March 7, 2018…

March 7, 2018

To: Protecting Water - Protéger l'eau C

- Natural heritage system

-Watershed reports

-Pollution inventories from as many sources as possible including National Pollution Release Inventory https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/pollution-waste-management/national-pollutant-release -inventory.html

-Sediment downstream

-Storage and flow data

-Alternative development scenarios

-Climate models

-Traditional environmental knowledge

-Species records

- Soil composition

3. Of the seven areas, are there some that are more or less important?

All are equally important. More delineation of building blocks should be included in the area assessments. Ecological connectivity and function should also be included.

4. Are there areas beyond the study area that you think should be considered for potential Greenbelt expansion?

All of the Greater Golden Horseshoe should be considered as part of the study area. All areas are water stressed to one degree or another considering both human needs and the needs of all living things, and the ecosystem function as well.  Water stresses on ecosystems leads to significance decrease in ecosystem function, and impacts species richness and abundance. This needs to be considered in creating a system for greenbelt expansion, and a “balanced approach” should put the first priority on ecosystem services.

5. Should the province consider adding rivers that flow through urban areas as Urban River Valleys in the Greenbelt?

Yes. Also include rivers portions/valleys outside of the Greenbelt to the same standard of protection as those reaches within the Greenbelt.

6. With the range of settlement areas in the GGH, how should the province balance accommodating future urban growth with protecting water resources?

- It is our belief, that the “balanced” approach is not sustainable when urban development and other land use changes trump ecological function.  The natural capital given by BioDiversity has to be ), as recommendations.  We also strongly recommend that the Province embark on the creation of a comprehensive policy review across all ministries to create a Provincial Water Policy. Currently there are water related policies/regulations across multiple ministries/agencies.  To have water protected, a consolidated approach would be ideal.

We look forward to your response to our comments.  Additionally, we remain on alert to help further elaborate anything in this submission, and, to the best of our abilities, work on anything that you request of us.

please note that there are 2 images in the document that are not included in these comments.  They will be included in the email to Municipal Affairs and attached to the Municipal Affairs web form

[Original Comment ID: 213514]