Offficial Plan public consultation: Letter to county councillors

Dear Simcoe County Councillor

Re: Public participation in OP approval

AWARE Simcoe has made a submission to the county regarding the draft modified amended Official Plan, and a copy is attached for your information.

Our over-riding concern is that the OP approval process has not provided the public with an opportunity for meaningful participation.

There have been substantial changes since this document was first approved in 2008, resulting from extensive negotiations between county and provincial bureaucrats. None of these discussions have been in the public domain. At least two open public forums are warranted, both so the county can inform residents of what is happening, and so residents’ concerns and questions can be answered.

Our members have not had an opportunity to put their questions and concerns in public to staff or elected representatives. By happenstance, we found out about a workshop at which county planners explained the draft Official Plan to municipal staff and elected officials, and we were allowed to attend. But we were not allowed to ask questions or even record the session so we could educate other members who were unable to attend in the daytime. On issues that will have such a significant effect on  the future of Simcoe County, open dialogue must be encouraged.

A key accessibility issue is that any member of the public has to pay $150 for a copy of the draft Official Plan! While the OP and its many schedules are posted on the county website, it is challenging to assess such a complex document online. The $150 charge is prohibitive and discourages public participation.

Another problematic issue is the timing of the release of the document and the deadline for comment, during the summer months of July and August, which made it very difficult for individuals and citizens’ groups to adequately review and provide comment. This raises questions of whether county council is sincerely concerned about engaging residents at this critical time in the history of our county.

Despite the challenges, we were able to draw up a petition which was available for just one week before the county deadline, with some of the key concerns that we have raised in our submission. A total of 295 people signed it – an indication of how many are interested and wish to be involved.

We feel that public input must be an essential part of the process at this time, and we urge county council to extend the comment period into late fall – as was proposed in June by Penetanguishene Mayor Gerry Marshall – and organize information meetings across the county.

Explain what you have done, and get the feedback. Only then will you as a county councillor be able to say that, when your staff appears before the Ontario Municipal Board a few months from now, you have made sure that there has been a fair and full debate by the taxpayers of Simcoe County who will end up footing the bill.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Agnew,  Chair, AWARE Simcoe subcommittee on growth 

Link to petition

Link to AWARE comment on draft OP