LETTER

OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). The following letter is in response to our article, titled ‘Proposed subdivision, business park in Orillia ‘worst of the worst’ says naturalist,’ published Feb. 2.
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Recent letters to the editor OrilliaMattersCredible and knowledgeable community members expressed concern about the negative effects that the Inch Farm development and the adjacent city property will have upon the eco system, wildlife habitat, streams, and ultimately the local residents.

Prior to the clearing of 1,500-plus mature trees on Inch Farm, and the notice of development being posted at one entrance to the development site’s entrance, it appears that there was very little to no public warning or transparency about the property’s future. One can’t help but think this was intentional. Now, the public outcry is beginning. But one has to wonder “How did we get there?”

Based on the following information OrilliaMattersConcerned citizens have discovered that municipal and environmental assessments of Inch Farm properties left out critical information. Orillia Council didn’t know or ignored these facts and, due to provincial government growth requirements, was eager to move forward with the development.

The Inch Farm case has alarming facts that warrant further investigation. This will help local residents to understand what happened and to protest against the development.

It appears that we cannot trust Orillia city officials to protect environmentally sensitive areas. This is just the beginning of increased development in Orillia, and the surrounding areas. Every piece of land that isn’t in use will be developed, especially considering the fragile lakes, riverways, and natural areas.

The Ford government recently announced that due to the housing shortage they will enact new reforms that will “lessen the power that cities have over housing developments by giving the province the authority to impose standards related to zoning, density and urban design.” (CBC News). Many natural heritage areas will be lost their protection.

The Ford announcement also chillingly states that “municipalities allow far more public consultation than is required.” Good-bye democracy and hello to authoritarianism!

It makes me very concerned about the increased development pressure in our region, especially near our waterways (for instance, The Narrows, Orchard Point, and the east side Lake Couchiching).

Under the province’s current Places to Grow Act, Orillia City council is required to bring Orillia’s Official Plans into conformity to accommodate a minimum population of 49,000 and 26,000 jobs by 2051 which council reports will likely require an additional 380 hectares of land to be annexed from surrounding areas. The Inch Farm proposal must have seemed like a gift of heaven!

However, new commercial and residential developments should not be made at the expense of nature. Neglecting and destroying environmentally sensitive land features can cause irreparable damage that will likely be irreversible and have a long-lasting effect on the lives and future generations.

I was pleased to hear about the formation of a new local group Stop Sprawl Orillia which also cited concerns about the Inch Farm development and the call out to citizens to fight back and lobby municipalities to reject the provincial government’s growth targets and annexation mandates similar to Stop Sprawl HamOnt.

The facts regarding the Inch Farm property development are provided in previous issues OrilliaMatters raise huge concerns about Orillia City Council’s commitment to protect “our” local environment – I say “our” because it does not belong to them, it belongs to all of us and how dare they pay so little attention to what’s actually included in or omitted from environmental assessments and development plans or avert their gaze in order to please developers and the provincial government.

And how dare Councillor Tim Lauer, who is neither a scientist nor a Master Naturalist, say that the much smaller 7.5-metre buffers which are well below the 30-metre requirement, were adequate to protect the creek and would provide “sufficient” housing for 14 acres worth of displaced wildlife, now to be surrounded by 10 plus acres of high density development.

Tim Lauer also expressed regret about losing tree canopy but naively stated the city was stepping up its tree-planting program – as though sticking new trees in front of each house and along roadsides would make up for the proven benefits of woodlands and biodiverse forest.

In the case of the Inch Farm property area, Orillia’s Mayor and Council should be ashamed of and held accountable for their disregard of environmental protection laws, destruction of wildlife habitat and wetlands, lack of commitment to protect the environment and failure to fully investigate and evaluate the Inch Farm property, with Mayor Clarke unabashedly stating that because of all the work already done on the plan, it likely won’t be subject to change (note however the developer requested zoning by-law amendment to double the number of dwelling units has not yet been approved to my knowledge).

Tim Lauer also stated that the new owner “bought the land with the understanding that it was residential.” But whose fault is that?

This is an example of  an old draft residential plan from 30 years ago not being updated or re-assessed to protect natural heritage and meet the new challenges and potential disasters presented by climate change. It is so convenient.

Although the property was misrepresented on paper, a thorough assessment by multiple credible environmental experts and not just city staff would have revealed a completely different story. The new owner wants to double the number of dwelling units, from 169 to 356, to add insult to injury.

So as a citizen what can you do about all of this – not just about the fiasco surrounding the Inch Farm development, but urban sprawl in general, disregard for environmental protection laws, the failure of governments to truly act on the perils of climate change, and the Ford government’s proclamation that they will override municipal zoning and bylaws at their sole discretion?

This year, municipal and provincial elections are being held. You can voice your dissatisfaction with the results. For many cases, such as Inch Farm or the Bradford Bypass it will likely be too late.

But in the meantime you can take action in several ways – join climate and environmental advocate organizations and help them however you can, follow politicians on social media and loudly voice your concerns about their values and actions, create a social media account, blog or Facebook page to support environmental causes, start a group in your municipality devoted to supporting the environment and preventing irresponsible development, donate money or your time to relevant organizations that can effect change, write to newspapers and online news groups to get the message out, and participate in peaceful in-person protests with like-minded people.

One thing I’ve learned – if you are driving by an area and see excessive tree cutting and land clearing, make some enquiries of local government and environmental groups to find out what’s going on and above all pay really close attention to zoning change requests posted in your local newspaper and scan council meeting agendas for sessions you might want to attend to express your opinion and to learn more.

It all seems overwhelming and is a lot of work, but it is better to be involved and engaged than feeling helpless and sick about circumstances that are beyond your control. It’s our city, our province and our country. We vote for the politicians, and we must hold them responsible.

Sarah Conrad
Orillia
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