Protecting Our Natural Charm

For twenty years I have enjoyed Strathmore’s green spaces, parks, pathways, bridges, canals, and landscaped parkland. I have pushed my children on swings, birdwatched at Gray’s, fished at Kinsmen, picnicked, strolled, and fallen in love with this town’s natural areas. These natural assets are not just beautiful, they are essential for our quality of life.

As your councillor, it is my responsibility to protect and enhance these cherished spaces.  We must have a vision that includes fighting to conserve what we already have.  I’m not arguing that more taxpayer money needs to be spent, but that safeguarding our natural resources can be done in a way that is financially prudent.

In May, two big business items may have given residents the impression that I don’t care about these things.

First was the WestCreek Area Structure Plan (ASP) amendment. Here’s the background: the developer’s ASP was originally approved in 2010 and already allowed the removal of wetland. We were not voting on whether or not we could save the wetland; we were only voting on whether to accept the amendments they were proposing. The amendments we reviewed actually made significant improvements: they secured protection for nearly 70 acres of wetlands right in the heart of Strathmore, created an additional stormwater pond, and provided valuable land for future emergency services.

(In fact, most residents don’t realize that the entire south half of the undeveloped wetland we all associate with Gray’s Park didn’t belong to the town but was still owned by WestCreek Development. Under this amendment, it will officially become ours to protect in perpetuity.)

Moreover, all these wins—70 acres of wetlands, emergency services land in a prime location, and land for stormwater management—were achieved without increasing the financial burden on taxpayers. Honestly, it was a tough vote, but I supported the plan because it represented a practical balance between protecting nature and preparing for responsible growth.

Second, delegates from the Bird Sanctuary Initiative came out to present a plea for the town to appeal a decision allowing development of the land near Lambert Village. It’s a stunning, treed parcel of natural land that is home to dozens of bird species. It is the kind of place any thinking person would fight to protect. It kills me to imagine bulldozers tearing up this land. But what could be done? The appeal board had already approved it.  

Legally, if we had fought the appeal in court, our chances of success were extremely low. What residents need to know is that if we had appealed and lost, the town would have been liable for our legal fees, the developer’s legal fees, and any other losses the developer incurred due to delays. All this risk for an appeal that likely wouldn’t have succeeded. Part of my job as your elected representative is to protect taxpayers’ money. This was a financial risk I couldn’t take.

Our only other option would have been to purchase this land outright. I wish we could! For the developer to sell it now would mean not just purchasing the land, but also compensating him for expenses and some of his potential profits. It’s not an exaggeration to put that price tag in the millions. As a reference point, $1 million equals about a 6% tax increase on your property bill. Again, I just can’t spend that recklessly.

Nevertheless, l am running on protecting our green spaces, wetlands, and natural outdoor areas. How?

There is a solution. Next term, the Council Strategic Plan must be visionary by prioritizing, above all else, fighting for the small-town charm of Strathmore. There are ways to create long-term conservation plans to guide thoughtful, sustainable growth while maintaining our town’s character:

• Protect our outdoor spaces by taking an inventory and then creating policies and bylaws that reflect our goals.

• Enhance our green spaces—especially wetlands, parks, pathways, trails, playgrounds, and picnic areas—with a long-term improvement plan.

• Collaborate with developers. Council needs to be deeply informed and knowledgeable about all existing Area Structure Plans that have already been approved. We must seriously examine potential future surprises that could erode our town’s character. From there, we must work with developers to ensure future projects align with council priorities.

  
  

This summer, as we all enjoy Strathmore’s extensive network of parks and pathways, I want you to know that I will continue to fight for them. Our small-town deserves to have a champion of this way of life!