[All] Hidden Valley update

[Lanteigne]

The largest Jefferson Salamander habitat in Waterloo Region & possibly Ontario is at risk by a road extension project. 
I used Part II that secured road salt impact studies by order of the MOECC minister. I have an Email confirming the study is incomplete. We need to remember this is a 40 year old plan. The price went up from $21 million to $72 million in 2013 and those values are likely outdated now. The circumstances have changed. We had Walkerton, salt risks and climate change issues to deal with now along with new source water legislation to consider. Here is a recent article regarding the River Road Extension as seen in the Kitchener Post: 
https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9241803-kitchener-s-river-road-extension-to-go-ahead-after-40-years-of-planning/
Here are the concerns of Waterlooians from back in 2011 regarding Hidden Valley.  Many of these issues remain unresolved. 
http://www.waterlooians.ca/

In this video Regional staff were told they didn't need a kill permit for Jefferson Salamanders. I recorded this. I am a witness. 

https://youtu.be/EdRuYRIQdJk

We know know 90% of Jefferson Salamanders have died off over the last 33 years.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/jefferson-salamander-and-jefferson-dependent-unisexual-ambystoma-recovery-strategy

We know the way the MNR approved testing methods for these animals killed many of them. They used wildlife collectors permits to destroy egg masses in to simply determine if Jefferson Salamanders or Hybrid Jeffersons existed at the site. In the attachment is a kill permit LGL used for Hidden Valley that killed the eggs to simply test for their presence. The eggs were rotten at the time of the studies and based on that they concluded there were no salamanders in Hidden Valley. You will see Neil Taylors info in the attachments noting the many issues we had. Dr. Dean Fitzgerald was an expert I secured for my Ontario Municipal Board hearing for the West Side Lands. He spoke to staff on the proper way to study for these animals using non lethal processes. When they did retest they found 506 of them.
The salamander isn't the only critically endangered species here. We have area sensitive birds, amphibians, reptiles and plants as well as brown bats and fish species in the Grand nearby.  The grading of the land made it unsuitable to log so your looking at an untouched heritage forest system with grasslands and wetland complex all in this amazing area. 
If the municipalities purchase the lands for $2 million we can end this mess because I will call them on the Ministry order. They cannot reasonably plan with the absence of info. We cannot reasonably plan or budget for mitigation or recovery strategy based on the absence of data. When I first fought this issue, it was in my early days before I knew how to do fiscal audits. Knowing what I know now, I'm seeing something far more interesting here than I used to.
I think the premise of this project was more rooted in delay and profits not actual road construction. The early indicators seem to suggest that loans and grants were issued with approvals but where did that money go. How was it used? Many curious things about this project. 

Lulu. 














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