Also from a newsletter from Ontario Nature:
Take Action: Niagara Escarpment Threatened by Development Decision
Deadline for Comments: February 19, 2007The following Action Alert was issued by Ontario Nature on February 9, 2007
Late last year, the Ontario Municipal Board issued a decision that paves the way for extensive residential development on the Niagara Escarpment within the Town of Blue Mountain in Grey County. Castle Glen Developments wants to build over 1,600 residential units, 300 hotel units as well as commercial and retail space, and up to three golf courses on a 620 acre tract that spills over the brow of the Escarpment. It will be the largest single development on the Niagara Escarpment since 1975. Use the letter template below to help convince the Minister of Municipal Affairs to overturn this decision.
Located just south-east of Blue Mountain in the Collingwood area, the area forms part of the UNESCO World Biosphere Designated Zone of the Niagara Escarpment. It is over 70% forested, is the source for headwaters of Silver Creek (the most productive salmon and trout spawning river in Georgian Bay) and Black Ash Creek, has two provincially significant wetlands and a significant Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI), and is home to two at-risk species: the hart’s tongue fern and the butternut tree. The Bruce Trail runs through the property. The Ontario Greenbelt Alliance (of which Ontario Nature is a founding member) has named the area as one of the Top 10 Greenbelt Hotspots under threat from poorly-planned development that could destroy significant natural features.
The Castle Glen proposal was first put forward and initially approved in the early 1970s. It was put on hold while the Niagara Escarpment Plan was being formulated in the 1980s. Because the initial approvals were granted before the Niagara Escarpment Plan came into effect, the proponents have argued that they are “grandfathered” and exempt from its provisions. However, there is no doubt that if the proposal came before the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) today, it would not be approved. While supporting the development’s Phase 1 application, the NEC asked for a significant reduction in the land available for development and golf in Phase 2.
Most recently, the Town of Blue Mountain adopted an amendment to its Official Plan to permit the development to proceed. The Niagara Escarpment Commission voiced a number of concerns, as did a variety of conservation organizations, particularly the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation.
On December 4, 2006, the OMB decided that the policies contained in the Castle Glen Official Plan are sufficient to protect the natural heritage features of the site, and that they conform to the Niagara Escarpment Plan and the County of Grey Official Plan.
Members of the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust Foundation are appealing to Premier McGuinty and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing John Gerretsen to implement a Minister’s Zoning Order under the Planning Act. The Minister has wide discretion to override municipal planning decisions, in this case reversing the Town’s decision to approve the Official Plan Amendment.
Make a difference to the future of this significant piece of the Niagara Escarpment by writing a letter by February 19th!
Please write to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with a copy to the Premier; ask that he overrule the Town and the OMB and implement a Zoning Order preventing the Castle Glen development on the Niagara Escarpment. Write your own letter or use the sample letter at www.ontarionature.org/news/template.php3?n_code=371, adapting it to your own views.
Hon. John Gerretsen
Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing
17th Floor
777 Bay St
Toronto ON M5G 2E5
Fax: 416-585-6470
Email: jgerretsen.mpp@liberal.ola.orgTo send a copy to Premier McGuinty, you must copy and paste it into the form on this website: https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp
Please send a copy of your letter or email to Ontario Nature at vanessad@ontarionature.org.
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