[All] Province Announces Plans to Protect Waterloo Moraine and Important Water Resources

Thu Dec 7 15:28:00 EST 2017

Good Day!

As Lulu shared in her recent e-mail, this morning the province of Ontario announced ambitious plans that have been many years in the making to protect essential water resources and natural features such as the Waterloo Moraine and the Paris-Galt Moraine that are facing development pressures and are not currently in the provincial Greenbelt.

You can learn more about these announcements and the 90 day EBR/consultation process here:

www.ontario.ca/greenbelt <http://www.ontario.ca/greenbelt>

The Ontario Greenbelt Alliance (110 member groups of which GREN is a member) has launched our own joint website and will be undertaking an extensive campaign, meetings, media programs, and outreach over the next few months.  You can see the website that is still being developed as we digest today's announcements here:

www.protectourwaters.ca <http://www.protectourwaters.ca/>

I had a call directly from Kitchener MPP Daiene Vernile this morning indicating that the government is looking for feedback and strong mandate to move forward with these proposed Greenbelt expansion areas as they are expecting some opposition.  Thus, it will be very important that GREN members send letters and e-mails of support to all levels of government as well as attend the consultations planned for January here in Waterloo Region (I will circulate the details and timing as soon as it is known).  The comment period on this 90 EBR closes on March 7th, 2018.

This could be one of the largest environmental achievements in years in Ontario and with a provincial election pending in June we don’t want to see the government distracted or lose interest because of a lack of public feedback.

It has been suggested that GREN create a sub-committee to work with our local governments, build support, and ensure strong positive feedback to the government.  Please let me know if you would be interested and able to help on this committee.

It is wonderful to finally see things moving forward on provincial reinforcement of our local protections such as our Regional Official Plan, the ESL’s, Protected Countryside, and Countryside Line that we have worked so hard to develop over the years.  We will need to work to ensure that they are strengthened and not diminished by any Greenbelt expansion and that the strongest of either local or provincial protections prevail.

I have spoke with a number of area media outlets already today and there have been several press releases circulated from area groups about this announcement which I have attached below along with a couple of the proposed maps from the provincial government for the expansion dialog.

Please share any questions or ideas and I will circulate additional information as it becomes available.

Cheers!
Kevin. 

P.S. You can send your support to the Premier and key Ministers right now by using the automatic e-mail letter template at: http://www.protectourwaters.ca/action

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PROVINCE’S PLAN TO EXPAND GREENBELT PROTECTION TO VULNERABLE WATER SYSTEMS APPLAUDED BUT BIGGER AREA NEEDED
DEC
07
2017

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For immediate release: December 7, 2017
Province’s plan to expand Greenbelt protection to vulnerable water systems applauded but bigger area needed
Toronto, ON – In response to today’s provincial announcement <https://news.ontario.ca/mma/en/2017/12/ontario-consulting-on-greenbelt-expansion.html>, over 120 groups are calling on the government to establish a 1.5 million acre “bluebelt <https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/growourgreenbelt/pages/57/attachments/original/1477684178/GrowOurGB-Bluebelt-Map-October2016.jpg?1477684178>” in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) region to permanently protect water sources. The government’s map is missing key areas that are urgently needed for the over 1.25 million residents, farms and businesses who access drinking water directly from the region’s groundwater and rivers. These areas also flow to the Great Lakes where millions more get their drinking water.
“Four million more people will call this region home in the next 25 years, so now is the time to secure future water supplies,” said Tim Gray of Environmental Defence. “Features like moraines, wetlands and headwaters that filter and store water must be off limits to development. We need expansive protective measures to safeguard our water supplies for generations to come.”
With a changing climate, the pressure on our water reserves, farmland and green spaces is even more intense. “Water connects us all,” said Margaret Prophet of the Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition. “It is more important than regional politics and geography. There are Simcoe residents who already are experiencing dried-up wells, water restrictions, water bans, and substandard water quality and boil water advisories. We need action now.”
One of the threats to water systems is urbanization. The new provincial Growth Plan directs more growth to existing urban areas, but only the Greenbelt Plan provides permanent protection to secure water supplies long term.”Expanding the Greenbelt to protect hydrologically significant lands located outside of urban boundaries will not affect housing supply,” said Jennifer Keesmaat, former Chief Planner and Executive Director for City of Toronto. “If these lands are protected from development under an expanded Greenbelt Plan, there are no changes required to how landowners currently use the land.”
The good news: the province’s consultation document identifies seven areas in the study including water systems flowing off the Niagara Escarpment into Simcoe and Dufferin County, the Oro Moraine, Orangeville Moraine, and the Paris Galt Moraine.
What’s needed: the map encompasses sensitive watersheds in Simcoe County but omits areas in Wellington County and key watersheds in the east, such as the Iroquois Plain along the south shore of Lake Ontario and the headwaters of Carruthers Creek.
“We need the province to expand the Greenbelt’s protection to sensitive areas like the Iroquois Plain, Wellington County and the headwaters of Carruthers Creek,” Gray continued. “That’s why we are urging Ontarians to participate in the three month consultation and to tell the government to create a 1.5 million acre bluebelt before it’s too late.”
The #ProtectOurWater <http://www.protectourwaters.ca/> initiative is a collaboration between organizations and associations representing more than 120 groups, and 300,000 members <http://www.protectourwaters.ca/partners> across Ontario.
-30-
For more information, please see this backgrounder <https://environmentaldefence.ca/report/report-media-backgrounder-grow-the-greenbelt/>.
To arrange an interview, please contact: Stephanie Kohls, Environmental Defence, skohls at environmentaldefence.ca <mailto:skohls at environmentaldefence.ca>, 416-323-9521 ext. 232 (work), 416-885-7847 (cell)

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NEWS RELEASE
December 7, 2017 10:00am

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is undertaking a consultation on a study area for potential Greenbelt expansion to protect important water resources in the outer ring of the Greater Golden Horseshoe.  The study area is based on the locations with high concentrations of water resources that are under pressure from urban development.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek input on:
The province’s approach to identifying moraines, coldwater streams and wetlands as important features for protecting water in the outer ring
The process followed for mapping a study area based on the locations of these features 
Other factors to be considered when mapping a proposed Greenbelt boundary.
As part of the consultation, the province would also like to invite you to attend a public open house.  The province will be holding the public open houses in several locations across the study area to get input from the public, municipalities, conservation authorities, Indigenous communities and organizations, and stakeholders.

For more information about the consultation, please visit Ontario.ca/greenbelt <applewebdata://3CE48907-A603-42A8-9020-94257FEED247/Ontario.ca/greenbelt> where you will find: 
A consultation document which describes this proposal in more detail and includes discussion questions related to each of these topics
Maps of the study area
Information about the upcoming public open houses. 
We will accept input and feedback about the study area and the parameters for potential Greenbelt expansion until March 7, 2018.  Input received through this consultation will help inform decisions on how to move from a study area to a proposed Greenbelt boundary.  

If you have any questions about the consultation or the upcoming public open houses, please contact us by sending an email to protectingwater at ontario.ca <mailto:protectingwater at ontario.ca> or calling 1-877-711-8208.

We hope you will take the time to review the consultation document and share your opinions and insights with us.  

Sincerely,

Bill Mauro
Minister

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Kevin Thomason

1115 Cedar Grove Road
Waterloo, Ontario Canada  N2J 3Z4

Phone: (519) 888-0519
Mobile Phone: (519) 240-1648
Twitter: @kthomason
E-mail: kevinthomason at mac.com

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