Dear Editor,
I saw the “Happy Earth Day” announcement from our Mayor and Council in the North Grenville Times, April 21, 2021 and find it hypocritical. Are they really allowing 389 living units to be built on 110 acres near Oxford Mills, right beside 50 acres of Protected Wetlands? How long do you think the wetlands will survive with 800+ people living beside it, and all of their dogs? Undoubtedly the owners of the dogs will want to walk in the wetlands or beside them, and a good number will not clean up after their dogs. I have walked in the Ferguson Forest Centre and have seen far too much dog poo lying around to say that everyone picks up after their dogs. Not everyone does and unfortunately it makes everyone look bad, even though a good number do pick up after their dogs. I am assuming there will be sewage lagoons for this development. It is a large number of people whose water use and whose sewage will put great pressure on the surrounding environment. The requirement for building beside a protected wetlands, is a 300 ft buffer zone, but this may not be enough to protect the wetlands for drainage of water, so the construction can be done. I expect the wildlife will leave from the disturbance of such a large construction site. I also wonder how the infrastructure of the surrounding area will accommodate 389+ cars, since every living unit will need a vehicle to go shopping for necessities.
It is ironic that in the same paper there is an article about Ian Angus’ book, Facing the Anthropocene, Fossil Capitalism and a Crisis of the Earth System. My sister, who is a biologist out west, said that this book says it all about what is happening today. She also said that the science community are now saying that every little bit we can do to help our environment is extremely important. EVERY LITTLE BIT! Allowing 389 living units on 110 acres, beside a protected wetlands, is not helping the crisis that our planet is in today.
Lynn Paibomesai
