Friends,
We've been hard at work, and thanks to your help are making good progress with our opposition to the Tidman development in Inverhuron.
Here's the latest: our community petition was discussed at the municipal council meeting last Wednesday, the 27th of September. We were once again denied the opportunity to participate in the meeting, but council has been made aware of our message loud and clear: Inverhuron does not want this development in a fragile natural environment. Our request for a second vote pertaining to the Tidman project on the part of council has so far been ignored, however we are keeping the pressure on by continuing to speak with individual councillors, local MPPs, approving agencies, and we have retained legal counsel to advise us going forward. More news on that soon.
We think it's time for another email campaign to elected officials, emphasizing our opposition and requesting that council take a second vote before the deadline of appeal to the OLT (Ontario Land Tribunal) on October 16th. Please help us keep the pressure on by emailing the municipal council! See suggested phrasing at the end of this email. A separate prompt to email Lisa Thompson (MPP Huron-Bruce) will follow shortly.
Meanwhile we have been alerted to another proposed development in Inverhuron, the so-called Sundance development. Attached to this email is the notice from the county, for your information. You can find more information about this at the link below: https://www.brucecounty.on.ca/living/land-use/kincardine
We are currently gathering all the information we can, and encourage you to do the same. If we've learned anything from the Tidman process, it is that robust public engagement from the start is essential. There will be a Public Meeting organized through the municipality (date TBA). In order to participate, members of the public must make a written submission to the planning authorities prior to the meeting. As stated in the notice, you can request to be kept in the loop regarding this development by emailing bcplpe@brucecounty.on.ca
Last but absolutely not least, we are entering into a big picture conversation with the municipality regarding the land use designation that was put in place in Inverhuron, without public consultation as far as we can see. Much of Inverhuron has been designated as "Shoreline Development'', which is the root cause for all the incoming development proposals. The zoning already shows vast areas of Inverhuron slated as PD (Planned Development) – attached to this email are excerpts from the Official Plan, for your information. We will be asking for your support in pushing the municipal council to change this land use designation going forward.
We have a ways to go yet, but you can be sure of this: we are keeping our eye on the ball and are more motivated than ever to do all we can to protect the very special place that is Inverhuron. Thank you all for your continued support.
The Team @ PWEP (Philosopher's Wool Environmental Preserve)
SUGGESTED TEMPLATE FOR MUNICIPAL COUNCILLORS:
We suggest you send this to all the councillors, as well as the mayor:
Mayor Kenneth Craig: kcraig@kincardine.ca
Bill Stewart: bstewart@kincardine.ca
Amanda Steinhoff-Grey: asteinhoff-gray@kincardine.ca
Mike Hinchberger: mhinchberger@kincardine.ca
Beth Blackwell: bblackwell@kincardine.ca
Rory Cavanagh: rcavanagh@kincardine.ca
Jennifer Prenger: jprenger@kincardine.ca
Andrea Clarke: aclarke@kincardine.ca
Doug kennedy: dkennedy@kincardine.ca
I am writing to you regarding the discussion of the community petition concerning the Tidman development at the council meeting last week, on Wednesday the 27th of September.
Leading up to the meeting I, along with several other members of the community, asked that the municipal council take a second vote regarding this development, but our request has so far been ignored. I respectfully request that council to take a second vote based on the following motivations:
More than 200 constituents are opposed to this development. There has been a lack of consultation with the community.
The municipality should not allow a private stormwater system. Stormwater should be treated the same way as water or sewer: there needs to be a municipal class EA, and the service must be controlled by the municipality. I therefore urge you to request an EA for stormwater management to be conducted prior to development or site alteration, and ensure that there is an environmental monitoring program in place going forward.
Absence of an updated water quality study on the Little Sauble River. This is the responsibility of the municipality, which remains unfulfilled. An updated water quality assessment must be completed and maintained to ensure against pollution and loss of fish habitat
Potential damage to the Little Sauble River fishery; the loss of fish sanctuary on the river is irreversible. - Environmental concerns resulting from the destruction of SWH, bypassing ESA regulations and the long-term damage to the ecological function and biodiversity of natural heritage systems in the area- Land use compatibility concerns: the proposed site is in a natural / rural area with low density housing
All of the reasons above indicate that approval of this project on behalf of the municipality and the county has been premature. I respectfully request that you urge the council to intervene along the lines outlined above and take a second vote, to ensure the safety of our community and environment, and as a basis for the municipality to appeal the decision regarding this project to the OLT by the October 16th deadline.
Last but not least, I am concerned about the land use designation "Shoreline development" for much of Inverhuron. I am opposed to development of this scale in fragile natural environments near the shoreline, yet the zoning already shows vast areas of Inverhuron slated as PD (Planned Development). I urge you and your fellow councillors to review the official plan in close consultation with the community, in order to reverse this environmentally detrimental land use designation.
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