[All] ROP Amendments Pass Today including SW Corner Protected Countryside!

[Robert Milligan]

An amazing report on the meeting Kevin. Thank you, Robert


On 22-Jun-10, at 5:30 PM, Kevin Thomason wrote:

> GREN Folks,
>
> In an emotionally charged and fascinatingly insightful meeting today  
> the Regional Planning and Works Committee (consisting of every Mayor  
> and Regional Councillor in Waterloo Region) approved the Regional  
> Official Plan (ROP) and new amendments including extending the  
> Countryside Line and the Protected Countryside into the SouthWest  
> Corner of Kitchener despite the pleas and protests of Carl Zehr, Jim  
> Wideman, and Tom Galloway who tried repeatedly to propose yet  
> another motion to defer protection of this critical groundwater  
> aquifer recharge area and leave the door open to future development.
>
> The meeting lasted several hours and included presentations by all  
> the usual large developers and area planners trying to get  
> exceptions for their lands and/or arguing against the Region's  
> science and the environmental sensitivity of the SouthWest Corner.   
> Following the developer delegations there was a lengthy and fiery  
> debate by Councillors with some such as Jane Mitchell, Jean  
> Haalboom, Jane Brewer, Claudette Millar, and Brenda Halloran arguing  
> that it is time to complete the ROP process and pass it in full,  
> that positive feedback had been received from the province and that  
> the minor changes being proposed by Regional Staff dealt with the  
> outstanding Provincial issues, that there had now been a full year  
> of consultation, public meetings, open houses, etc. on the Protected  
> Countryside, the Countryside Line and the Regional Recharge Mapping,  
> that the water studies and traffic studies had been completed that  
> clearly showed development in the SouthWest Corner was not feasible
> , affordable, or advisable, and it was time to take a stand as  
> Council and move forward.
>
> Tom Galloway tried to put forward a motion that for a while looked  
> like it might get enough support that proposed to approve everything  
> but the SouthWest Corner of Kitchener - similar to the motion passed  
> by Carl Zehr in his Kitchener Council Chamber last night to defer  
> any decision on the SouthWest Corner for five years until better  
> information was available and development needs were better  
> understood.
>
> Kudo's to the Councillors who stood up to Carl Zehr, Tom Galloway,  
> and Jim Wideman and argued that there was already conclusive studies  
> that the area was not at all appropriate for urban development, the  
> costs of infrastructure including significant new roadways would be  
> incredibly prohibitive, it would never be feasible to service the  
> area with effective transit, and that by the wording of Galloway's  
> motion it would remove all protection and there would actually be no  
> environmental or water protection over most of the SouthWest Corner  
> area (with the exception of the wellhead perimeters) for the next  
> five years.  Jean Haalboom also brought up the point of the  
> Provincially Significant Wetland and the ESPA Forest that have  
> already mysteriously disappeared from Activa Lands in this area this  
> year and that the SouthWest Corner is an area that needed more  
> protection and not less.
>
> Finally, in a series of 12 to 3 votes the Regional Recharge Area  
> Mapping including the SW Corner was approved, the complete Protected  
> Countryside Plan was approved including the SW Corner, and then  
> finally in a 15 to 0 vote the rest of the Regional Official Plan and  
> provincial amendments were approved.
>
> It was certainly a dramatic meeting and kudo's to those Councillors  
> who took a strong stand and argued passionately for the environment,  
> our groundwater, and for protection of the critical natural areas  
> throughout Region. In addition to the Protected Countryside,  
> Countryside Line, and detailed Groundwater Recharge Area mapping  
> that prevents any development in these areas, this Official Plan  
> also includes two new massive ESL's (Environmentally Sensitive  
> Landscape areas), stronger protection from in appropriate aggregate  
> extraction, support for public transit, green energy, reduced urban  
> sprawl, increased intensification in the core areas, and numerous  
> other progressive initiatives.
>
> The ROP will now move from the Planning and Works Committee to full  
> Regional Council next week (Wednesday, June 30th).  It is  
> anticipated given the support today of 13 Councillors that it will  
> pass next week as well.  The ROP will then return to the Province  
> for a final approval.
>
> Upon the Minister's final approval anyone will have 20 days to  
> appeal the final decision or aspects of it.  It is anticipated that  
> some of the aggregate policies, SW corner issues, and minor mapping  
> issues around the Breslau airport will be appealled.  The Region had  
> a full legal team there today to prepare for any possible challenges  
> though the strong endorsement by the majority of Council as well as  
> all of the supporting research, studies, and years of work by  
> Regional Staff should provide a very strong case for any challenger  
> to try to overturn.
>
> Please let either myself or Deb Swidrovich who was also in  
> attendance know any questions.  I did a couple of short interviews  
> after the meeting on behalf of GREN with Rogers TV following up a  
> piece they had done a few months ago on the Protected Countryside  
> and also with some of the newspapers looking for comments.
>
> Overall, the ROP is an amazing blueprint for the future and today's  
> decision to approve it in its entirety and immediately protect the  
> SouthWest Corner from significant future development will positively  
> impact the quality of life for everyone in Waterloo Region for  
> generations to come.
>
> Kevin.
>
> -------------------------------------
>
> Kevin Thomason
>
> 1115 Cedar Grove Road
> Waterloo, Ontario Canada  N2J 3Z4
>
> Phone: (519) 888-0519
> Mobile Phone: (519) 240-1648
> E-mail: kevinthomason at mac.com
>
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