Innisfil water extraction plan approved in face of possible OMB challenge

By Bruce Hain Innisfil Journal 

“Reluctantly” was the word Coun. Rod Boynton used when he voted to approve the application to rezone land owned by John Harris on the 6th Line from Agricultural to Agricultural Area Exemption to allow for water extraction.

Despite numerous comments and concerns from Innisfil Heights homeowners, council voted 5-3 in favour of a plan to truck hundreds of thousands of litres from the site every day.

Harris, who originally wanted to build a golf course on the property in 2002, now plans to ship water from an aquifer for commercial purposes. The Ministry of the Environment has approved his plan.

Had council voted against his proposal, Harris was prepared to present his case to the Ontario Municipal Board, a move that may have cost Innisfil hefty legal fees to fight.

Homeowners of the nearby Innisfil Heights subdivision near Hwy. 400 have been against Harris’ plan from the get-go and have lobbied Innisfil council for months to oppose the extraction enterprise.

Speaking on behalf of the Innisfil Heights Ratepayers’ Association, Rolly Ravazzolo said he was “opposed to the taking of water for pure profit.”

Ravazzolo has gone on record at previous council meetings stating his group’s stance on the Harris water facility.

Tammy Ellefsen, a resident on the 7th Line, added, “There was no commercial water taking when we bought our property. We do not want to see one of Innisfil’s most precious resources trucked out of town.”

Jason Reynar, Innisfil’s deputy CAO and solicitor told council, “We had outside professionals give us advice. You will likely lose at the OMB. I can’t say it more bluntly than that.”

Mayor Barb Baguley said, “I don’t want to waste taxpayers’ money (at the OMB) but I also want to give taxpayers a level of comfort.”

Boynton agreed.

“I think we’re all against (the proposal) but we’re really voting on not losing taxpayers’ money for nothing,” he said. “To object to this now is irresponsible. We don’t have a leg to stand on.”

Following the decision, Harris told the Journal an “error in zoning” by town staff resulted in cancelling his golf course proposal.

“The window of opportunity closed,” he said. “We had built six holes and the Town stopped it. We did have a water-taking permit at the time, much higher than what we have now. We could have taken 360 cubic metres a day. We reduced that to 260 cubic metres a day. It’s a small project – a smidgen.”

Stan Denhoed, a hydrogeologist hired by Harris, added, “We did several pumping tests. No wells ran dry. We’re using an entirely different water source than Lover’s Creek and the source that feeds Innisfil Heights. Our aquifer is 30 metres deep, under clay.”