volunteers, would distribute gift cards, water, food, tents and sleeping bags to unhoused individuals.
Following her passing at the age of 50 on March 22, 2022, Jan Vanderstelt, a former City Councillor, moved a resolution asking that City staff come up with a suitable way to honour Bucci and her dedication to bettering the community.
Staff later began meeting with the Bucci family to discuss the vision and it was decided that the memorial sign should be placed in a location that reflected her various volunteer initiatives.
With the design for the Brant’s Crossing Bridge replacement project already underway, it was determined that the bridge would be an ideal location for the memorial.
Having looked into four different display options, staff, in consultation with the family, agreed that with two lookouts planned for the bridge (one facing north, and another facing south), an arched memorial sign will be installed at the entrance to the south facing lookout.
Once installed, the sign will read:
“She taught us that caring for each other is a community effort”
In Loving Memory of Tracey Bucci
1971-2022
During the meeting, Bucci’s daughter, Samantha Berwick, expressed her family’s appreciation to City Council, staff and Vanderstelt, for their work in honouring her mother.
“She was dedicated to making a lasting impact, advocating for environmental initiatives, supporting those going through tough times, and creating a space for people in the community to make a difference while fostering meaningful relationships. One of her proudest accomplishments was the development of the Grand River Environmental Group,” said Berwick. “For 18 years, Tracey worked tirelessly to clean up countless landscapes, while striving to make Brantford a greener place to live. …These efforts not only helped beautify the community, but also brought together like minded individuals who shared her passion for the environment. These events served as a platform for others to get involved, raise awareness and make a real difference. Her dedication and commitment to these causes left a lasting legacy, inspiring many people to take action.”
Following her presentation, several councillors took the opportunity to speak about Bucci and her lasting impact on the community.
“I was able to get to know Tracey through our community work and crossing paths in that way, and I’m just really glad to have gotten to know her,” said Councillor Mandy Samwell. “She had the biggest heart and did so much for our community, and I’m glad that we’re going to be remembering her this way.”
Councillor Richard Carpenter added that he too, thought that was a great way to honour Bucci.
“It was a shame to lose Tracey, she certainly was a stalwart volunteer for Brantford,” he said. “She cared very much about the community, the environment and the river. So I wholeheartedly think this is a wonderful tribute to Tracey.”
After several other comments fondly remembering Bucci, the item was unanimously supported by Council.
The sign is set to cost $30,000, and will be funded through the Brant’s Crossing Pedestrian Bridge replacement capital account.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
