Two years ago Waterloo…

Two years ago Waterloo Regional Councillors voted for a Regional Official Plan (ROP) to protect farmland. But then Steve Clark, as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) rolled it back.

And then Paul Calandra, as the new Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, undid Steve Clark's changes, restoring our original visionary plan.

And then Calandra opened it back up to local municipalities to make amendments to the Regional Official Plan, with developers convincing most of them to add new Urban Areas that will destroy our farmland and add massive amounts of urban sprawl.

Minister Calandra, please restore the original visionary plan developed by all upper and lower-tier municipalities working together under Regional leadership.

A huge issue is to avoid the nightmare of allowing development in the Regional Recharge Area.

An excellent report by Region of Waterloo Engineering and Environmental staff presented to the Region Council last Wednesday, March 20 explained why the Regional Recharge Area must be protected from urban development. The Regional Recharge Area is shown in blue on the map in the report and attached. Several of the proposed new Urban Areas overlap with the recharge area.

I will beg that these areas be removed from the Urban Area.

The Engineering and Environmental staff report (pp 27-36 of the Regional Council package) gives good reasons why:
« Because of its sand and gravel composition, the Regional Recharge Area allows huge amounts of snowmelt and rainfall to infiltrate deep into the ground and replenish the aquifers that supply our drinking water.

« Development reduces the amount of water reaching the aquifers by 50-80% (depending on whether it's residential or commercial/industrial development).

« Thus developing (paving over) the Regional Recharge Area threatens the quantity of our water supply.

« Development in this area will put more road salt into our water supply. This threatens the quality of our water supply.

« Reduced water supply will limit the number of new homes that can be built throughout the Region.

« So ironically, building more new homes in the Regional Recharge Area could mean fewer new homes that can be built elsewhere in the Region!

« Or, it could mean we will need to build a $2 billion pipeline to Lake Erie!

In addition

« The Regional Recharge Area sustains a wide range of aquatic habitats and ecosystems.

« The Regional Recharge Area contributes a high percentage of baseflow to the Grand River, its tributary rivers, and cold water streams: this maintains the health of the Grand River.

« This baseflow dilutes wastes and pollution flowing into the Region's wastewater treatment plants and ensures our public health safety. If the development of the Regional Recharge Area decreases the amount of baseflow, we may need expensive new wastewater treatment plants that can function with smaller baseflow.

We don't need to build on the Regional Recharge Area. Our visionary Regional Official Plan approved in August 2022 had only minimal farmland loss. It showed many opportunities within our current urban boundaries to meet all our housing needs.

We don't need and we must not develop land in the Regional Recharge Area.

On behalf of our threatened climate, thank you very much.