On Monday, August 13th, SOS Collingwood and an estimated 70 Collingwood residents achieved a major milestone in their on-going effort to make local politicians bring shoreline and wetlands protection to the top of the municipal agenda. The group attended the Town’s Development and Operations Services Committee meeting and delivered deputations focusing on three critical areas of concern regarding the Living Waters/Bear Estate development proposal, a project the group feels is an icon of what’s wrong with development occurring along the Town’s shrinking sensitive wetland areas. Those concerns were:

1.) The need for more independent and more comprehensive environmental impact assessments;

2.) The need for full compliance with Town bylaws, Official Plan, the Ontario Planning Act and the Town’s Waterfront Master Plan; and

3.) The need for greater public transparency and consultation on all future developments near the shoreline and other environmentally sensitive areas.

Residents present at Monday’s meeting were advised that the project developer had requested that the Town defer consideration of its application until 2019. SOS Collingwood feels that this will give the City time to consider and implement the recommendations presented.

We’d like to thank all of our SOS Collingwood's Supporters for your passion, suggestions and identifying opportunities to make a difference in our community. SOS Collingwood would also like to send out a special thank you to those Supporters, Council Candidates and Media who came out Monday night filling the Council Chambers to the point of standing room only. It’s heart-warming to see our Georgian Bay community come together to make a positive difference for our wetlands and the health of Georgian Bay now and for future generations.

But we’re just getting started – so let’s keep working together to demand that Local, Provincial and Federal politicians take action and revise or enact new zoning by-laws, legislation and regulations that reflect Canada’s and Ontario’s policy to protect significant and disappearing wetlands.

Together, we CAN make a difference to protect Georgian Bay’s Significant Wetlands. 

 To read the Media Release please go to: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/e0dd0508-76cd-4c70-9ef3-ca022bfc502b/downloads/1ckvdv62l_519101.pdf