by Debbi Christinck
Staff Writer
Eganville Leader
PEMBROKE — Punitive changes by the province to the County of Renfrew official plan have county councillors in a rage, with some pointed words directed at the province, promises of legal action and a unanimous endorsement of a plan to take these complaints directly to the Ford government.
“This is reprehensible,” Admaston/Bromley Mayor Michael Donohue said at the Oct. 31 county council meeting. “Can I even put up a fence post without a study now?”
County planners had some bad news for council, explaining the Draft County Plan was coming back from the Kingston office of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs with numerous additions, including significant woodlands designation, Karst designation, more agricultural designation, and with the addition of deer wintering yards. County Planner Charles Cheesman said grimly although this was being discussed on October 31, it was not a Halloween prank, but rather the new draft had trickled in to the county from the province over several days.
“There are no appeals to a minister’s decision on a five-year review,” he added. “And they are set to approve this by December 24.”
In some cases, it is a re-interpretation of the county submission. Discussion of growth projection are being interpreted as growth allocation, which would stop development beyond current projections.
“That is absolutely unacceptable,” he said. “It makes sense in the Golden Horseshoe, but not in Renfrew County.”
The addition of Karst designation to many areas is an issue because the mapping is inaccurate. Karst, which is limestone, covers a good part of the county, he expanded.
“Now the province wants a geoscientist to come in and do a study,” Mr. Cheesman said.
Severances remain a huge issue, with the severing of land for future development. If more than two severances have been done on land, then it cannot be severed further, he said.
“When we measure severance history we go back to 1971,” Mr. Cheesman said. “We are proposing using 2018 instead. If they accept that, it would re-set the clock.”
Although the new severance policy would be more restrictive, it would not factor in the history back to 1971, he explained.
Wording about “reserve sewage capacity” with any new development is a concern, Mr. Cheesman said. This states new lots or development need to have a place for the septage to go. At present, it is still permitted to spread this septage on fields, but the province is implying the septage needs to be treated at new lots.
“It would effectively kill severances because we have nowhere to take septage,” he said.
The map changes to deer wintering yards and additional agricultural lands in the county all stop redevelopment. In Horton, the issue of agricultural designation has been a major sore sport. Right now, Horton has no agriculture designation, but the province identified an area for agricultural designation and now wants additional lands added to this.
“We went out with OMAFRA and we showed the planner, ‘no, no, no’,” Mr. Cheesman said. “Horton was prepared to accept some agriculture, but now we are right back to where we started.”
Greater Madawaska, which also has no current agriculture designation, would have a big agricultural designation area under the proposal. In McNab/Braeside, a property that is currently being looked at for a subdivision would be re-zoned as agricultural under this provincial proposal.
Significant woodland was slated as areas of 150 hectares or more to protect, but the province is now proposing properties of 50 hectares as well.
With deer wintering yards, this is now considered deer habitat, which brings another issue into development concerns.
“That is bush and we got a lot of it,” Mr. Cheesman said. “To put people through studies for development there does not make sense. But, the Provincial Policy Statement says if you are in a deer wintering yard, you shall do an impact study.”
County Response
Warden Jennifer Murphy called Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski when she heard of the draft changes asking him to appeal directly to Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark on the issue. As well, the recommendation was for staff to cease discussions with the local office on the draft plan, and let the politicians take over.
“This has been dragging on and on and now there is this push to move it along,” she added. “This flies in the face of less regulation which this government campaigned on.”
The changes by the province are not acceptable to local residents, she stressed. “This closes Renfrew County for business,” Warden Murphy said. “Almost all of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards they deemed non-development. This is not right for rural Ontario.”
“No development is possible,” a blunt Mayor Donohue agreed. “This is unreasonable.”
He said there had been some belief the new Conservative government would be more open to rural development, but this move is closing the door to growth.
