[All] Reminder: Regional Official Plan Review Special Council Meeting - Wed, May 18th 3pm

Tue May 17 11:36:22 EDT 2022

Good Day!

A reminder about tomorrow’s Special Council Meeting on the Regional Official Plan at 3:00pm.  Given everything the ROP irrevocably determines including how and where we will grow for the next 30 years it is so important that we speak up for a sustainable future that adequately addresses our climate crisis and ensures Waterloo Region remains a smart growth leader.

If you can not delegate at the meeting, I encourage you to write to Councillors (information below) urging them to adopt the new community proposed Growth Option #4 that focusses on simpler and more achievable intensification, no boundary expansion, and no farmland loss.  

I have attached below a new 2 page overview of Option #4 that explains the concerns with Option #1, #2 and #3 along with the advantages of Option #4.

Please share any questions or ideas and hopefully we can send a strong message to Council on the future we want to see.

Sincerely,
Kevin.

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1) Regional Official Plan Citizen’s Proposed Option #4 - Summary Document

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> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: Kevin Thomason <kevinthomason at mac.com>
> Subject: [All] Regional Official Plan Review Special Council Meeting - Wed, May 18th 3pm
> Date: May 11, 2022 at 11:32:12 PM EDT
> To: "Grand River Environmental Network (GREN)" <all at gren.ca>
> 
> Hi GREN folks,
> 
> The Region of Waterloo has announced a Special Council Meeting (virtual) for Public Feedback on the Regional Official Plan Review to be held on Wednesday, May 18th at 3:00pm.  This Regional Official Plan update will determine almost everything for our Region over the next 30 years.  If we are going to meet any of our climate change targets it starts by ensuring that this ROP starts to implement the needed changes.
> 
> Regional Staff have proposed 3 Growth Scenario Options all which continue to be insufficient or problematic.  As a result, a core group of citizens and expert planners are proposing an Option #4 that is simpler, easier to achieve, and far more congruent with our current intensification that has zero urban boundary expansion meaning that there would be no farmland loss to urban sprawl.  An easy-to-read PDF document is attached below outlining this new proposed Option #4 we need to advocate for.
> 
> I hope that you will:
> 
> 	- review this document and share it with others to help advocate for Option #4,
> 
> 	- register to delegate on May 18th and speak up for the future that you would like to see,
> 
> 	- e-mail Regional Councillors (regionalcouncillors at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:regionalcouncillors at regionofwaterloo.ca>) to let them know they need to choose Option #4 for the best possible future,
> 
> 	- provide feedback to Regional Staff at the EngageWaterloo ROP site - https://www.engagewr.ca/regional-official-plan <https://www.engagewr.ca/regional-official-plan>
> 
> We have only until May 27th to provide feedback to Regional Staff on these Land Needs Assessment Growth options that will determine if we destroy thousands of acres of prime farmland (Option #1), destroy hundreds of acres of prime farmland (Option #2), or stay within our urban boundaries and grow sustainably using smart growth best practices (Option #3 and Option #4).
> 
> Please share any questions or ideas.
> 
> Thanks,
> Kevin.
> 
> -----------------------------------
> 
> Regional Official Plan Citizens Proposed Option #4
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -------------------------------------
> 
> 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 <mailto:kevinthomason at mac.com>
> 
> -----------------------------------------
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