Please approve Region of…

Please approve Region of Waterloo Official Plan Amendment 6.
If you do, you will be respecting the wishes of the citizens of Waterloo Region. After months of study, hours and hours of meetings and discussions, numerous drafts and compromises, fifteen (15) of our 16 elected representatives voted in favour of this ROP Amendment.
Failing to approve it will send the message that the citizens of Waterloo don't count.

By ensuring that Waterloo Region citizens can rely on locally produced food, this ROP Amendment will help us fight inflation, and avoid the soaring costs and inconveniences caused by supply chain issues.

Ever since Waterloo Region read The 100 Mile Diet as its 2008 One Book One Community selection, I and my family have followed the 100 Mile Diet: we eat food grown within 100 miles of us (okay, with the small exception of coffee, tea and chocolate).
By relying on locally grown food, which we purchase at local farmers markets, our food costs are a fraction of other people's, even those who shop at Costco or discount stores. Our health has improved, and we know we are greatly reducing transportation emissions and helping fight climate change.

Saving farmland is hugely important. If the Region of Waterloo had followed the provincial guidelines for calculating land needs, 5656 acres of farmland would have been lost. ROP Amendment 6 reduced this to 1126 acres. I would have preferred to see 0 acres of farmland rezoned. But I appreciate that many needs must be balanced, and I support the compromise solution.

Please approve it enthusiastically.