Proposed amendment exempting…

Proposed amendment exempting ERRC from natural heritage protections changes rules mid-game – not for the better

Proposed Modifications to O. Reg. 311/06 (Transitional Matters - Growth Plans) made under the Places to Grow Act, 2005 to implement A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe 2019
Proposal posted: May 2, 2019
Comment period: May 2, 2019 - June 1, 2019 (30 days) Open
Last updated: May 2, 2019

The Government of Ontario is proposing to make the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe apply to the County of Simcoe Official Plan Amendment 2 exempting policies 4.2.2, 4.2.3, and 4.2.4. Those specific policies were included in the plan “to support a comprehensive, integrated, and long-term approach to planning for the protection of the region’s natural heritage and biodiversity”.

According to Friends of the Simcoe County Forests Inc., this proposal “appears to be a blatant attempt by the province to retroactively undermine the appeal that was filed by the Friends of Simcoe Forests Inc. with the Local Planning and Appeal Tribunal (LPAT)” regarding the proposed Environmental Resource Recovery Centre, and they note that the waste disposal complex project in the middle of a significant woodland clearly contravenes the natural heritage policies in the Growth Plan, 2017.

Communities and natural heritage are key to a good lifestyle and must not be overrun by economic interests, which by their very nature are cyclical and short-term. We are entrusted to hold our irreplaceable natural legacy for future generations. Once developed these areas are lost forever. Today’s decisions warrant our most comprehensive analysis for tomorrow’s smart thinking. The long-term impacts on our children and future generations demand it.

As a Taxpayer and Resident of Simcoe County in Ontario, I object to the removal of the natural heritage protection policies from the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe and to the proposal that the County of Simcoe Official Plan Amendment 2 be exempt from these natural heritage protection policies.