[All] Provincial Greenbelt Expansion Proposal Open House and Next Steps

Sat Feb 24 13:05:30 EST 2018

Good Day,

Thank you to all the GREN members who came out to the Provincial Open House on Greenbelt Expansion this past Thursday night.  It was great to see such a strong attendance from GREN as well as our entire community.  Well done!

I heard from Provincial Staff that it was one of most attended Open Houses and that they were particularly surprised by the quality of questions as well as just how engaged in their community attendees seemed to be.

The Region of Waterloo Staff Report on Greenbelt Expansion was released on Friday afternoon (attached below) and many of our local municipalities will have reports coming to their Councils over the next week or two in advance of the March 7th deadline.  The Region is supportive of Greenbelt expansion provided their concerns are addressed.  This includes ensuring our stronger local protections aren’t eroded and the best mapping data is used.  The Regional Report lists their concerns (that are quite reasonable) that they need the province to address and we will need to work together to ensure we get the proper policy edits for the strongest possible protections. 

If we are going to succeed as a community and be world-class, we need all levels of government - municipal, regional, and provincial working collaboratively to ensure that we have the best possible protections working in an integrated fashion - ideally, permanent Greenbelt protection reinforcing our progressive local protections with the strongest protections prevailing.

The front page headline and photo of The Record newspaper today is about this Regional Staff Report on the Greenbelt Expansion Proposal and ensuring that any future Greenbelt expansion meets our needs in Waterloo.  I’m very confident that we can work with the province over the next year or two to achieve the best plan and see this visionary proposal to protect so much of our province succeed.

Please be sure to speak up and submit your comments, feedback, and ideas urging our governments to keep moving forward with this Greenbelt expansion proposal before the March 7th deadline.  You can write, phone, e-mail, or respond however you like at:

www.ontario.ca/greenbelt or http://contact.smartgrowthwaterloo.ca/greenbelt/ <http://contact.smartgrowthwaterloo.ca/greenbelt/>

Thanks again!
Kevin.

------------------------------
Region of Waterloo Staff Report on Greenbelt Expansion:

------------------------------------

No greenbelt expansion unless changes made, says Waterloo Region staff report
NEWS 06:26 PM by Laura Booth Waterloo Region Record
 <https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8151003-no-greenbelt-expansion-unless-changes-made-says-waterloo-region-staff-report/#> <https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8151003-no-greenbelt-expansion-unless-changes-made-says-waterloo-region-staff-report/#> <https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8151003-no-greenbelt-expansion-unless-changes-made-says-waterloo-region-staff-report/#&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therecord.com%2Fnews-story%2F8151003-no-greenbelt-expansion-unless-changes-made-says-waterloo-region-staff-report%2F&&title=No%20greenbelt%20expansion%20unless%20changes%20made%2C%20says%20Waterloo%20Region%20staff%20report%20&> <https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8151003-no-greenbelt-expansion-unless-changes-made-says-waterloo-region-staff-report/#&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therecord.com%2Fnews-story%2F8151003-no-greenbelt-expansion-unless-changes-made-says-waterloo-region-staff-report%2F&&title=No%20greenbelt%20expansion%20unless%20changes%20made%2C%20says%20Waterloo%20Region%20staff%20report%20&> <mailto:?subject=A%20friend%20has%20shared%20%22No%20greenbelt%20expansion%20unless%20changes%20made,%20says%20Waterloo%20Region%20staff%20report%22%20from%20TheRecord.com&body=I%20am%20sharing%20this%20story%20from%20TheRecord.com:%20%0D%0A%22No%20greenbelt%20expansion%20unless%20changes%20made,%20says%20Waterloo%20Region%20staff%20report%22%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20visit%20the%20following%20page%20for%20more%20information:%20%0D%0Ahttps://www.therecord.com/news-story/8151003-no-greenbelt-expansion-unless-changes-made-says-waterloo-region-staff-report/?s=e%0D%0A%0D%0A**%20Disclaimer%20**%0D%0A%0D%0AMetroland%20Media%20Group%20Ltd.%20and%20its%20affiliated%20sites%20are%20not%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20of%20this%20e-mail.%20Please%20note%20that%20neither%20the%20e-mail%20address%20nor%20name%20of%20the%20sender%20has%20been%20verified.>

An aerial view of Kitchener. - Mathew McCarthy,Record staff 
WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Region should oppose a provincial pitch to expand the greenbelt unless it allows for the region's higher level of land and water protections to prevail, recommends a staff report released on Friday. 

The report will go to the planning and works committee on Tuesday for approval and then be sent off to the province, which is conducting a study on the potential expansion of the greenbelt into the outer ring of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. 

"Our position is, if you're going to do it, don't weaken our plan," said Ken Seiling, regional chair. 

"What we have is actually stronger than the current greenbelt legislation in terms of groundwater protections, in terms of gravel extraction — and we're concerned about some of the level of mapping in the greenbelt legislation."

In December, the province announced it would commence public consultation for a study to explore the expansion of the greenbelt into areas in the outer ring of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The intention is to protect important water features by preventing urban development. The Greenbelt Plan was created in 2005 and includes the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment. 

