[All] Final Vote - Regional Official Plan - Thurs Aug 18th, 5pm

[Kevin Thomason]

After three years of community meetings, open houses, presentations and so many letters, e-mails and phone calls we are down to the final vote on the Regional Official Plan this coming Thursday, August 18th at 5pm.  

While the ROP was initially approved 12 to 2 by the Regional Planning and Works Committee last week, developers along with land speculators and the KW Chamber of Commerce continue to do all that they can to oppose this bold, visionary plan we need for the future.

It is particularly unfortunate to see Ian McLean the President of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce threatening to request the Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs intervene to override this plan and destroy additional farmland for unnecessary urban sprawl.  This ROP with its focus on sustainability, active transportation, public transit, walkable 15 minute communities, and housing affordability is clearly in the best public interest and has been receiving strong support throughout the Region.  

The Chamber has not been able to produce any data or evidence to support their claims of a dire low density greenfield home shortage in Waterloo and are out of synch with the thousands of citizens calling for more sustainable, affordable housing choices.  Instead they are demanding more urban sprawl and low density single detached homes that few can afford but that are so profitable for their developer members.

Waterloo Region has always been a planning leader in Ontario with our unique plans that have brought us the Countryside Line, the Protected Countryside, LRT, core renewal, and so many other innovations that have lead to our success.  One would hope the Chamber would be supportive and not one of the biggest opponents.  We can’t risk the province overriding our local planning and destroying our local farms for unsustainable and unnecessary sprawl.

Please call the Chamber or e-mail Ian directly to express your concerns and urge them to stop opposing the ROP, stop threatening to bring in the Premier, and encourage them instead to join with people throughout our Region supporting this much needed made in Waterloo plan for our community, sustainability, and climate change.

We should also write to thank Regional Staff for the years of work that has gone into this plan - in-particular how they continually responded to our concerns and ultimately developed this globally leading plan as well as we should continue to encourage Regional Councillors to vote unanimously to approve it on Thursday.

Sincerely,
Kevin.

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1) Contact the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce to show your support for the ROP and tell Ian McLean to stop threatening to call in the Premier to override our community plan:

	admin at greaterkwchamber.com - please request that your communitcations be shared with the Board of Directors as well
	imclean at greaterkwchamber.com
	
	Phone: 519-576-5000


2) Contact Regional Councillors - Show Your Support and Speak Up for the Future You Want to See:

Write all Regional Councillors at: regionalcouncillors at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:regionalcouncillors at regionofwaterloo.ca>

Or contact individual Councillors at:

Karen Redman (Regional Chair) - kredman at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:kredman at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Kathryn McGarry (Mayor, Cambridge) - kmcgarry at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:kmcgarry at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Karl Kiefer (Regional Councillor, Cambridge) - kkiefer at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:kkiefer at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Helen Jowett (Regional Councillor, Cambridge) - hjowett at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:hjowett at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Berry Vrbanovic (Mayor, Kitchener) - bvrbanovic at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:bvrbanovic at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Tom Galloway (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - tgalloway at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:tgalloway at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Geoff Lorentz (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - glorentz at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:glorentz at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Michael D. Harris (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - mharris at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:mharris at regionofwaterloo.ca> - voted against ROP last week
Elizabeth Clarke (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - eclarke at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:eclarke at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Dave Jaworsky (Mayor, City of Waterloo) - djaworsky at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:djaworsky at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Jim Erb (Regional Councillor, City of Waterloo) - jerb at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:jerb at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Sean Strickland (Regional Councillor, City of Waterloo) - sstrickland at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:sstrickland at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Les Armstrong (Mayor, Wilmot Township) - larmstrong at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:larmstrong at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Joe Nowak (Mayor, Wellesley Township) - jnowak at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:jnowak at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Sandy Shantz (Mayor, Woolwich Township) - sshantz at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:sshantz at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Sue Foxton (Mayor, North Dumfries Township) - sfoxton at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:sfoxton at regionofwaterloo.ca>  - voted against ROP last week


3) Thank Regional Staff at:

Bruce Lauckner - CAO - blauckner at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:blauckner at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Rod Reiger - Commissioner - Planning, Development and Legislative Services - rregier at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:rregier at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Danielle DeFields - Director, Community Planning and Development - DDeFields at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:DDeFields at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Brenna MacKinnon - Manager, Development Planning - bmackinnon at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:bmackinnon at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Cushla Matthews - Principal Planner - CMatthews at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:CMatthews at regionofwaterloo.ca>
John Lubczynski - Principal Planner - jlubczynski at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:jlubczynski at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Kate Daley - Environmental Sustainability Specialist - KDaley at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:KDaley at regionofwaterloo.ca>


4) Watch this historic Special Council Meeting that will determine so much about our next 30 years online on Thursday at 5pm at:

	https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeIpH-3_AjIgxKJJBMdwDA

Regional Council won’t be allowing any delegations at this final meeting but everyone is encouraged to send written submissions.


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Kevin Thomason

1115 Cedar Grove Road
Waterloo, Ontario Canada  N2J 3Z4

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

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