<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Hello,<div><br></div><div>You may or may not have heard the excellent news today about the potential settlement for the Waterloo Regional Official Plan. At the Planning and Works meeting this morning a detailed settlement was announced that seems very positive. It not only deals with the 2009/2010 OMB challenges that have been ongoing for years but also deals with other issues and cases such as the increased 2041 Places to Grow growth projections for our Region all at once.</div><div><br></div><div>This settlement limits urban sprawl, protects our rural areas along with our water aquifers, and should allow finally for the approval of the Regional Official Plan and all of the good things it contains for transit, intensification, trails, farmland protection, etc.</div><div><br></div><div>This settlement is complex but seems quite good - particularly compared to gambling at the OMB or in Divisional Court. More details are available in the reports, press releases, and on the websites listed below.</div><div><br></div><div>Please let me know any questions or ideas on how we can best support the Region to ensure that the Countryside Line, Protected Countryside, Significant Valleylands, new ESL's, etc. become reality with this settlement and ROP approval.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>Kevin.</div><div><br></div><div>------------------------------</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div></div></body></html>