OP comment: Sierra Club Ontario

Letter to Simcoe County Clerk Brenda Clark August 22 2012 

We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Draft Proposed Modified Official Plan for Simcoe County. 

Sierra Club Ontario agrees with the AWARE Simcoe comments on the Plan available online at: https://www.aware-simcoe.ca/council/simcoe-county/3084-planning.html.  

Many in the community feel there has not been adequate public engagement in this Plan the document should be taken to the public again before completion.  Also, we would like to reiterate that this Plan should be adjusted to: 

• ensure growth pays for itself

• plan growth based on carrying capacity of the land for example the nutrient run-off 

• preserve agricultural land and natural spaces

• apply low-impact development regulations to all of Simcoe County

• emphasize public transit over building new roads

• do a better job of addressing the water crisis in this area – both quality & quantity

The Simcoe County Official Plan does not include an important requirement — that any growth will not result in new intrabasin transfers.  Sierra Club Canada has a longstanding position that Great Lakes water must stay within each lake’s basin and not be transferred in any way even via sewage transfers to another basin.  Sierra Club Canada was instrumental in getting language in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Water Resources Agreement signed by the 2 federal, 2 provincial and 8 state governments that largely fulfils a commitment against transfers.  This is an important part of sustainable growth and planning and we believe it must be expressly stated in the Simcoe County plan: no intrabasin transfer of water in the Great Lakes.

Thank you for the opportunity to help make this a better plan to protect Simcoe County and provide for sustainable healthy growth.

Sincerely,

Kristina Jackson, MS Env. Eng.

Chapter Coordinator