<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Hi John and the GREN Executive,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It has been confirmed that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs will be releasing plans to expand the Greenbelt to Waterloo Region this coming Thursday at 10:00am. I have attached two very confidential draft government documents below with further details.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We will need to figure out how best GREN can do everything that we can to ensure strong public support locally. The government is very clear that they will only proceed if they receive a strong mandate and after working more than 12 years on this initiative, if it fails now we aren’t likely to get another chance for such vast environmental protection for many years.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">We will also have to try to figure out how best to engage our municipal and regional officials and politicians. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It has been confirmed that there will be public town hall meetings held by the province in January in Guelph, Waterloo, and Brantford (as well as other parts of the province) - exact dates to be confirmed.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I can try to come up with an e-mail for the GREN distribution list for Thursday’s announcement. There will also need to be a press release and outreach to the media here in Waterloo Region supporting and promoting the announcement that could be done either under the GREN banner, or jointly together with groups such as Smart Growth Waterloo Region that I can draft and send to local media.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">There will be a 90 day comment period and I think that our optimal activities may be:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">December</div><div class="">- promote Greenbelt expansion announcement </div><div class="">- work with media to explain concept, need, opportunity</div><div class="">- encourage feedback, letters to government</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">January</div><div class="">- get people to the consultations</div><div class="">- meetings/discussions with local officials/politicians</div><div class="">- continued outreach to media</div><div class="">- encourage feedback, letters to government</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">February</div><div class="">- continued meetings/discussions with local officials/politicians</div><div class="">- continued outreach to media</div><div class="">- final push for feedback, letters to government</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Please let me know any thoughts or ideas and how best GREN can lead this process locally because if we don’t, I’m not sure who else will. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thanks,</div><div class="">Kevin.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""></div></body></html>