June 22, 2026 - RSVP for PWEP Water Seminar July 2nd + BC OP Update
- pwepreserve
- Jun 22
- 3 min read
Friends,
First of all, a great big giant Thank You to all of you who attended the public meeting for Bruce County's Official Plan last week, and to those who weren't able to make it for all the efforts you made leading up to the event! So many of you showed up to the meeting, spoke up, and wrote in – and all of these efforts really made clear to our elected officials that the Inverhuron issues cannot be ignored any longer. You can view a recording of the public meeting here. Comments on Inverhuron start around minute 25.
Thanks to your tireless engagement on this issue, our chances of protecting Inverhuron going forward are greater than ever. While there weren't enough votes in County Council to change the designation from Secondary Urban back to Hamlet, our alternative strategy of asking for a Secondary Plan / Special Policy Area for Inverhuron was well received. The Secondary Plan would be purposefully designed to protect the natural and historical heritage of Inverhuron, and we will work on getting a Holding Zone put in place to defer any intensive, subdivision-type development while the necessary studies and planning activities are conducted, and until all community conditions are met in full. The Secondary Plan would be implemented on a local rather than county level, through the Municipality of Kincardine.
We have not discarded appeal options, however it appears that due to ever more restrictive laws curtailing public appeal rights we may not have recourse to the Ontario Land Tribunal. We want you to know, however, that we will continue to do everything in our power to get the Special Policy for Inverhuron in place.
In the coming month we will make a strong push to get the Secondary Plan approved; because of impending municipal elections, now is the time to get this done. We will be reaching out to you with more information as the situation unfolds, and may be asking for your help once again to get the councillors on board. Stay tuned!
PWEP Water Seminar July 2nd: please RSVP
As you know from our previous "save the date" bulletins, PWEP will be holding our first-ever Water Seminar at the Bourgeois / OFT farm at 2 Alma Street in less than two weeks from now, on July 2nd. The event will run from 10am to 3pm. A light lunch will be provided.
Please RSVP by June 28th to let us know you plan to attend. Simply reply to this email.
What it's all about: We have long been concerned about deteriorating water quality in Inverhuron and the surrounding area. PWEP's Little Sauble River Water Quality and Restoration Program is a first step toward addressing the problems affecting local water quality. Over time, we hope to expand our efforts to Inverhuron Bay and beyond. It's important to us to provide an opportunity for public participation and hands-on learning, as a way of working towards a robust citizen science project that puts oversight and stewardship of the Inverhuron waterways back in the hands of the local community.
Through the Water Seminars, participants will learn about the ecology of watercourses, be able to pose questions to leading experts in the field, and gain the necessary skills to monitor basic physical and chemical parameters. In addition, there will be the opportunity for a limited group of participants to learn the basics of gathering benthic samples.
You can read more about this initiative on our Water page.
The schedule:
10am-12pm: presentations by Elder Shirley John of Saugeen First Nation, a respected keeper of Traditional Knowledge, and Dr. Ron Griffiths of Aquatic Ecostudies Ltd. AEL has provided aquatic taxonomic identification services to Canadian and US federal agencies, provincial and state governments, NGOs, Ontario conservation authorities and private sector clients since 1983. Dr. Ron Griffiths is the Principal Taxonomist with over 45 years of experience identifying freshwater organisms.
12pm-1pm: lunch break
1pm-2pm: sampling workshop (short walk to Little Sauble River)
2pm-3pm: discussion of findings and wrap-up
What to Bring: a pen and notebook; comfortable walking shoes; and a chair, if you can.
We look forward to seeing you on July 2nd!
The Team @PWEP
The Philosopher’s Wool Environmental Preserve
2 Alma Street
Tiverton, ON
Respectfully acknowledging that we live, work and benefit from the Lands and Waters of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
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