After a new Council is elected, the Town updates its strategic plan. The purpose is so Council can provide a roadmap and ranking of priorities for Niagara-on-the-Lake over the next four years. You can provide your input on the 2022-2026 Council Strategic Plan Survey by completing an online survey by Thursday, June 1, 2023.
For those of us who care about the natural environment and heritage of the Town, this is a chance to encourage Council to focus on opportunities to improve green infrastructure and active transportation to link neighbourhoods and communities.
With all the discussion by federal and provincial governments about investment in infrastructure, Friends of One Mile Creek (FOMC) wants to increase the discussion about how green infrastructure can play a vital role in Niagara on the Lake through beneficial socio-economic and environmental assets.
In the short term, infrastructure investment helps to generate employment and ensure cash flow in the economy. In the long term, infrastructure ensures smooth and fast flow of people, material, and services, saving time, fuel, and improving quality of life.
FOMC has joined the Green Infrastructure Ontario (GIO) Coalition, an alliance of organizations that share a common vision for a healthy, green Ontario where the economic, social, environmental and health benefits of green infrastructure are fully realized.
Here’s the simple but effective message of the GIO group:
Green Infrastructure Ontario (GIO) Coalition
Certainly, the continuing development in the Niagara region provides both a reason and an opportunity to include green infrastructure in new projects.
Here’s a graphic that shows how green infrastructure fits into the big picture:
How green infrastructure fits into the overall development picture
One of the resources from the Green Infrastructure Ontario coalition is this guide focused on smaller communities such as NOTL:
A landowner with two properties on One Mile Creek has written to the Town to express concern that properties built downstream on One Mile Creek will incur more frequent, severe and costly damage if the Rand Estate Development, as currently proposed, is allowed to proceed.
“Any increase in water volume, particularly under storm conditions, will cause damage to downstream properties primarily because the culverts under the roads are undersized,” writes William and Patricia Garriock in their submission about the proposed development.
“Unless full scale hydraulic studies are conducted by knowledgeable professionals and adequate surge capacity is provided, damage will occur.”
One Mile Creek along Gate St at corner with Johnson
According to maps from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), there are 93 properties in Old Town that intersect One Mile Creek.
The proposal by developer Benny Marotta for intense subdivision development on the land behind the Rand Estate on John Street increases the potential for flooding of One Mile Creek as it winds through Old Town in Niagara on the Lake. Friends of One Mile Creek (FOMC) made two presentations to raise concerns about the plans for water management in a five-hour Town Council Public Meeting on July 14.
The area involved is a former agricultural and wooded landscape that makes up part of the headwaters of One Mile Creek — the origin of the creek. Today, rainfall is absorbed on the open land to slowly infiltrate into the ground.
According to the developer’s land use schedule, of the total 30 acres, 10 acres for the area cannot be developed — the greenbelt area, natural heritage and stream and buffer. Of the remaining 20 acres, about 15 acres will be built on — with housing, streets, sidewalks, patios. This means that 75% of the development land will be covered with impermeable surfaces — roofs, asphalt, concrete.
The developer is asking for exemptions from Town standards so the density of the proposed subdivision can be two to three times more packed than the neighbourhoods on adjacent streets. Also, because of the high water table in the area, the developer proposes to bring in fill to raise the level of the grade by eight to 10 feet.
The combination of impermeable surfaces that do not absorb water and the raised grade mean that there will need to be massive storage tanks installed on top of the existing grade and then covered with fill. It is proposed that these storage tanks will be able to hold storm runoff to be slowly released into the creek. However, no details have been provided about the capacity of the storage tanks and no studies have been provided to calculate whether the storage will be sufficient to manage the amount of water falling on 15 acres of roofs and pavement.
Already there is serious flooding of One Mile Creek along John Street as it exits the Rand Estate where clear cutting trees in 2018 reduced the site’s natural capacity to absorb rainfall.
One Mile Creek flooding outside of Rand Estate at intersection of Charlotte St. and John St on Aug 14 2019.
From the site, One Mile Creek winds for about 1.6 kilometres through Old Town — behind houses on streets such as William St., Johnson St., Simcoe St., Gage St and Landsdowne St. — before eventually reaching Lake Ontario. With higher water flows surging from the development site, the concern is that the creek will over flow its natural basin and flood properties downstream.
