Clarington Whitebelt Agricultural Lands at Risk

NRU
May 20, 2015
Edward LaRusic

The future of whitebelt lands around Clarington is the subject of a disagreement between the Municipality of Clarington and the Durham Region. The current review of the growth plan, Greenbelt Plan, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and Niagara Escarpment Plan offers a timely opportunity for the municipality to appeal to the province to protect these lands for continued agricultural use.

Clarington mayor Adrian Foster told NRU Durham Region wants the municipality’s whitebelt lands used for future urban expansion. But that’s not a vision shared by Clarington residents.

“On a constant basis we hear from residents that the urban separators between Curtis and Bowmanville and between Bowmanville and Newcastle [Village] should be protected. That we should protect the greenspace and maintain the individual identities of those towns.”

At its May 11 council meeting, Clarington council requested the province consider its whitebelt lands for future greenbelt expansion. The whitebelt is the informal name given to lands that lie between urban settlement and greenbelt boundaries.

“Some of those lands are some of the best lands in Ontario for farming. If you want to look at the best use, it is to maintain them as farmland,” said Foster. He hopes provincial staff will actually visit the whitebelt lands and speak to farmers, rather than rely on computer mapping. “Typically the province pulls out a magic marker and puts lines on a map. That’s not what we’re asking for.”

Determining urban boundary expansions and requesting the province to add land to the greenbelt are upper-tier municipal responsibilities—Durham Region’s in this instance. However, the coordinated review gives Clarington the opportunity to request the province directly to expand the greenbelt.

“The province has clearly said that during this four plan review that it is looking at everything. This is Clarington’s opportunity for putting its case before the province,” said Clarington special projects manager Faye Langmaid.

About 81 per cent of Clarington lies within the greenbelt boundary, with 11 per cent of its land in urban areas. The remaining 8 per cent are whitebelt lands, which the municipality considers to be some of the best agricultural lands in southern Ontario and should have been included in the Greenbelt Plan originally.

Langmaid told NRU that Durham Region has had no interest in expanding the greenbelt onto Clarington’s whitebelt lands. In the region’s report on the Greenbelt Plan review no mention is made of expansion of the greenbelt.

“We brought that to the region’s attention when they were doing their review. It was brought to their attention by our agricultural committee, by staff, and by our mayor as well.”

Durham Region strategic planning director Roger Saunders said that about 80 per cent of the region is already subject to the Greenbelt Plan. The whitebelt lands that are left will need to be used to accommodate growth beyond 2031. He said when planning for water and sewer infrastructure the region considered what the land requirements would be to 2056, and concluded that additional urban and—such as whitebelt land in Clarington—was needed. He noted that as part of its growth plan conformity exercise, the region had to expand urban boundaries to meet its 2031 targets.

“If we had to expand boundaries to get to 2031, it’s only logical that we’ll need to look at future expansions beyond 2031, even if we find that we’re able to create more dense communities than is even contemplated now,” Saunders said. “Sitting here today with the rules that we have to go by and the way we’re planning out communities for the next 20 or so years, we feel there will be a need for further expansion somewhere. If we’re removing those potential opportunities before we even have a chance to look at [urban expansion] that may be a little short sighted.”

Saunders acknowledged that many of Clarington’s whitebelt lands are well suited for agriculture, but argued that it is a usual condition found across the region.

“The choice to stay away from agricultural land is slim to none.”

Langmaid said that the town doesn’t need to see its urban boundaries expanded to accommodate growth past 2031.

“In our official plan review, looking at what our growth rates are and looking at all of the information we have, we know that we can [grow] within the current boundaries; we know can definitely get to 2031. We think we can go way past 2031, depending on how much intensification [Clarington] ends up doing.”

Saunders disagreed.

“There’s a point when the density becomes too great. You have to look at it and be realistic about how the communities have the potential to develop. We’ve taken into account those opportunities,” he said. “We’ll look at it again in the coming reviews and determine what scope of additional land may be required.”