LETTER: Development should not be at the expense of local wetlands

Wetlands, such as this one in the Copeland Forest, are a vital part of the ecosystem in Southern Ontario, says letter writer. | Doug Varty Photo

From OrilliaMatters, February 28, 2022
A Letter to the Editor

I have been following the number of articles and letters that have appeared in OrilliaMatters over the past year or so relating to the destruction of wetlands in our area.  These include wetlands at the Inch Farm in Orillia, the Automotive Innovation Park in Oro-Medonte, the wetlands by the Ramara airport and the list goes on, unfortunately. It seems to me that this is a recurring theme and that our wetlands are under assault.

We moved to Oro-Medonte a number of years ago to be closer to nature, recreational activities and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle.  Although my background is in the business world, I have always had a deep respect and love for nature.

I have no formal science or conservation/environmental training, but through volunteering with a number of conservation organizations in the area, I have been learning more about the importance of nature in our lives, the relationship between the loss of natural spaces, climate change and biodiversity loss and of course the importance of protecting our wetlands.

A few key points about wetlands –  I’ll just cover a few:

• They act as a natural buffer to protect low lying areas from flooding. For example, if it weren’t for the Minesing Wetland (just west of Barrie), which has a floodwater storage capacity of 66 million cubic metres, large portions of Wasaga Beach would be under water!
• Wetlands have been described as the kidneys of the planet as they are able to filter out excess phosphorous and nitrogen and up to 90% of water-borne pathogens. They are a critical natural filter of our water.
• Wetlands, no matter how big or small, are carbon sinks – something we need more in this world of climate change, not less. When wetlands are drained for development, this is lost and in fact carbon can be released back into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.
• Sportsmen/recreationalists/birders/photographers all appreciate the beauty and importance of wetlands. For example, organizations like Ducks Unlimited, whose roots are in hunting, “believe that nature is the foundation of strong communities, a prosperous economy and a sustainable future”. They along with many other organizations work to conserve, restore and manage wetlands. Kudos to them.

It troubles me and many people I talk to to see our area wetlands destroyed for the sake of development or other purposes. I am not suggesting that development should not happen in our area because I know it will. But it should be sustainable, and it should be smart development for the reasons noted above.

Development should not be at the expense of our wetlands, forests and moraines that support nature and protect the water that many of us in the area rely on for our drinking water.

So, with up to 70 per cent of our southern Ontario wetlands already lost to “development,” we just cannot afford to lose more!

So, I am hoping that our leaders, municipal planners, developers and the public at large are listening, are taking the time to educate themselves about the importance of wetlands and are taking steps to ensure that future development in our area is sustainable and that environmental social and governance (ESG) principles are applied in decision making.

Doug Varty
Oro-Medonte

Read the article here