LETTER: ‘Beautiful area’ needs to be preserved for future generations

Stop Sprawl Orillia is asking people who support their cause to put lawn signs on their properties.Dave Dawson/OrilliaMatters

From OrilliaMatters, March 20, 2022
A Letter to the Editor

I am a resident of Severn Township. We live in one of the most beautiful areas in the province; the townships that surround Orillia need to be preserved for future generations to enjoy. And these lands need to be preserved for better uses than urban sprawl.

There are so many studies and reports that Stop Sprawl Orillia is sharing that dispute sprawl as an “affordable housing” solution. Urban intensification and gentle density housing have been proven to be a better solution for affordable housing.

Urban sprawl is also way more expensive for municipalities to manage and outweighs the taxes that are taken in. I shop locally and I am in Orillia regularly. I constantly shake my head and question why the city is so intent on the urban sprawl rather than the intensification solution.

I see so many vacant pieces of property within the city limits that could be utilized for affordable housing and would allow people to be close to work, to amenities, busing, schools for the children etc.

There are hundreds of acres of prime farmland, wetlands and forests at stake. Once they are gone, they are gone forever. Is this the type of legacy you want for your children, grandchildren, friends, neighbours?

It is the children and young people of today who will face the worst effects of climate change in the future. Sprawl is bad for the environment, bad for our mental health, bad for our flora and fauna.

Have you driven the 400 corridor between Barrie and Toronto lately? All the farmland that is being sold will no doubt be used for urban sprawl and that is so disturbing.

We have the capability of feeding so many more people fresh and local produce by using the lands that we have. I don’t want my “fresh” foods in my local stores coming from abroad when it can be grown locally. Supporting our local farmers is a huge deal for many of us who are aware of what it means for our local economy.

As a resident of Severn, I love being part of a small neighbourhood community, the peace and quiet, riding my bike or running in a beautiful serene natural setting. I want our forests, farms, lakes, streams, and wetlands protected. These are the reasons why I live here, and I am so lucky to be able to have the choice. Not many people have that opportunity.

Urban intensification has been proven to be a better solution than urban sprawl. The reports and the facts are there.

As a member of Stop Sprawl Orillia, we are presenting, and very well I must say, the very obvious reasons why this sprawl needs to stop and why the City of Orillia needs to focus on how to be a positive partner in finding solutions to problems rather than causing more harmful and huge problems for our local economy and environment.

This is OUR future. It is our right to advocate for a sustainable one. The information that is being shared can be effective in showing Orillia residents and our City Council a more meaningful and positive way to be part of a positive legacy that will affect us and our future generations.

Shelle Hossack
Severn Township

Read the article here