‘We’ve got to get there’: Blue Mountain Watershed Trust looks to boost membership to address south Georgian Bay development issues
Blue Mountain Watershed Trust mandate includes environmental issues in Collingwood, Clearview Township
Ian Adams, Wasaga Sun
Thursday, January 5, 2023
A local environmental group should set itself a lofty goal for 2023, increasing its membership tenfold in order to carry out its work, one of its directors says.
While more members equals more money, it also demonstrates to decision-makers these issues are important to the public, and it provides the organization with clout, Christopher Baines, a director with the Blue Mountain Watershed Trust, said. “We’re at 350 members, and we should be 3,500 members, with all of the issues we are facing in this region,” said Baines, who is also a Town of Collingwood councillor. “We’ve got to get there, there’s just no doubt about it.
“With all the challenges — some might say threats — that are occurring right now, we’ve got to be able to respond accordingly, and part of that is to grow the membership proportional to the challenges that we now face.”
The Trust held its annual general meeting in November, providing members with an overview of issues the organization is involved with.
That includes several in which the BMWT has some form of standing at a tribunal, including the matter involving Clearview Township’s development permit for the 26/27 Sideroad, and the Bridgewater development in Collingwood. The Trust was created in 1994 to protect the Silver Creek Wetlands — one of the few remaining coastal wetlands on Georgian Bay.
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