The study area includes the Waterloo and Paris/Galt Moraines, the Orangeville Moraine, Escarpment area moraines, Oro Moraine, Nottawasaga River Corridor, surface water and recharge areas in southeast Simcoe, and west of Minesing.

"The study area itself has been developed by looking at the location of important features for the protection of groundwater and surface water," said Anna MacDonald, manager of the Greater Golden Horseshoe and Greenbelt Section of the provincial planning policy branch. 

"The three features that the government has, through the study area mapped, is the location of moraines and high concentrations of wetlands, cold water streams and their catchments." 

But Seiling said the province's initial greenbelt plan "got its roots" from Waterloo Region's policies. 

"They'd taken what we'd done here after 2003 and extrapolated it in southern Ontario, but we went a step further," he said. 

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"We have a much stronger policy toward groundwater because 85 per cent of our water supply is from groundwater, which isn't the case for a lot of the greenbelt who draw a lot of their water from the Great Lakes." 

On Thursday night, the province held its sixth and final public consultation at the Tannery Event Centre in Kitchener. 

The drop-in events have also taken place in Barrie, Brantford, Guelph, Alliston and Orangeville, drawing between 200 and 300 people per event. 

Kitchener Centre MPP Daiene Vernile attended and said she is aware of the region's concerns with greenbelt expansion.

"We know that Waterloo Region has been a leader in the province in terms of managing and protecting its water resources," she said. 

"We can always build a more robust water protection system, but nothing's decided at this point. We're just hearing what people think and ... going back to the drawing board (to) come up with a plan that's going to work for Ontario."

The 90-day consultation period ends on March 7, and then the province will review all of the input, refine its study and then continue with more public consultation. 

The Greenbelt Plan is meant to work with the provincial Growth Plan, which helps direct the locations of growth and urban development. It's estimated the population of the municipalities in the outer ring of the Greater Golden Horseshoe will grow to 3.35 million in 2041, from the 2.29 million who were in the area in 2016. 

lbooth at therecord.com, Twitter: @BoothRecord

-------------------------------------

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

-----------------------------------------

> On Feb 13, 2018, at 4:49 PM, Kevin Thomason <kevinthomason at mac.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi GREN Folks,
> 
> The province has announced the dates and started the consultations on the Provincial Greenbelt Expansion proposal.  Attendance at the first Open House events in Barrie and Guelph have been really strong as people speak up with their support for this long-awaited opportunity for a significant Greenbelt expansion to our essential Moraine groundwater recharge areas along with other important natural areas facing development pressures.
> The details are as follows:
> What: Protecting Water for Future Generations – Growing the Greenbelt in the Outer Ring Public Consultations
> Date: Thursday, February 22, 2018
> Time: 5:30pm to 8:00pm
> Location: Communitech, Main Cafeteria
> Address: 151 Charles Street West, downtown Kitchener
> It is very important that we have as many people as possible attend this Open House and talk with staff from numerous provincial ministries firsthand.  It is an informal drop-in format with colourful easy-to-follow information boards and lots of opportunity for discussion and feedback.
> The provincial government isn’t going to know how much we need Greenbelt expansion to protect the Waterloo Moraine, the Paris-Moraine, and to reinforce our local protections like the Countryside Line and our Protected Countryside if nobody shows up next Thursday evening.  We also don’t want the Waterloo region provincial Open House to have the lowest attendance when we have lead with so many environmental initiatives and we are facing some of the highest growth pressures as well as rates of growth in the province. 
> Please plan to attend – even if you can drop by for only a few minutes.  We haven’t had a GREN meeting this month so that we can focus on this Greenbelt expansion opportunity and so that you will have an available evening to attend.   Bring your family, some friends/colleagues and ensure that they speak up too.  There is lots of parking around the venue and it is on several major transit routes too.
> If you are unable to attend the Provincial Open House on February 22nd please be sure to e-mail, phone, or write the province to show your support at:
> www.protectourwaters.ca <http://www.protectourwaters.ca/> or www.ontario.ca/greenbelt <http://www.ontario.ca/greenbelt> 
> John Jackson will be in touch more regarding a GREN meeting in March, however we want to focus on this Greenbelt expansion proposal, the provincial Open Houses, and the submission deadline of March 7th first.
> Cheers,
> Kevin.
> 
> --------------------------------
> 
> Suggestions for your comments, letters, and submissions:
> 
> Talk about the importance of:
> - Protecting our crucial supply of groundwater
> - Protecting farming and supporting farmers and the importance of local food
> - Preserving our most beautiful and unique natural areas for future generations
> - Supporting and reinforcing our local protections and our Regional Official Plan that directs growth to core areas - growing up instead of out
> - Ensuring that the lands we’re already protecting with local rules will continue to be protected in the future
> 
> -------------------------------
> <Proposed Greenbelt Expansion Study Area - Streams and Water Map.png> 
> 
> -------------------------------
> https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8129956-public-forum-explores-possible-expansion-of-greenbelt-into-waterloo-region/ <https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8129956-public-forum-explores-possible-expansion-of-greenbelt-into-waterloo-region/>
> 
> -------------------------------------
> 
> 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 <mailto:kevinthomason at mac.com>
> 
> -----------------------------------------
> 
> 

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