• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Sandy Agnew – Blog

Mar 17th, 2018
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Developers Driving the Simcoe County Bus The comment period for the Province’s Growing the Greenbelt study areas proposal closed March 7. Simcoe County and most of the local municipalities are almost frothing at the mouth in opposition. They claim all the various existing pieces of legislation and of...
In Blog
Mar 4th, 2018
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3591 Views
On Monday February 27, 2018 I attended the Springwater Compliance Audit Committee meeting. The CAC was set up to examine the election expenses of Springwater Mayor Bill French after a complaint by defeated deputy mayor candidate Dan MacLean. The details of this fiasco have been documented by Kate Har...
Feb 25th, 2018
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3239 Views
As everyone knows the Province has released a map showing “Study Areas” where they are considering expanding the Greenbelt. The Greenbelt has been very effective in stopping sprawl where it exists now. About the only people who are opposed to it are developers, landowners (including a few farmers) wh...
Apr 23rd, 2017
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7401 Views
There are so many Issues going on in Simcoe County it’s hard to know where to start. The Ontario Municipal Board hearing for the debacle of Burl’s Creek Event Grounds concluded several weeks ago. So a decision should be coming out soon. With all the illegal activities, fines and zoning violations inc...
In Blog
Feb 8th, 2017
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3444 Views
Over the past 40 years or so I have watched land speculators buy up cheap land and somehow get the land rezoned from productive agricultural land into subdivisions or factories. The pattern seems fairly consistent and I’ve had some personal experience with this when I was on Oro-Medonte council. The ...
Jan 23rd, 2017
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1957 Views
It’s been a while since I posted a blog so I’ll start with good news. Thanks to AWARE Simcoe’s efforts spearheaded by Anne Learn Sharpe and Kate Harries, the Nottawasaga River has been reinstated for protection under the Federal Navigation Protection Act. The former Conservative government had scrapp...
In Blog
Sep 26th, 2016
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3058 Views
Simcoe County waste management staff are struggling to find ways to increase waste diversion rates from the current 60% to reach the target of 71% by 2020. The struggle isn’t so much with how to do it as it is to persuade their bosses, County Council, to give them the go ahead. Staff are presenting [...
Mar 14th, 2016
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5766 Views
Locating the Organics Processing and Materials Management Facilities  I view these new facilities as an opportunity to showcase how the County is progressing toward a zero waste municipality. I agree with Warden Gerry Marshall when he says there will be no odour problems. Other compost facilities ope...
Sep 12th, 2015
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4997 Views
How does the development industry work? Does the development industry buy up cheap farmland and then lobby small municipalities to rezone the land to build sprawling urban subdivisions where there is no employment, forcing home purchasers to commute? Does the development industry hire high priced law...
Jun 1st, 2015
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5169 Views
The following are the comments I submitted to the Ontario government on its 2015 Provincial Co-ordinated Review: There are four essential elements to supporting life in Ontario and the world: –       Clean air –       Clean water –       Healthy food –       Adequate housing T...