What does environmental protection mean in East Gwillimbury?

Yorkregion.com
February 14, 2019
Russ Robson

The term environmental protection (EP) sounds good, but what is it?

In essence it is a set of regulations that determine land usage set out by the government and conservation board. Hundreds of property owners in East Gwillimbury were shocked to find out that as much as 30 to 90 per cent of their land was back on the table to be rezoned EP, with no compensation for their loss of usage or land devaluation. This after the Lake Simcoe Conservation Board appealed our town’s decision not to conform to the official plan of the region.

Brandon Hardy and Mike Hamilton, who both own over 25 acres of rural land around the McCowan and Ravenshoe roads area, were furious when they saw the maps showing they were losing up to 95 per cent of their rural land and a tax rebate from the ministry all so they could have an EP zone enforced on them.

There are many different types of EP regulations, including wetlands, flood plains, natural heritage and forested areas, just to name a few. Each type has its own unique identity and therefore has different regulations. For instance, if your property is classified as a “natural heritage zone” and you want to put a small addition on your home, you would be required to have an assessment costing around $5,000 in order to apply for the permit. There are also special setbacks, or buffer zones, to be mentioned.

We must ask how these lands were mapped out. Why are some people affected and yet their neighbours, with the same lands, are not? Where is the proof that our properties are provincially significant and need to be rezoned? How will we be compensated for devaluation and loss of use? What will this open the door to?

Free market environmentalism argues that government regulation is in fact detrimental to the environment. Different governments have different agendas and the fate of private land should not be left up to corporations. It also claims that ownership is the best protection because landowners care about their land and their investment. Many of the people who own these lands have planted trees and dug ponds to create beautiful environments. They have pride in landownership and should be rewarded with major tax incentives instead of higher taxes, stolen property and overwhelming permission fees to use what they own.

Many properties have been handed down from generation to generation, and EP and sustainable development just looks like another way into your pocket.

Please contact the planning department to see if your land may be subject to LPAT appeal.