Province permits Simcoe County sprawl

Letter to the Bradford Topic January 27 2011
Re: Politicians need to get with program, Jan. 20
The Topic was right in pointing out local municipal politicians will try to lure developers to their area, despite all rational arguments against this approach.
However, if you are looking to the provincial McGuinty government to stop urban sprawl, think again.
Because Georgina has firmed up its protection for green spaces, river valleys and tributaries to Lake Simcoe, developers are eyeing Simcoe County as the next place to plunder.
As I am sure you are aware, the McGuinty government has a new amendment to its growth plans that will reverse the protection of agricultural land and, indeed, reverse the whole direction of this government’s rational planning for growth from 2005 to the present.
Amendment No. 1 to the provincial Places to Grow plan effectively emasculates the government’s own good intentions for rational growth: it deals specifically with growth in Simcoe County and allows greatly expanded growth and urban sprawl throughout the county.
It is called “leap frog” development by environmental groups, meaning leap frogging over Georgina, which is now protected and leaving Simcoe wide open to aggressive and continuous urban sprawl, including residential, commercial and industrial development in lands that have been agricultural green lands and small towns and hamlets.
The government’s rational planning over the past few years decreed that development should take place in existing urban areas that are already fully serviced or in lands adjacent to serviced lands, like in Barrie, for example.
The Lake Simcoe watershed is already under severe stress. The Lake Simcoe Act was created to address this situation.
This new amendment subverts all the consulting with citizens organized by the government over the past few years and all the progressive plans put in place to make growth environmentally sustainable.
What an opportunity for you to follow up this editorial with a second one focusing on the situation in Simcoe County.
Bradford is part of Georgina’s electoral riding, so Simcoe County is not some remote area north of Georgina.
It is very much a part of people’s lives in Georgina too and what happens there will have huge impacts on Georgina and on all parts of the land surrounding Lake Simcoe.
Carol McDermott
Georgina