“On behalf of the county, we need to say ‘enough is enough’,” he continued. “There are not enough gold pieces in the world to let me sign on the dotted line on this.”
McNab/Braeside Mayor Tom Peckett said this would stop all development in his area.
“If this goes through, it will destroy McNab/Braeside and Renfrew County,” he said. “I’m tired of being pushed around. I hope we can give staff the impetus to move forward as quickly as possible.”
Renfrew Reeve Peter Emon said there were various avenues to take, including a private bill before the legislature, which could be introduced by any member. Talking to a lawyer about going through the courts is another option, he said.
The response from the province shows no understanding of rural Ontario. However, these planning policies were in place under the previous government and there has been no direction from the Conservatives on policy for development, he added.
“While the government has been busy with buck a beer, they dropped the ball on this,” Reeve Emon said, adding, “You will throttle our development and stagnate our communities with this.”
Mayor Bob Sweet of Petawawa called the changes “death by 1,000 slashes” and said it is time to push back against the province.
“This is a huge development issue and a huge kick in the teeth for all municipalities in the County of Renfrew,” he said.
The septage issue, for example, dates back to 15 years ago when rural residents were told they would no longer be able to spread septage on fields. This never came to fruition, but it is impossible to take septage to local sewage plants in communities and expect them to deal with it because this would throw them out of compliance, he explained.
“This is a terrible blow to Eastern Ontario,” he said.
Others echoed his frustration around the chamber.
Whitewater Region Reeve Terry Millar, who did not seek re-election, has been a rather quiet member of county council, but this issue caused him to break his four-year silence.
“I’m disappointed I did not hear this long ago,” he said of the outcry around the chambers. “I would have stuck around if I had heard this before. Good luck, go get them and kick them in the teeth for a change.”
Horton Mayor Robert Kingsbury said this was devastating for his community.
“We will have no growth because there is nowhere to grow in Horton,” he said. “We showed them when they came here their prime agricultural land was a pipeline. Are they beyond dense?”
Laurentian Hills Mayor John Reinwald said staff worked hard with public meetings to listen to local concerns and come up with a plan which addressed those.
“Now we have to turn around and tell our landowners it was all a lie,” he said.
Madawaska Valley Mayor Kim Love said it is time to get the attention of the government.
“I can’t see what else we can do, but start the war,” she said. “Our county staff worked hard to respond to our public meeting and ensure Renfrew County was open for business and development while maintaining our natural features.
“I can’t go back to tell people they can’t develop their 100 acres because there might be deer there,” she added. “And I see lakes in Madawaska Valley that might be designated as at-capacity when that was never even discussed.”
The growth allocation issues, which state after a certain level of growth there must be an amendment to the plan, were of particular concern for her. MV wants to see growth and development and is open for it, she said.
“We have a declining population,” Mayor Love noted. “How can they cap us?”
Meeting With Ministry
Warden Murphy told the Leader on Nov. 5 that Mr. Yakabuski was able to arrange a meeting for county officials with Minister Clark’s staff in Toronto. A delegation comprised of the warden, Mayor Sweet, Mr. Cheesman and County CAO Paul Moreau will travel to Queen’s Park. The warden pointed out she was not sure if Mr. Clark or his aides would be present, but Mr. Yakabuski had secured the meeting on very short notice.
“Minister Yakabuski did a great job of speaking to Minister Clark right away and arranging this for us,” she said. “We will be able to meet and discuss our concerns.”
This issue had blindsided council and staff and has been very frustrating because staff worked so hard to listen to local concerns and come up with a plan, she said.
“We had a plan we could work with,” Warden Murphy said. “So why were the changes to ag designations made in the middle of the game? These changes are draconian.”
Minister Clark is from Brockville, so he understands Eastern Ontario and this should help the county’s case, she added.
“He knows about rural areas,” she said.
The province has said they want to issue a new provincial policy statement, so waiting to pass the county’s plan until this is presented would make sense, she said.
