Dear Editor,
Kudos to Judi MacLeod (Issue #12/20, July 28, 2020 Letter: “Help…. Our Wetlands are Under Attack”) for raising concern about the increase in unregulated disturbance of wetlands and other environmentally important areas. We have first hand experience with this problem.
We purchased our 3 season waterfront cottage on Dorcas Bay in 2010. The zoning map showed an “EH” zone covering the lower third of our property, about half of the adjacent lot and about 75% of the next lot. The area was an alvar outcrop, with seasonal wetlands on the two neighbouring lots. Both lots were vacant.
Since our purchase, the alvar wetlands on both lots have been filled in with at least 50 cms of sand/gravel, and a large house built close to the water on one lot. Needless to say, we were surprised that this could occur in an EH zone and contacted the municipality. We were informed that the municipality does not regulate or control deposit of fill in an EH zone. We contacted the Conservation Authority, who told us their jurisdiction did not extend to our area, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, who said they had no authority.
As to the house, we were told that the current zoning by-law does not prohibit building on an EH, as long as the entrance to habitable space is above the 100 year flood level. To comply with this condition the house was built on a roughly 8 foot high concrete foundation and is entered by an external stairway to the main floor. Several times this year and last, storm surges have created a lake that surrounds the bottom of the stairway, the foundation, and half the driveway, blocking access to the house.
In response to Kevin Doyle’s letter (Issue #13/20, August 11, 2020 Letter: “Striking a Balance”), we are not against development or developers and we agree that new building is necessary to allow others to enjoy the Bruce. But, we also believe that development should be responsible – appropriate to the lands involved and undertaken in a manner that conserves the environmental features that make the Bruce so attractive. Burying sensitive and rare ecosystems under truckloads of fill is not, in our humble view, responsible, and the regulatory scheme that allows it is hardly a balanced one.
We would also point out that the “EH” zoning areas are not “what some people rather arbitrarily describe”, but rather have been enacted by the municipal Council. And it is Council that has repeatedly failed to enact a new zoning by-law that would provide at least a modicum of protection to “EH” areas. Ms. MacLeod’s comments about Council are warranted.
Respectfully,
Patrick and Mary O’Rourke
