April 21, 2025 – Tidman Hearing April 22nd + other updates

Friends,

Just a quick update to inform you that tomorrow Tuesday, April 22nd at 10am the hearing on the issue of PWEP's standing in the judicial review case against the Tidman development will take place in Brampton. It is not unusual for courts to assign hearing dates on such short notice, but we have been hard at work and are well prepared. While we don't know exactly when the judge will arrive at a decision, we expect it should be soon and will let you know as soon as we learn the outcome. 

This is a big moment! If PWEP gets awarded standing, which our legal counsel thinks likely, it will be a big win for us all. We would then be able to move on to the next round in the Tidman judicial review, which will involve a second hearing dealing with the actual merits of the case. All of this will go a long way in protecting Inverhuron's natural heritage by signaling that environmentally irresponsible development will be met with systematic and persistent opposition from the community. Thank you all for supporting us every step of the way, we couldn't have gotten this far without you! 

Donations continue to be much appreciated, as they help us pay for legal fees. So please, if you can, donate here.

MOK's Comprehensive Zoning By-law Review

On a different matter, we have been informed that MOK's Comprehensive Zoning By-law is coming forward to Council for approval consideration on April 23, 2025. The Council Meeting Agenda can be found on the Municipal website here. The Council Meeting is held at the Municipal Administration Centre at 1475 Concession 5 at 5p.m. The meeting is open to the public as well as streamed live on the Municipal YouTube channel at Municipality of Kincardine - YouTube. Kincardine’s webpage with updated information including the updated Zoning By-law, Maps, Tracked Changes (January 2025 – April 2025), and Community Comments can be found here: https://www.kincardine.ca/ZBLU.

As you know, PWEP weighed in heavily on this process, as did many in the community. Thanks to this concerted effort, we have made good headway. We have obtained a pledge from the municipality to work on implementing Special Policy Areas in Inverhuron south of County Road 15, with the goal of limiting intensive development and protecting sensitive natural environments. Our other achievements so far include getting county planners to work on redesignating the historic Inverhuron settlement area north of CR15 as a Hamlet, rather than Primary Urban Community. We will continue to engage with the County in the framework of the ongoing Bruce County Official Plan review. Our requests can be found in the PWEP Alternative Land Use Proposal. As results are achieved on the County tier, we have been assured that these results will be incorporated into the local municipal plan, even after the conclusion of the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law review. 

Surplus lands near Tidman

On a final note, the Municipality has circulated a notice of intent to declare certain lands adjacent to the Tidman site as surplus. If approved, it would mean that the Municipality could put these lands up for sale. PWEP has responded to the municipality, sharing our concerns that the disposal of these lands as surplus is premature, on the grounds of the ongoing County and Municipal Official Plan reviews, amongst other points of concern. 

As always, we will do our best to keep you updated on all pending matters. 

Stay tuned!

The Team @ PWEP

The Philosopher’s Wool Environmental Preserve

2 Alma Street

Tiverton, ON

pwepreserve@gmail.com

www.pwepreserve.ca

Respectfully acknowledging that we live, work and benefit from the Lands and Waters of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.