Environmental Registry of…

Environmental Registry of Ontario
No. 019-5952
Regional of Waterloo Official Plan Amendment No. 6

We all need growth, healthy growth. As Humans, as Municipalities and as a Region. We need to grow up, grow mature and grow wise. In any body, uncontrolled and unplanned growth is called cancer.

As a farmer I support the Region of Waterloo,ROP planning concept, I welcome the intensification goals.

With my submission I strongly urge the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to support the Region of Waterloo in its efforts to ensure the residents of this community continue to experience a prosperous and sustainable future by approving ROPA 6 and still have some land left to grow food.

Have we forgotten why people settled here in the first place? And why Native people called it home for thousand s of years before us? It was because, climate and freshwater allowed to build soil over millions of years, soil that feeds people. Soil and climate so good we find only in very few places on this planet and very limited in Canada too.

ROPA 6 complies with the legislated requirements of the Planning Act, conforms to the Growth Plan and is consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement and the LNA Methodology. There appears to be no Provincial policy basis that requires or even supports substantial Ministerial modifications to ROPA 6.

A Provincial Growth plan should not be based on the assumption that there will always be someone, somewhere out there to grow food to feed the city. We plan that somewhere; in the Region, in Ontario, Canada or someone in a foreign Country will care enough to feed our cities.

It takes about one acre to feed one person.

Where is the acre that feeds every newcomer to Ontario?

Current population of Waterloo Region is over 600 000

2006 Census: Waterloo Region had 226 000 acres Farmland
2016 Census: Waterloo Region had 215 000 acres Farmland
We lost over 11000 acres of food growing land in 10 years

In 7 Generations there would be not one farm, not one acre left.

Please, I urge the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to support the Region of Waterloo in its efforts to plan for a sustainable future by approving ROPA 6.