The Regional Official Plan…

The Regional Official Plan approved in August 2022 set out a vision for a vibrant future, with limited sprawl on food lands. Waterloo Region has some of the most productive farm land in the province. The nearby access to a beautiful rural landscape is one of the key reasons high tech companies find this area so appealing. Allowing sprawling development will kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

Waterloo Region needs housing, but housing demand can be met primarily through intensification. Our Ion Rapid Transit system enables us to facilitate growth at a density more comparable to areas of Toronto than to a suburban growth model. The Regional Official Plan, as approved in August 2022, supports our investment in Light Rail Transit.

Waterloo Region is one of the highest population areas in North America relying exclusively on an underground water supply. To protect this valuable resource, we cannot allow development in the Regional Recharge Area. This land is essential to maintaining the capacity of our aquifers. If changing weather patterns result in lower snowfall, as has been the case this winter, we will need more, not less, land capable of filtering rain and snow to recharge our aquifers. Building on recharge lands and paving recharge lands for roads and parking would mean we run out water sooner.

We also need to protect the quality of our water supply. In particular, we need to protect our underground water supply from salinification. Roads and parking inevitably require salt application in winter. To avoid salt contamination of our water supply, the recharge area must not be developed. If our underground water supply becomes insufficient or contaminated, the province will have to fund a multi-billion dollar pipeline to bring water from Lake Huron or Lake Erie.

The Regional Official Plan, as approved in August 2022, should be reinstated. This will allow growth while protecting our local food supply, our semi-rural character which draws tourists and tech companies, and our underground water supply, which enables population growth.