Metrus tries to pull a fast one

from Jack Gibbons North Gwillimbury Forest Alliance

Despite solemnly promising not to file an application for a development permit for its Maple Lakes Estate lands until “the LSRCA has concluded its review of the LSRCA Watershed Development Policy and until the LSRCA has implemented a new policy,” [emphasis added] Metrus Development Inc. went ahead and filed an application on April 16th for a Section 28 permit for these lands.

Metrus (which has now changed its name to DG Group) apparently saw the writing on the wall with the LSRCA’s revised guidelines, which would clearly prohibit building subdivisions in provincially significant wetlands. So instead of standing by its promise, the company appears to be trying to slide an application through under the old, outdated rules that made the LSRCA the only Conservation Authority in Central Ontario to permit the building of subdivisions on provincially significant wetlands.

Metrus’ actions fly in the face of the letter and the spirit of its undertaking to the LSRCA board.  The Conservation Authority opted to not place a moratorium on Section 28 applications only after it had received Metrus’ undertaking. So it is clear what the LSRCA board needs to do:

• It should tell Metrus that its application violates the undertaking it made to the Authority and therefore its application will be closed and returned.
• It should immediately implement the revised Watershed Development Guidelines that would close the “subdivisions in a wetland” loophole once and for all at its meeting on April 24th.

There is no justification for delaying implementation of the new guidelines, which have been subject to extensive consultation and review. The law is clear that it is not the job of Conservation Authorities to expedite development plans in critical natural areas such as wetlands. It is their job to protect the valuable natural services, such as water filtration, flood control and natural habitat retention, that these areas provide.

The LSRCA board needs to hear directly from you that Metrus’ permit application should be dismissed and the new guidelines implemented immediately. We urgently need you to pick up the phone (see list of numbers below) and let the LSRCA board members know that you you want them to require Metrus to stand by its agreement; and you want the LSRCA board to implement their new wetland protection policies effective immediately.

Please also do your best to make it out to the LSRCA board meeting on April 24th at 10 a.m., where our lawyer, Leo Longo, will be facing off against Metrus’ lawyer and where we will be asking the board to immediately implement its new guidelines.

LSRCA Board Members