This amendment proposal…

This amendment proposal ought to be rejected for the following
reasons:
The Amendment was unlawfully changed without due notice and
process, and:

1. Proper notice of meeting is to be given to the Public by Newspaper,
Radio, Television 20 days prior according to Planning Act Regulation
543-06 Section 17 (Subsection 17).
Only 1 day’s public notice was given for the April 16 Norfolk Council
meeting at which 16 oral deputations, and 8 written submissions were
given by developers, builders and landowners to the exclusion of the
general public who were not informed of the date.

2. On May 22 Council heard 21 oral deputations, and a further 34 written
submissions given by the public, the written submitions were never read as council voted shortly after on this plan.

3. The Norfolk County Planning Department had previously proposed 38
hectares (approximately 100 acres) of lands available for development just
for Waterford.

4. Norfolk County surplus areas of about 450 acres in Simcoe within the
town alone were also identified.
By the end of the May 22 Council meeting the number of acres for
development had increased to approximately 1200 acres.

5. Prior to 16th of April, Norfolk Council had opportunity to designate this
area as specialty crop area, but they didn’t, regardless of the historic land
use and
This designation is still under review by the Province

Specific concerns:

a. Water Wellheads in Simcoe and Waterford are included in this plan for
development which is contrary to environmental protection guidelines.
Think Walkerton-scale contamination.

b. Studies on wellheads in Waterford conclude they are high risk for
contamination by irresponsible development.

c. Previously identified flood plains are ignored or annexed to other
allotments in this plan, avoiding the hazard of flood plains.

d. Contaminants from sewage settling ponds into creeks leading to Lake
Erie during rains and flooding are a present and expanding problem.

e. Norfolk County has a proud reputation as Canada’s Golden Garden. We
boast of our specialty crop heritage with very rich and varied soil types,
bountiful supplies of rainfall and ground water, and unique Carolinian
microclimate. Our area’s stewards of this bounty, our farmers, have
developed sophisticated management of farm labour, as well as the most
up-to-date application of on-farm production, processing, packaging,
shipping and marketing.

f. Once farmland is covered over by concrete and asphalt, it never returns
to its previous state in the ecology.

g. The small towns that comprise Norfolk already have an infrastructure deficit in water and sewer supply. The roads in and around thes towns are all two lane and the existing traffic increase from previous developments make it very difficult to get around. There is also no public transit to speak of.

h. The council has put the cart before the horse surely it woud make more sense to upgrade the water and sewer service, roadways and hydro before embarking on such a large development plan.