<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Good Day!</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">We are in the homestretch on the Regional Official Plan and the finish line is within sight, however, upset developers and land speculators are doing everything that they can to see the ROP is delayed and hundreds of hectares of additional greenfield farmland are destroyed.</div></div><div class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We saw a rather negative article in The Record yesterday and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic is leading an effort to try to convince Regional Councillors to delay while Councillor Mike Harris continues his attacks of Regional Staff for developers based on process and procedure.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">City of Kitchener Councillors have been very active this past week e-mailing all Regional Councillors continuing their efforts from last week on claiming that we have a housing shortage because our number of homes is below the G7 average despite the fact that we have very different culture, geography, climate and demographics than most G7 countries. They are determined to get more sprawl development in Kitchener and elsewhere.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It seems that many of the delegations currently registered for tomorrow’s Statutory Public Meeting (July 27th at 3pm) are opposed to the ROP and we can’t afford to have any Regional Councillors swayed by developers, Mayor Vrbanovic, or others. A delay or deferral of the ROP would allow developers to chip away at the ROP, erode support, and could cost our community dearly with a provincial government already upset that we missed the July 1st deadline.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">While we have all delegated and written so much already, we can’t fall silent now because the finish line is in sight. Please do what you can to reach out to Councillors. e-mail, delegate, and ensure that the ROP is approved at the August 11th Planning and Works Committee Meeting and receives final approval at the August 18th Regional Council Meeting.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Additional details are below. Please share any questions or ideas.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thanks,</div><div class="">Kevin.</div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">-------------------------------------</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><b class="">1) Upcoming Dates:</b></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">Wednesday, July 27th 3:00pm - Statutory Public Meeting on the Regional Official Plan Update</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thursday, August 11th - Regional Planning and Works Committee vote on the Regional Official Plan</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thursday, August 18th - Final vote and approval of the 2051 Regional Official Plan</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Monday, October 24th - Municipal Elections</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div class=""><b class="">2) Key Data Points of the Regional Official Plan:</b></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Intensification rate: 61%</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Density: 59 pj/ha</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Community Area Expansion: 150 ha</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Employment Area Expansion: 456 ha</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">There is a very strong climate change and complete 15 minute neighbourhood focus. This is much less Community Area (residential) greenfield farmland loss than former Option #2’s 376 ha of farmland loss, and even less than the 220 ha proposed back in December or the 180 ha of farmland loss proposed November. While ideally we would see 0ha of farmland loss we’ve known from the onset that additional employment lands were required, a solution would have to be found for Wellesley Township’s land needs, and there were situations were rounding out or adding a few acres of expansion could help to complete a community or provide space for needed/missing services. </div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Learn more at: <a href="https://www.engagewr.ca/regional-official-plan" class="">https://www.engagewr.ca/regional-official-plan</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">3) Contact Regional Councillors and Staff - </b>Please Show Your Support and Speak Up for the Future You Want to See:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">Write all Regional Councillors at: <a href="mailto:regionalcouncillors@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">regionalcouncillors@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Or contact individual Councillors at:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Karen Redman (Regional Chair) - <a href="mailto:kredman@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">kredman@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Kathryn McGarry (Mayor, Cambridge) - <a href="mailto:kmcgarry@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">kmcgarry@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Karl Kiefer (Regional Councillor, Cambridge) - <a href="mailto:kkiefer@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">kkiefer@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Helen Jowett (Regional Councillor, Cambridge) - <a href="mailto:hjowett@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">hjowett@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Berry Vrbanovic (Mayor, Kitchener) - <a href="mailto:bvrbanovic@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">bvrbanovic@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Tom Galloway (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - <a href="mailto:tgalloway@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">tgalloway@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Geoff Lorentz (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - <a href="mailto:glorentz@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">glorentz@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Michael D. Harris (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - <a href="mailto:mharris@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">mharris@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Elizabeth Clarke (Regional Councillor, Kitchener) - <a href="mailto:eclarke@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">eclarke@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Dave Jaworsky (Mayor, City of Waterloo) - <a href="mailto:djaworsky@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">djaworsky@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Jim Erb (Regional Councillor, City of Waterloo) - <a href="mailto:jerb@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">jerb@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Sean Strickland (Regional Councillor, City of Waterloo) - <a href="mailto:sstrickland@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">sstrickland@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Les Armstrong (Mayor, Wilmot Township) - <a href="mailto:larmstrong@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">larmstrong@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Joe Nowak (Mayor, Wellesley Township) - <a href="mailto:jnowak@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">jnowak@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Sandy Shantz (Mayor, Woolwich Township) - <a href="mailto:sshantz@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">sshantz@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Sue Foxton (Mayor, North Dumfries Township) - <a href="mailto:sfoxton@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">sfoxton@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Contact Regional Staff at:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Bruce Lauckner - CAO - <a href="mailto:blauckner@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">blauckner@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Rod Reiger - Commissioner - Planning, Development and Legislative Services - <a href="mailto:rregier@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">rregier@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Danielle DeFields - Director, Community Planning and Development - <a href="mailto:DDeFields@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">DDeFields@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Brenna MacKinnon - Manager, Development Planning - <a href="mailto:bmackinnon@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">bmackinnon@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Cushla Matthews - Principal Planner - <a href="mailto:CMatthews@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">CMatthews@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">John Lubczynski - Principal Planner - <a href="mailto:jlubczynski@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">jlubczynski@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class="">Kate Daley - Environmental Sustainability Specialist - <a href="mailto:KDaley@regionofwaterloo.ca" class="">KDaley@regionofwaterloo.ca</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div></div><div class="">-------------------------------------</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><img class="photo_big" alt="MicrosoftTeams-image (9).png" apple-inline="yes" id="025B4F73-A3C5-46E6-9C60-3DEF0980A0C5" style="max-width: 100%; display: block; margin: 0px auto;" src="cid:8B699089-EEA8-4E25-988F-659E08124791"></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class=""><div class="">
<meta charset="UTF-8" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br class="">-------------------------------------<br class=""><br class="">Kevin Thomason<br class=""><br class="">1115 Cedar Grove Road<br class="">Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2J 3Z4<br class=""><br class="">Phone: (519) 888-0519<br class="">Mobile Phone/WhatsApp: (519) 240-1648<br class="">Twitter: @kthomason<br class=""><a href="mailto:kevinthomason@mac.com" class="">E-mail: kevinthomason@mac.com</a><br class=""><br class="">-----------------------------------------</div></div></div>
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