[All] My letter to city and region & MNR re: Howald property

Fri Mar 4 19:35:24 EST 2022

 FYI
Lulu 

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Lanteigne <water.lulu at yahoo.ca>To: Dave Jaworsky <dave.jaworsky at waterloo.ca>; Royce Bodaly <royce.bodaly at waterloo.ca>; Karen Redman <kredman at regionofwaterloo.ca>; Regional Councillors <regionalcouncillors at regionofwaterloo.ca>; Catherine Fife - CO <cfife-co at ndp.on.ca>; Bardish Chagger <bardish.chagger at parl.gc.ca>; attorneygeneral at ontario.ca <attorneygeneral at ontario.ca>; MNRF Fish and Wildlife Policy Branch (MNRF) <mnrf-fishandwildlifepolicybranch at ontario.ca>; minister.mnr at ontario.ca <minister.mnr at ontario.ca>; Ken Cornelisse <ken.cornelisse at mnr.gov.on.ca>; jonathan.wilkinson at parl.gc.ca <jonathan.wilkinson at parl.gc.ca>Sent: Friday, March 4, 2022, 07:34:35 p.m. ESTSubject: Howald cut trees and damaged endangered species habitats.
 There has been a clear cut of the Howald Property in the area at 515 Erbsville Road in Waterloo Ontario between Colombia Forest and Laurel Creek Subdivision,
The photos I took were done today, March 4/2022 showing tree removal. I have called the MNR to file a formal complaint. This is a man who I have previously stopped from doing illegal logging here before and it's on record with the MNR office in Guelph.
Bat boxes remain at the end of his property line on the Columbia Forest Subdivision side of the fence at the end of Butternut Ave. where you can see mature trees on the ground. This area was known for endangered Brown Bats. 

This article notes he wanted to clear 9 acres for housing, and it was published back in December 2021.

https://www.therecord.com/local-waterloo/news/2021/12/13/erbsville-road-property-could-help-link-neighbourhoods-bring-more-affordable-housing-to-west-waterloo.html
After I read that article I notified my ward rep of Waterloo that this area is home to several Endangered species. 

ESA reports regarding a potential trail network through his land listed include the Endangered Hooded Warbler and Acadian Flycatchers (Lyle Friesen studied the area) and Endangered Jefferson Salamanders. There is a physical salamander from ESPA 19 at Laurier University gathered during the Laurel Creek Watershed Study. I won concessions regarding the protection of ESPA 19 with OMB case PL071044 years ago and hired two experts who secured protective concessions for both ESPA 19's wetlands and Clair Creek. This area is all recharge for both those systems. The Howald Property sits over top primary recharge as noted on Regional Maps. Our area MPP Catherine Fife studies the brown bats along this particular property. The boxes exist all along his property line within the Colombia Forest subdivision area. 
Neither the city nor the Region of Waterloo has any plausible deniability about ecological constraints impacting this area. The forest on Howald's property was contiguous with ESPA 19 aka the Forested Hills which is the largest tract of forest in Waterloo and should have been subject to a proper EA with regards to the high number of ecological constraints. 

Technically this area should have been fully included into the protection of the Region's Environmentally Sensitive Landscape designation (ESL.) There is no scientific reason as to why this property was excluded but I will note the fact Mr. Howald was a former Developer in Waterloo Region. 

The impact of the salt runoff needs to be assessed for the immediate risks it now poses to fish in Clair Creek which taxpayers paid 600,000 to protect Clair Creek improvement plan passed by Waterloo council

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Clair Creek improvement plan passed by Waterloo council

City council has approved a plan to improve the south branch of Clair Creek more than 20 years after the need fo...
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What is even more concerning is the potential for flooding both locally and downstream if this runoff goes into Clair Creek due to the fact the vegetation and trees are no longer there to allow for drainage into the aquifer. The tree removal alters the water flow, the flow rates, the water quality and water quantity heading into Clair Creek. 

We could see high volumes of sediment impairing the recharge capacity. The lack of vegetation and the compression of the tree cutting vehicles also contributes to that. We could see high water volumes coming off this property as soon as this spring with this extra water flow mixed with sediment. The bridge over Clair Creek and the house at the base of it by the overpass for Clair Creek have already flooded over several times in the past. I include a photo for your reference. 

Previously Mr. Howald tried to put a drain from his front yard pond to the road to drain the water but the pipe sank in the muck so deeply they couldn't recover it. We witnessed this as residents. He also tried to drain his pond completely. The frogs and animals went into the back yards of neighbors along Butternut. 

I include a photo of the snapping turtle that I witnessed trying to access his property so she could lay her eggs. I reported it to the Ontario Turtle tally on July 2, 2017. 

There are many animals impacted by this. Our local wells and creeks will be affected by this and we need a place to put this excess water because it could cause property damages if we don't plan for it. 

I am very disgusted about how this all played out. There is no 12 month creek study for this, no EA, no salt or water mitigation strategies or plans to assist the displaced endangered species.   I hope Mr. Howald will be held personally liable for every single cost that comes of the mess he just did here. 

I as a taxpayer and local resident I do not wish to pay a single penny for any of the mess he just created. 

Let the property sit untouched and undeveloped until we scientifically have a baseline of the consequences of what he has done.  Don't add to the problem by building swiftly and having the city or region assume the outrageous risks he just created here. 

I want the city to hold this man fiscally accountable for his own actions should it result in ANY costs for the city. Make him liable and make him sit with the mess and have him sign off on covering the costs of his nonsense before permitting anything to happen on this property. 

Thank you kindly for your time. 

Louisette Lanteigne700 Star Flower Ave. 
Waterloo ONN2V 2L2 
519-88507619

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