[All] Time for answers from the GRCA
Louisette Lanteigne
butterflybluelu at rogers.com
Thu Oct 8 15:23:28 EDT 2009
--- On Thu, 10/8/09, Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com> wrote:
From: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com>
Subject: re: Permit 189/07
To: pemerson at grandriver.ca, Henri.Ragetli at dfo-mpo.gc.ca, jim.vollmershausen at ec.gc.ca, dave.burden at dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Cc: "Gord Miller" <commissioner at eco.on.ca>, "Sharon (ENE)Bailey" <Sharon.Bailey at ontario.ca>, "MIN Feedback (MNR)" <minister.mnr at ontario.ca>, "Ken (MNR)Cornelisse" <ken.cornelisse at ontario.ca>
Received: Thursday, October 8, 2009, 3:16 PM
Hello Mr. Emerson
In the attachment is the Permit you signed authorizing the removal of two wetland pockets prior to pre-grading on the Greyerbiehl property in Waterloo which you authorized on July 21 2009.
In the attachments, I have also included the experts minutes from the OMB case PL071044 which secured concessions due to the fact the EIS studies for this area were deemed insufficient. All the experts, including staff from Stantec signed off on this. I found a school of fish in Clair Creek in the upper reaches and the find was published in the Waterloo Chronicle.
http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/article/127259
I reported the fish to the GRCA and Mr.Yerex sent me 4 emails between May 12 and May 27 2008 as seen in the attachments. Note the fact Nancy Davy and Samantha Lawson of the GRCA were also privy to these correspondences.
There is in my view, no plausible deniability with this. The GRCA and all parties to the OMB process including city and regional officials knew of the fish in this area prior to the completion of the OMB process.
In the experts minutes I secured the concessions by way of the OMB and all experts agreed that the upper reaches of Clair Creek is a bona fide fish habitat. My Ichthyologist Dr. Dean Fitzgerald, a professor at Cornell University and Adjunct Professor at U of W did his masters on Clair Creek. He and the developer's fish expert Cam Portt both agreed there are fish habitats in the upper reaches of Clair Creek contrary to the previous EIS studies used for the West Side Lands proposal.
The OMB process proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that there were no reasonable measures in place to assess changes in flow contribution to downstream water sources and associated impacts on fisheries; there was uncertainly relating to assurance of long term flow contribution to these watercourses; uncertainty relating to the impact on municipal well systems; uncertainties related to flood control; as well as lack of reasonable data to establish a rehabilitation plan.
The OMB ruling was provided in late December 2008. To date there has yet to be a proper 12 month creek analysis completed on Clair Creek as it relates to this proposed development.
The current activities that you authorized on July 21st, that were also approved by the City of Waterloo, constitute as contempt of court towards the OMB ruling. It's a blatant violation of section 35 (1) of the Fisheries Act which states:
"No person shall carry on any work or undertaking that results in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat." (HADD)
The current activities are a blatant disregard for the Provincial Policy Statement 2005 sections 2.1 through sections 2.2.2.
Please view the video tapes I've taken of the ongoing construction in this area visit here. This has been shared with municipal and provincial officials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ANg5ZL-png
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pNoQguBOgU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBr_8y-ACIc
The GRCA has failed to have regard to the conditions set by the Ontario Municipal Board process and I want a written explanation as to why you signed off on the permit to allow these land and creek augmentations on July 21st.
I contacted the DFO in regards to these current creek augmentations. The staff told me their Habitat Department consulted with GRCA staff and it was told a review of this current situation is not needed because "no fish habitats are at risk."
I want to know the identity of the GRCA staff member who provided that information to the DFO along with any associated written correspondences related to the response provided to the DFO's Habitat Department enquiry.
Since the experts minutes by way of the OMB has clearly identified the previous data regarding Clair Creek as "insufficient", there is no reasonable grounds as to why the GRCA staff declined the need for the DFO to investigate these ongoing activities on the Greyerbiehl Properties.
I expect a timely response in writing no later than October 28th 2008
Thank you kindly for your time.
Louisette Lanteigne
700 Star Flower Ave.
Waterloo Ontario
N2V 2L2
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