About Gasbusters

John Watt is a fourth/generation Torontonian, living with his family in Deer Park.

John has a passion for the environment and the health and safety of our community. His inspiration is Fred Rogers, host of the children's television show ‘Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.’ John believes, like Fred Rogers, that each one of us has something valuable to bring to their neighbourhood, something that connects them as neighbours.

John joined Dundee Staunton, his neighbour, in starting the "Gasbusters" campaign, aimed at supporting the ban of 2-stroke gasoline-powered gardening equipment in Toronto and eliminating the damaging effects on our health and the environment.

Recently, John received the "Outstanding Neighbour Award" and a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee pin for his work with Gasbusters, recognized for his efforts in fighting climate change and noise pollution to make the lives of neighbours and the community better. "Won't You be My Neighbour"?

Dundee Staunton is a retired entrepreneur who lives in the Deer Park neighbourhood of Toronto.

Dundee is a Director, Decision Point Research Inc., an international market research firm, Vice-Chair, The Mosaic Institute, a charity which equips communities with tools to dismantle prejudice, and Chapter Chair, Innovators Alliance, a not-for-profit organization that assists CEOs of Ontario-based companies to integrate innovation into their strategic plans.

An advocate of action to improve our environment and living conditions, in 2020 he co-founded Gasbusters with friend and neighbour John Watt to rally residents to work towards a ban of gas-powered leaf blowers because of their noise-producing and polluting properties.  

Harold Smith is a retired architect with a strong interest in ecological sustainability.

He passionately advocates for a quieter and more sustainable Toronto and the preservation and protection of Ontario’s natural spaces including the Greenbelt.

Harold is a director of the Lytton Park Residents Organization, past Co-President of the North American Native Plant Society, Life Member of the Bruce Trail Conservancy and member of the Field Botanists of Ontario.

Harold is also deeply committed to a number of other activist organizations including the Toronto Noise Coalition, Cycle Toronto and SCAN,

He enjoys native plant gardening, protecting pollinators, hiking, and playing violin.

Gail Bebee believes in volunteering to help make her community a great place to live. 

She has served as President of the Bayview Village Association, her local residents’ association, and is currently a member of the Environment Committee.

Gail is an avid gardener. She has served as President of the North York Garden Club, a volunteer organization that promotes the love of gardening. She is a member of Toronto Master Gardeners and enjoys volunteering her time to provide advice to home gardeners in the Toronto area.

Gail’s science and engineering background - B.Sc. (Honours Biology), M.Eng. (Environmental Engineering), Certified Industrial Hygienist – provides a strong foundation for critically assessing the environment, health, and safety implications of gas-powered lawn care equipment. She is volunteering with Gasbusters because she believes that stopping the harm caused by gas powered leaf blowers and other garden equipment will significantly improve the health of our local environment including the plants, animals and people who live here.

Chris Keating was the founder of Keating Educational Tours and Breakaway Ski Tours.

With his son, he is the owner of Hôtel du Vieux-Quebec, Quebec City. The hotel has been awarded 5/5 Green Keys from the Hotel Association of Canada’s environmental Green Key Leaf Eco-Rating Program each year since 2009.

He has held various positions on the board of the Deer Park Residents Group. He is Chair of the Noise and Pollution Action Committee, and the Heritage Committee, working with Heritage Preservation Services to save Toronto’s historical homes.

In 2019 he heard Monty McDonald speak on CBC’s Sunday Edition about the dangers of leaf blowers and immediately wanted to become involved in banning them. He brought together Monty McDonald, Harold Smith and Gail Bebee with Gasbuster’s John Watt and Dundee Staunton. Together we are spreading the word.

Monty , retired Chemical Engineer, lives in Bayview Village. He had extensive experience in the Petrochemical Industry when many chemicals used and produced were carcinogens. This necessitated complete and costly reengineering of manufacturing and distribution operations to ensure plant workers and the public were not exposed to them. This influenced his role as Chair of The Bayview Village Environment Committee, partnering with Canadian Tire to encourage residents to exchange highly polluting Two Cycle lawn and garden equipment for clean running alternatives. He also teamed up with early Gasbusters in 2019 to encourage Councillor Shelley Carroll to present her first Member’s Motion to ban gas-powered leaf blowers in Toronto..

Monty founded a not-for-profit company of volunteers (Vimy Oaks Legacy) repatriating descendant trees from acorns gathered in WW1 at Vimy Ridge by a Canadian soldier and planted on his Scarborough farm. In 2018 one hundred and twenty trees were planted back on the Vimy Battlefield in a Centennial Park beside the Canadian Memorial.