Regional OP Review

Regional Official Plan Review

Critical Meeting Wednesday June 25 7:30pm 1151 Bronte Rd Halton Region Council Chambers

Regional Staff have decided to leave the woodlands as agricultural which is supported by the Development Industry

The PPW Committee on June 18 Supported staffs recommendation
    Those supporting the non protection of woodlands in the Rural Areas- Chairman Savoline, Councillors
    Oliver(Oakville), Wallace(Burlington), Lougheed(Burlington), Bonnette(Halton Hills), Lee(Milton)
    Those not supporting the staff recommendation- Councillors Elgar and Bird both of Oakville

	It is critical to map the woodlands throughout Halton in the Regional Official Plan
	the seven criteria should be reinstated in the Regional Official Plan
	Greenlands B designation objectives are to protect the diversity of flora & fauna...
	Agricultural designation objectives allow cutting the forest to farm
	The following organizations support placing the forests in a Greenlands B Designation-Ministry of Municipal Municipal Affairs(Feb 20, 2003), Ministry of Natural Resources, Conservation Halton, Credit Valley Conservation, Grand River Conservation Authority, Niagara Escarpment Commission, Hamilton Naturalist Club, Halton and Peel Woodlands and Wildlife Stewardshilp, Oakville Council, Region of Halton's Ecological and Environmental Committee

Here is a example of what can happen if wait to map the forests only when the area is going to be urbanized.

Recently a 60 acre forest in north Oakville was destroyed. This forest was considered an Environmentally Sensitive Area and an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest. According to the Hamilton Spectator the owner of the land has told the authorities that he intends to farm the newly cleared land, but aerial photographs seem to suggest that the land is being prepared to be a golf course (link to view aerial photos). No permits were sought and the gutting of the forest was done from within, leaving the exterior intact. It is estimated that up to 20 000 trees were destroyed, some of them are approx. 100 years old. A passer-by would not notice that something was terribly wrong inside this precious natural feature.

Many people have expressed outrage and want to make sure that this kind of destruction does not happen again. The landowner who ordered the destruction of the forest may walk away with a small fine ($5000) or no fine at all, because the rules currently permit landowners to clear woodlots for agriculture. However, what if someone has no intention of farming the land, but wants to get rid of the forest for some other reason - it is possible that they could use the "farming" clause as a loophole to destroy environmentally significant land to "pave' the way for a golf course, or housing.

Luckily, we have an opportunity, through our Regional Official Plan Review, to take steps that will better protect our forests. Unfortunately, I fear that this opportunity might be lost - let me tell you why.

The Region of Halton is currently doing a review of its Official Plan. The Official Plan is very important because it serves as the rule book and road map for the Region, and is extremely important when it comes to managing growth issues. The Region has been working on the review for quite a while, and initially it looked like changes were going to be made that would strengthen protection of our forests. The original forest protection plan was peer reviewed, and drew praise from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs(link), the Ministry of Natural Resources (link) , Conservation Halton (link), and The Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee (link) (EEAC supplemental report (link). Many members of the public, involved in the process thought that the plan that was going to be presented was strong and appropriate.

Then, the Region decided to make what I believe to be significant changes. Regional Staff are now proposing major modifications to the original Background Paper that in my opinion weaken the protection of our few remaining forests (link) My biggest concern is the how the "Rationale and Methodology for Determining Significant Woodlands in the Regional Municipality of Halton" Technical Background Paper #6 has been undermined (in my opinion)

I also believe that many members of the public who initially endorsed the plan are unaware that these changes have been made. I strongly believe that the initial forest protection draft plan should be re-instated. I believe that our best chance to preserve the Region's forests is through strong forest protection in the official plan.

Let the Region know what you think about their decision to weaken forest protection. The editor (Liz Benneian) of the Oakville Today stated "if you think clear cuts in designated environmentally sensitive areas are okay, do nothing. If you don't, call every politician you know and start yelling.

To view Aerial photos of the recent forest carnage please click here (link)

Below please find the Actual letters sent by Various Agencies

Ministry of Municipal Affairs was very supportive of the original Woodlands Paper (link)
Ministry of Natural Resources was very supportive of the original Woodlands Paper (link)
Conservation Halton was very supportive of the original Woodlands Paper (link)
Credit Valley Conservation Association Comments (link)
Niagara Escarpment Commission Comments (link)
The Halton Region Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee fully supported the Technical Background Paper #6(link) and the supplemental Report prepared (link)

Technical Background Paper #6 Rationale and Methodology for Determining Significant Woodlands in the Regional Municipality of Halton (link)

What the Developers are Saying about the Determining Significant Woodlands
Star Oak Developments (link)
Trinison Management Corp. (link)
Urban Development Institute/Halton Chapter (link)
North Oakville Management Inc (link)
RAND (link)

What Happened?
I don't think that the People of Oakville have any idea that major modifications have been made to the Woodlands Technical Background Paper #6

Below you will see a few pictures that will help you understand what happened to a major woodland in an agricultural area that was part of an Environmentally Sensitive Area in March 2003.