[GREN-Exec] GREN Update - Sunday and Monday

[Kevin Thomason]

Hi folks,

More frantic days:

Sunday 

- drafted a detailed Powerpoint presentation to Councillors (attached below) to outline needs and rationale for ROP Scenario #4 - I did this under the Smart Growth Waterloo Region banner since this group is focussed solely on planning issues and Smart Growth but much of the content is common to GREN,

- followed up with Scott Wicken regarding the GREN website but no responses now again…

- calls to Councillors to prepare a Council motion or direction for Tuesday's Council meeting,

- review several presentations for community members delegating.


Monday 

- sent detailed Powerpoint presentation to Councillors and Staff, follow-up with Staff,

- got front page newspaper coverage for Hole in Donut story (attached below).  Back in August I toured Reporter Leah Gerber through this area (illegally but I knew she needed the background and firsthand knowledge - I also wanted her to see it at the summer prime rather than in the winter months during the recent OMB hearing).  It’s great to see the coverage of the issue and Sean MacCammon doing such a great job of being the front person.  I spoke with him for an hour tonight as we strategized and worked through his 570 News, Mike Farwell Radio Show interview tomorrow.  Kudo’s also to Greg Michalenko who has been active as a participant in the OMB hearing.

- reviewed several more ROP presentations for community members,

- outreach to area media including newspapers and broadcast media,

- worked on my own greatly condensed Council verbal presentation,

- several calls to the OFA, Hold the Line, 50x30, Nith Valley Ecoboosters and others regarding the Premier in town, ROP presentations, and planning our upcoming November 15th Community Webinar.



Let me know any questions or ideas and we’ll see how things go at Council tomorrow.  There are now 22 delegations registered - 16 from our side and 6 that are developers including Paul Britton, Pierre Chauvin and Paul Grespan.  It is fascinating to see the tactics being attempted by the developers, some of the largest legal firms in Canada, and sprawl consultants such as Altus and Hemson to force and bully the Region into designating massive amounts of greenfield sprawl by predicting dire shortages of housing so developers can cash in on their land speculations.  You can read their reports on Page 109+ of the Agenda Package at:

https://calendar.regionofwaterloo.ca/Council/Detail/2021-11-09-0900-Committee-of-the-Whole/7cfc6816-5bac-47ee-9948-adda015fb83a

It’s also great to see more than a dozen letters from concerned citizens that have been sent to the Clerk, I know many more have also been sent directly to Councillor as well.


P.S. Here’s a great article on how Ford is skewing the MCR’s and ROP’s for his developer buddies:

https://environmentaldefence.ca/2021/03/03/big-sprawl-ontario-set-unleash-sprawl-huge-swathes-countryside-unless-fight-back/

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My ROP Powerpoint presentation sent to Councillors and Staff for background and required actions:




Today’s front page Record article on the Hole in the Donut: 




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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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