South Nation Conservation and two other conservation authorities are currently overhauling wetlands maps, in response to changes in provincial legislation and regulations. The draft map, available on the organization’s website, shows many expanded wetlands areas that are proposed. However, landowners and other stakeholders have issues with not only the proposed changes, but the actual consultation process.
These three Conservation Authorities are among the last to update their wetlands mapping in Ontario, expanding beyond the provincially-significant wetlands that were designated more than 10 years ago. This action is appropriate, and there are many more wetlands that should be protected – if they are rightfully and properly wetlands. However, many of the lands identified in the digital mapping are not wetlands. This has prompted alarm bells from rural landowners and other stakeholders.
This process used by these conservation authorities is backwards at best, and leaves room for the speculation of there being an ulterior motive to the use of these new powers from the province. This is why many of those stakeholders are concerned about jurisdictional overreach by conservation authorities. Providing a draft map, and making the onus of verifying wetland identification fall on property owners is backwards, especially considering how this designation impacts the use of the land.
While wetland protection does not mean land is unusable forevermore, it does limit some uses including potential future development. Furthermore, the process required to develop designated lands becomes more expensive and cumbersome with permits and approvals – a hinderance to growth. Having a designation also can diminish the property value of that land due to the restrictions placed on it. It seeds control of a property to a quasi-governmental agency that does not have directly elected representation. In short, it is an extremely important and serious matter that should not be glossed over in such a limited time frame with a limited amount of communication and consultation. That consultation period is also the busiest time of year for the largest group of landowners too – spring planting season.
This flawed consultation process should be the concern of anyone within the watershed who owns property, not just the agriculture industry. These changes affect residential, commercial, and industrial properties throughout.
This week, Edwardsburgh-Cardinal stepped forward calling for the current process to be halted with a more fulsome consultation with all landowners being conducted. South Dundas may also join in this call. That is the appropriate response and action for a backwards and clumsy process enacted by an organization that clearly should know better. The map, and consultation, needs to be redone.