Dear Editor:
Two years ago, Renfrew County held seven public meetings proposing its County Official Plan. These public meetings were poorly advertised in addition to the fact that the majority of the people did not understand what an Official Plan was and the impact it would have on their own private property.
We were able to communicate the information we learned at these meetings resulting in standing room at the final public meeting the County had; and as a result, the County received 900 submissions regarding the Official Plan and were unable to go forward in adopting it at that time.
Implied consent is the basis on which our municipalities go forward with new bylaws, official plans, new regulations, changes to communities and so forth. This means when a municipality or county hold a public meeting to propose a new change, as they are required to do in accordance to the Planning Act (the authority they work under), it is deemed implied consent by the absence of those who do not attend these public meetings and submit any submission (objection/comment). In other words, if you are not aware of an upcoming public meeting or don’t understand the significance of it, thereby not attending it – it is deemed you have given implied consent (silence is accepted) to go ahead with the proposed change.
Renfrew County was not the only county/municipality that received hundreds of objections to their OP.
As property owners across the province learned that designations such as woodlands, valleylands, wetlands, ANSI, heritage, etc. were being placed against their private properties without their knowledge or consent resulting in probable decreased property values, restrictions on land use and so on…naturally, the public became angry and objected.
This amounts to the taking of your private property. Is this not an injurious affect to you? Will the bank that holds your mortgage reduce your payments because your property has now been decreased in value? Does the title to your property have the name of your municipality as part owner? Or, you go to sell your property only to learn it’s not selling because potential buyers have been informed there are designations against your property. These are the legitimate concerns many property owners are looking at.
It seems the push is on for the counties/municipalities to push through their official plans by the province and the official plans have not changed. It appears still, the intent is to place designations on private properties and to remove control from property owners on how they use their rural land or even their urban properties. It is our opinion the intent is the take away of property rights from owners under the guise of environment and climate change; and the municipalities are being manipulated by the province as the tool or instrument to remove these rights from us. In other counties, a movement has begun to take legal action to stop this kind of intrusion against private property owners.
I encourage you to make your best effort to attend one or even both of the public meetings the County is having in order to learn what Renfrew County proposes with its Official Plan.
Also, we will be holding a Public Meeting this Friday night, March 23, in Cobden at the Legion at 7 pm to further speak to the County Official Plan, the legal opinions from Municipal Planning lawyers, the recent Bill 139 that gives “more power” to municipalities and conservation authorities, and then Land Trusts – what are they.
The dates and locations for the County public meetings are: Thursday, March 22, Eagle’s Nest, (Arena) Eganville Community Centre, 178 Jane St., Eganville and Wednesday, Apr. 4, Germania Club Pembroke, 118 Bennett St., Pembroke
They are holding an open house/drop-in from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and then the Special County Council Meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. on both dates. **Note: Anyone wishing to make a presentation, must sign in before the meeting starts and presenters scheduled as “first-come, first-serve”. Presentations are to be no more than five minutes. Submissions from the same person/groups/associations may only be heard at one meeting.**
Donna Burns
President – Renfrew County Landowners
Governor – Ontario Landowner Association
