[All] successful OP for Waterloo!

[Norah & Richard]

Can this well written piece  go on the GREN website? It is a good 
reference for other municipalities who have weak councils on these sorts 
of issues. Kevin, it is excellent reportage. You may want to change it a 
bit for the site but I think it is great as is.   Norah

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.
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