[All] Provincial Government Announces Nothing For Us!

Thu Mar 24 18:52:46 EDT 2022

Hi GREN Folks,

1) Greenbelt Expansion - Today’s Announcement by Minister Clark - After several years of consultations and commitments to expand the Greenbelt in Ontario’s 2020 and 2021 budgets, Minister Steve Clark today announced absolutely nothing for our watershed or for any farmland and vast natural ares of Ontario facing intense development pressures.  

Despite overwhelming public feedback in last year’s consultations on the need to better protect the Paris-Galt Moraine the Minister has instead proposed adding only 13 already protected small creeks in the GTA as Urban River Valley’s (URV’s) to the Greenbelt.  It is a pathetic and totally insufficient response from the provincial government to balance the tremendous growth and development pressures being faced by so much of our province.

I have attached the announcement from the MMAH below along with a press release from the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance of which GREN is a member.

There is a posting on the Environmental Registry of Ontario that is seeking comments for the next 30 days (until April 23rd) and I urge you to speak up about how totally inadequate this announcement is.  I am sure though that we will be hearing all sorts of greenwashing in the pending election about how the government has heard from the people and is expanding the Greenbelt however, from our initial calculations the tiny area added to the Greenbelt by today's URV announcement doesn’t even make up for the amount of Greenbelt land that will be lost to the outrageously expensive, ecologically devastating, and totally unneeded Highway #413 and Bradford Bypass 400 series highways.

	Environmental Registry of Ontario Notice - submit your comments here:
	https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-4485

2) Blair MZO Rejected - in a significant setback for the developer, the Blair/Cambridge Ministerial Zoning Order has been rejected by a majority of Cambridge Council.  It is significant decision that will be the end of the mega-warehouse proposal unless it is appealed at the OMB/LPAT.  Kudos to everyone who has spoke up to see another undemocratic MZO turned down.  You can learn more in this Record article: https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2022/03/21/cambridge-council-rejects-controversial-blair-warehouse-proposal.html.

3) Fake Local Community Groups - While we haven’t seen them in this area yet, the National Observer has a deep-dive on fake local community groups across the province that are being run by the founder of Ontario Proud - https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/03/17/investigations/right-wing-political-operatives-local-grassroots-groups-facebook.

4) Preparing For This Year’s Elections - Protect Nature TO has developed an excellent list of advocacy groups and resources for the upcoming provincial and municipal elections that may of interest - https://www.protectnatureto.org/advocacy-groups/ <https://www.protectnatureto.org/advocacy-groups/>.

5) Green Development Standards - with such appalling development plans put forward by the Cachet Developments in the recent Wilmot Township MZO there are a number of citizens interested in having local municipalities require Green Development Standards where building permits won’t be issued unless high levels of design, performance, and environmental standards are met that far exceed the current building code.  

The City of Waterloo just unanimously passed a motion (attached below) that we are hoping to have other area municipalities approve as well calling for higher provincial standards.  Please let me know if you would be able to help get this approved at any of our other area municipalities.  Also, please let me know if you would be interested in helping us get Green Development Standards integrated into the new Regional Official Plan and local municipality building requirements over the months ahead.

6) Regional Official Plan Review - continues with new information and public consultations expected from the Region in the next few weeks.

7) Hallman Pit - the Wilmot Township decision on the Hallman Pit application in Shingletown that the Citizens for Safe Ground Water has been fighting for 3 years comes to Wilmot Council on April 4th.  They are looking for help from GREN in making delegations that evening.  Susan Bryant has agreed to delegate on behalf of GREN.  I have registered to delegate and I encourage you to speak up for our groundwater and farmland in Waterloo Region - https://www.safeh2o.ca for more information and clerks at wilmot.ca to register to speak.

8) Ontario Greenbelt Alliance Meeting - for those interested in the Greenbelt there will be a virtual OGA All Member Meeting on Thursday, April 7th at 7:00pm.  Please join us by registering here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgDAO6ceiec2143cz3f7Pj3ywRPuzbTAm1vg4n4fetlVQI4w/viewform

Please share any questions or ideas.

Cheers,
Kevin.

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

1) Today’s Announcement by Minister Steve Clark

2) Ontario Greenbelt Alliance Press Release on Greenbelt Expansion

3) City of Waterloo Green Development Standards Motion - Build It Right The First Time

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

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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