AWARE Essa is an affiliate…

AWARE Essa is an affiliate of AWARE Simcoe, an environmental group that works to protect water, the environment and health through transparency and accountability in government.
AWARE Essa congratulates the Ontario government on its proposal to expand the Greenbelt. Increasing the area of protected natural features is foundational to ensuring the health, well-being and security of all living creatures.
As residents of Essa Township in Simcoe County, we support the inclusion of the Nottawasaga River and Watershed in the expansion of the Greenbelt. Water, land and air are inextricably linked. Preserving headwater features, ground and surface water features and source water areas will support strong and productive ecosystems that fulfill the goals of the Greenbelt.
Here in Essa Township, where the Nottawasaga, Pine and Mad Rivers flow through our communities, we witness firsthand the challenges and benefits of protecting ecosystems. Flooding and erosion are common occurrences. Mitigating their damaging effects depends on preserving natural features such as forests, wetlands and greenspaces.
The internationally recognized Minesing Wetlands play a major role in flood prevention, but the wetlands are under pressure. Increasing development in surrounding areas has reduced tree cover and increased paved areas, overwhelming the ability of wetlands and constructed stormwater ponds to handle runoff.
Historically, the Angus area has experienced the effects of deforestation. An unregulated lumber industry in the late 1800s cut the pine forests and left blowsand, erosion and floods. It took years of reforestation to begin to restore ecological balance and the economy.
The theme of connectivity is central to the benefits of expanding the Greenbelt to include the Nottawasaga River and Watershed: The Nottawasaga River and its tributaries connect Lake Ontario and Lake Huron through the waterways that flow into the lakes. The Nottawasaga and its tributaries also connect Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay.
Wildlife depends on habitat corridors to survive—corridors away from roads and human settlements. A Nottawasaga River system protected in the Greenbelt would provide more of those natural corridors and help reduce the overwhelming decline in wild species.
As well as supporting food security, agriculture in Essa is key to the economy. Agricultural production is completely dependant on a supply of water flowing through rivers, creeks and aquifers and stored and distributed by networks of forests and greenspaces.
Expanding the Greenbelt to include the Nottawasaga River and Watershed would provide generational change. Preserving, restoring and increasing the natural areas that we need to live is common sense—and our responsibility if we want to leave a legacy of hope to future generations.
To accomplish this, the protection of lands in the Greenbelt must be permanent and not subject to piecemeal land trading. The expansion of the Greenbelt must build on the areas already included. Areas that are critical to preservation of water, including the Nottawasaga Watershed and the Paris-Galt Moraine, should receive top priority.
Strong and innovative planning decisions must be supported by municipalities to create development that ensures the continuation of an expanded Greenbelt. As citizens and human beings, we must learn to live well within the ecosystems we inhabit.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this welcome proposal.