Growth Plan Conformity: Can Leopards Change their Spots?

Coming from a background of community advocacy with the Rouge Duffins Greenspace Coalition the experience working with a group of engaged, informed and concerned citizens can best be described as a continual sense of hope. Some may wonder why people continue to invest themselves personally when it might seem like the losses are more frequent than the wins – Despite being unbearably frustrating at times, we keep pushing that same ol’ envelope of “business as usual” sprawl and the consequences of it.

To tell this story, we need some history. In 2001, the Rouge Duffins Greenspace Coalition was born from concern over proposed development of North Pickering. The Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve was promised to be protected by agricultural easements in perpetuity and Seaton was to be swapped to protect land in the Oak Ridges Moraine ‐ both environmentally sensitive. The City of Pickering started a Growth Management Study, and included the protected Ag Preserve in a study paid for by developers with vested interest in the Preserve. Ignoring the promise of “in perpetuity”, the City and the Region of Durham recommended development of both Seaton and over 1000 acres of the preserve.

RDGC worked hard, letter writing politicians and media, having events, speaking as delegates and as hopeful participant stakeholders in a new governments’ mandate to change provincial land‐use policies. RDGC managed to enlist citizen support at home and from other “think tanks” such as; Ontario Nature, Environmental Defence, the Sierra Club, Ontario Smart Growth Network to name a few. What followed was that the province stepped in and included the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve in the Greenbelt (2005), gave the Preserve its own legislation, Bill 16, The Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve Act and promised to protect 2/3rds of Seaton. A fantastic victory! There was that glimmer of hope.

The Province then created the “Central Pickering Development Plan” (2006) while concurrently working on “Places to Grow, a growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe”. Again, more hope. It’s now 2009, and since that time the City of Pickering has established “Sustainable Pickering”, developed its own Sustainable Development Guidelines and boasts of having the first office of
Sustainability. The community advocates are wary – can leopards change their spots? Surely the advocates could have more confidence now– right?

Currently, all municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe must amend their Official Plans to conform to the Provincial Growth Plan starting with upper tier Regional OP’s. The Region of Durham hires a consultant to assist with the process and the politically represented Regional Planning Committee retains
all the control. The consultant makes recommendations – the politicians amend them adding thousands of acres of “whitebelt” lands that were intended to be added to the urban boundary after the planning horizon of 2031.

In Pickering, the north‐east Pickering Whitebelt contains the Carruthers Creek Headwaters. The conservation authorities and farming advisory committees are concerned. So are the advocates. Where are the proclaimed policies of Sustainability? “Growth must pay for growth” or “Environment First”? The explanation is jobs. Pickering’s downtown is slated as an Urban Growth Centre in the Provincial Growth Plan and the Central Pickering Development Plan identifies an eco‐based urban plan for Seaton with approximately 55% natural heritage system and the promise of a population to employment ratio of 2:1 – neither plan has even begun. Surely the local council will nix the regional plans and concentrate on the existing opportunities first before considering adding MORE land to the urban envelope?

Hopes of enlightenment are dashed. Regional Official Plan Amendment 128 not only endorses including the Pickering east Whitebelt lands as urban but even proposes concurrent development of them with Seaton so that now the two areas of employment lands compete and provide only 16,476 jobs with
70,000 people instead of the 35,000 and 70,000 people for Seaton to 2031.
Discrepancies in the regional numbers are discovered – and politically ignored. Seaton’s high densities mask the reality of the plan ‐ the majority of the Region will continue “business as usual” low density within the planning horizon.

To add insult to taxpayer injury, there is no fiscal study to determine what this growth will cost, nor an updated watershed study for Carruthers Creek to determine what net developable land might present, if it’s cost effective, environmentally sound or if another land‐use may be more beneficial. If the objective is to create jobs, with a built in five year review, why not wait?
Anyone can draw a circle and zone it employment lands, but not one single job has actually been created‐ especially when we already have existing employment land still not serviced. So, prematurely a whole lot of land was brought into the urban envelope. What will it cost and what will be the consequences? They have no idea – so much for Sustainability, so much for hope.

Just before the vote on June 3rd at the Region a letter was received from the Province which states in part “there are several issues which require revision to conform to the Growth Plan and be consistent with other provincial policy.” Both Regional and Pickering Councils’ endorsed ROPA 128 anyway. Once again the advocates are counting on the province to stand firm. And again, we hope.

Bonnie Littley is a co-founder of the Rouge Duffins Greenspace Coalition and elected as the Regional Councillor for Ward 1 in Pickering in the 2006 Municipal elections.