‘Almost there’: Final pieces of Georgina North Gwillimbury Forest reserve coming together

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 7, 2022

It’s been a long, drawn out battle for the North Gwillimbury Forest.

And one with a pressing timeline, said Jack Gibbons chairperson of the North Gwillimbury Forest Alliance (NGFA).

“We created the North Gwillimbury Forest Alliance back in 2011 to protect the forest,” Gibbons said.

“All kinds of people thought we didn’t have a chance. But we proved them wrong. Thanks to the efforts of hundreds of local residents and political leaders, we’re almost there; protecting the North Gwillimbury Forest forever.”

In June 2021, the province announced the former Maple Lake Estates lands, which includes parts of the North Gwillimbury Forest, were to come under the protection of the province’s Greenbelt.

The North Gwillimbury Forest spans from Orchard Beach to Dalton Road in Jackson’s Point, and includes environmentally sensitive wetlands and the Arnold C. Matthews Nature Reserve.

The last piece in the decades-long puzzle is for the province to remove the existing development approval plans tied to the property. Then the 890-acre parcel of privately owned land can become a publicly owned nature reserved -- as was promised in June 2021.

“It’s just like any real estate deal,” Gibbons said. “Often real estate deals occur within 30 or 60 days. And that was our original expectation. It’s a complete mystery to us why it hasn’t occurred yet.”

At the time, the Maple Lake Estates land -- about 890 acres -- was the single largest land donation to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.

But as we inch closer to the provincial election set for June, Gibbons fears any delay could push any progress back to square one.

“If the land transfer doesn’t occur before the election, then it may never occur,” Gibbons said. “And that would be a terrible tragedy.

“MPP Caroline Mulroney made that promise in June. We’re very much hoping and counting on her keeping that promise.”

The province is working on finalizing the land transfer.

“The land transfer to LSRCA is currently underway,” confirmed Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing spokesperson Conrad Spezowka in an email.

Having finalized the purchase and sale agreement for the lands with the landowner, the LSRCA is itching to get its hands dirty.

But instead, the LSRCA is waiting for the province to remove the existing planning approvals, said LSRCA chief administrative officer Rob Baldwin.

“The (land) transfer cannot take place until those approvals have been removed,” he said.

Once those approvals are removed, the LSRCA will assess the land and develop a conservation management plan, which will include consultations with the public, town and First Nations communities, Baldwin added.

Part of the conservation management plan will also look at potential restoration and enhancement projects on the property as well as a long-term plan for the future of the now publicly owned soon-to-be nature reserve.

And there’s plenty of things the LSRCA can do to improve the property, said Gibbons, from creating accessible walking trails and removing invasive species to enhancing wetlands and creating grassland bird habitats.