Pickering council approved a draft secondary plan to develop rural land in the city’s northeast, despite concerns from environmental advocacy groups and the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. The approval allows outstanding environmental and fiscal impact studies to begin for a planned residential development expected to house 72,000 people. Mayor Kevin Ashe said the studies will take several years and construction would not start immediately. The development area contains high-quality soil in Ontario, according to a National Farmers’ Union representative. Environmental groups raised concerns about flood risk and impacts to species at risk. Council voted 5-2, with Maurice Brenner and Lisa Robinson opposed, and development is set to begin only after studies are completed.
"Some advocates have said the environmental and fiscal impact studies should have been completed before a secondary plan was approved, but several councillors have said the plan had to be in place for the studies to happen. This policy document is a requirement for the exact requests that our residents and delegates asked for, Coun. Mara Nagy said in a statement. WATCH | Lands marked for development are home to the highest quality soil in Ontario: A proposal going before Pickering city council aims to transform a big swath of land in the city's northeast into a residential community for 72,000 people."
Read at www.cbc.ca
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]