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ACTION ALERT-TELL THE LAKE SIMCOE REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY NOT TO APPROVE TREE CUTTING AT BIG BAY POINT
WHAT: Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority Board Meeting.
WHY: To let the Conservation Authority know the public is watching as it decides whether to give a permit for tree cutting at Big Bay Point.
WHEN: February 26th at 10:15 a.m.
WHERE: Barrie Southshore Community Centre, 205 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie, L4N 7Y9: Google map link
WHO: The Innisfil District Association and Environmental Defence will be making a joint deputation in opposition to the proposed Big Bay Point mega-marina.
HOW: The meeting is public. Please email Nick Rolfe at nrolfe@environmentaldefence.ca if you will be attending, so we can know how many people to expect. Your presence and support is crucial in protecting Lake Simcoe!
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Come out to the meeting! See the directions above.
Check for updates on Big Bay Point at www.campaignlakesimcoe.ca
Tree cutting is already happening at Big Bay Point. However, the Conservation Authority's approval is necessary for cutting to proceed on certain areas that it regulates. The vote on Friday, February 26th will be on whether or not to give this approval.
Take Action! Tell the Province that urban growth in Simcoe County must respect our watersheds
Follow the link below to submit your comment to the government’s public Environmental Bill of Rights registry by September 2nd.
On June 4 th the Province released its draft strategy for growth in Simcoe County. Entitled Simcoe Area: A Strategic Vision for Growth, this strategy reinforces a troubling trend in provincial growth planning due to its alarming omissions with respect to protecting Ontario’s watersheds. In particular, there appears to be worrying inconsistencies between the strategy and the water quality objectives of the Lake Simcoe Protection Act, as well as between the strategy and commitments made by the Premier under a Great Lakes agreement to promote water conservation and efficiency.
Key Concerns:
- The total lack of consideration given to water conservation and efficiency . Maximizing water conservation and efficiency is the cheapest, least energy intensive and most environmentally sensitive means of water supply for new growth. However, there is no mention of this approach in the strategy. This is a glaring omission, especially since the strategy champions other forms of green infrastructure but emphasizes a supply-side approach and the optimization of existing pipelines such as the one between Collingwood and Alliston in terms of water supply. Water demand management should be the first in the hierarchy of water supply options.
- Land use changes will reduce groundwater infiltration and increase pollution . The plan proposes to open up prime agricultural lands along Highway 400 for the creation of two employment areas/nodes, which will contribute to the reduction of permeable surfaces by paving over huge areas of farmland. As a result, less water will reach critical groundwater aquifers and more industrial runoff will flow to the streams and rivers of the Lake Simcoe watershed. We suggest that the Growth Secretariat delay Official Plan changes so that they reflect Lake Simcoe's revised Assimilative Capacity Study, to be completed this fall, and revised subwatershed plans, which are all based on the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan's improved targets for phosphorus loading.
- Potential shift to privatization . It is unclear from the strategy whether water infrastructure and servicing is to remain under public control. The strategy’s explicit preference for coordinated servicing aligns with the recommendations of a government-sponsored task force that advocated for increased corporatization of water services, which has historically been a precursor to full privatization. It is critical that the Province be transparent with its citizens with respect to whether water and wastewater servicing is to remain under public control.
The Simcoe County growth strategy presents a great opportunity for the Province to integrate its laudable move towards green energy and green infrastructure with recent progressive efforts on water policy and management. Help the Province get it right by submitting your comment.
Take Action! Send your comments now.
Alternately, you can also send your own email to placestogrow@ontario.ca
To learn more see our press releases and media coverage on the News tab, at left.
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CopyRight@Campaign Lake Simcoe, coordinated by Environmental Defence
317 Adelaide Street West, Suite 705 Toronto , ON M5V 1P9
Tel: 416-323-9521 Fax: 416-323-9301