Bait and Switch: NVCA directors vote 10-9 to add pro-development clause to Strategic Plan

Tempers flare, Clearview’s Savage apologizes to Innisfil’s Davidson
By Sandy Agnew, AWARE News Network, October 6, 2013
The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority board of directors has made a last-minute change to its Strategic Plan to facilitate development in flood-prone areas.
The 10-9 vote came after a heated debate – and even name-calling – at the board’s September 27 meeting.

Innisfil Deputy Mayor Dan demanded an apology from Clearview Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage for calling him a “bastard and an asshole” during a break. Savage admitted calling him names and did apologize.
First, some background:
When the NVCA started its process of consultation with stakeholders to get input into a new Strategic Plan they initially only included the development industry. When this writer notified the agricultural and environmental communities, the demand to be included forced the NVCA to open the process to the whole community. Several environmental  and agricultural groups participated in the agency’s open house, sent in comments and/or made deputations. The resulting Strategic Plan document was then accepted by everyone involved. A real accomplishment, guided by consultant Karen Wianecki.
So when the Strategic Plan came to the NVCA board on September 27, 2013 for ratification one would have expected it to pass without an issue. But the pro-development forces, led by Clearview Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage, moved an amendment which reads “Where development has occurred historically in existing flood and erosion-prone communities, the NVCA will work with municipalities to facilitate development/redevelopment applying reasonable measures to mitigate natural hazard risks consistent with Provincial and local Natural Hazard Policies.”
In other words, let’s help developers build houses where they know they will get flooded, just because there are already houses there that predated the NVCA regulations. And when the flood comes, the developers will be long gone, and the homeowners will be left to figure out who’s responsible for their flooded basements, or worse.
Stunning abrogation
It should be noted that the split in the NVCA board of directors solidified at their August meeting over whether to allow a home to be built in the flood plain. Allowing homes to be built where residents are virtually guaranteed to be flooded runs totally contrary to the main reason to establish a CA. But the board voted 12-8 to permit construction – a stunning abrogration of its responsibility to protect life and property.
Now the pro-development advocates are using a new tactic – to get the public to buy into one document and then make a subtle, but crucial change at the last moment, and ram it through. Bait and Switch. Nine board members were ethical enough to oppose this amendment. Unfortunately ten members voted for the change either because they were part of the underhanded plot or because they were duped by it.
So the groups that took time to work with the NVCA in good faith can now feel sucker-punched. Why should anyone trust the NVCA board to act in good faith after this?
How they voted
Recent: NVCA directors allow construction in flood zone