[All] ROP Amendments Pass Today including SW Corner ProtectedCountryside!

Tue Jun 22 18:16:02 EDT 2010

I agree with Robert! Thanks - for the details, Kevin - and for all the years 
of 'hanging in there'. Lin
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Thomason" <kevinthomason at mac.com>
To: <all at gren.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 5:30 PM
Subject: [All] ROP Amendments Pass Today including SW Corner 
ProtectedCountryside!


> 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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