FOMC argues in its submissions that the density of the development should not exceed the existing standards. Also, there is little use of green infrastructure or low-impact development practices in the proposed development. Because the development will retain condominium ownership on private land, there are questions about how the water storage system would be maintained over a period of years.
You can read below the FOMC submissions to the Town.
Map showing location in grey of proposed Rand subdivision: about 15 acres — 75% of development area — would be covered with roofs or pavement.
Path in the Two Mile Creek Conservation Area (NPCA photo).
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) started July 5, 2021, with forest and stream rehabilitation at the Two Mile Creek Conservation Area in Niagara-on-the-Lake that is accessed at the end of Butler Street and from the Garrison Village neighbourhood. The work will remove dead ash trees and creek debris, plant new native trees to provide ecosystem diversity and ensure trail user safety.
The operation will begin in Treatment Area “A” and Treatment Area “B” (see map), with the objective of a “stand conversion” from the dominate ash tree forest cover to a young forest of mixed tree species through subsequent reforestation activity.
NPCA map showing areas for July 2021 rehabilitation work.
Ash tree mortality was caused by the Emerald Ash Borer, a shiny emerald coloured beetle that was first noticed in North America in 2002 and in Niagara-on-the-Lake in 2012. Larvae of this invasive species feed just beneath the bark of ash trees and disrupt the movement of water and nutrients. Once signs and symptoms of infestation develop, the tree is in irreversible decline. Once dead, ash trees tend to fall apart, dropping bark and dead branches, and either fall over or snap halfway up the trunk within four years.
“A thorough assessment of the Two Mile Creek site indicated that within the treatment areas, the tree composition is dominated by green ash in the overstory and Manitoba maple in the understory,” says Dan Drennan, Watershed Forester at NPCA. “There is no significant natural regeneration of non-ash native species that could replace the dying and dead ash trees, and Manitoba maple is not a species the NPCA wants to dominate the site. There are scattered groups of willow that will be retained as much as possible.”
The timing of the tree-clearing operation coincides with a period of time where in-stream work can occur with minimal impact to bird nesting season and outside of spring and fall fish-spawning periods. These months tend to be the driest in the Niagara region, with ideal conditions to minimize damage to the site, including that of gravestones or heritage features. A third-party ecologist has assessed the site ahead of the tree clearing and has identified trees to be retained because of bird and bat habitat features such as cavity nests.
“As part of the forest and stream rehabilitation work, the majority of the dead ash trees and invasive Manitoba maples will be removed using equipment that will fell and mulch the dead trees, leaving the organic material on site,” Drennan says. “Fallen trees and logs in the watercourse will be removed in a safe and controlled manner, to improve flow and address concerns about large creek debris and flooding.”
The ash tree forest cover will be replaced by native deciduous and coniferous trees appropriate to the site conditions and native to seed zone 37. These will be replanted on the site to encourage the re-establishment of a healthy, resilient and diverse ecosystem that will support a variety of wildlife and improve the overall water quality in Two Mile Creek. The NPCA will launch a public engagement initiative and volunteer call out to welcome area residents in these replanting activities this fall or in spring of 2022.
“The timing of this initiative correlates well with other Town efforts to remove ash trees and improve upon the overall tree canopy and quality of trees in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” says Brett Ruck, Irrigation and Drainage Superintendent at the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. “We hope residents will embrace this endeavor as we collectively look forward to the rejuvenation of this site.”
Work is expected to take approximately three to four weeks. The Two Mile Creek Conservation Area, approximately 4 hectares (10 acres), will be closed to the public during this time.
Various forestry equipment will be used for the tree clearing operation and nearby residents and businesses should expect noise between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
All other conservation areas in the Niagara Peninsula watershed remain open and continue to provide natural spaces for safe, local day-use visits for outdoor, passive recreation. To learn more about these parks and the services and amenities available at each park, visit https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas.
Update: We are pleased to report that on Dec. 1, 2021, Niagara Region Council formally adopted a resolution for option 3C to be used in the new regional official plan which is expected to be finally approved in June 2022.
For the past several years, a detailed process has been underway by the regional government in Niagara to put in place a new Official Plan that will define how the Niagara Region will use available land over the next 30 years for physical, economic and social development.
There have been studies and public discussions under the broad headings of Growing Region (think residential development), Vibrant Region (think of design of new areas such as Glendale), Competitive Region (employment lands, agriculture and aggregate extraction), Connected Region (transportation and infrastructure) and Sustainable Region (the natural environment, watershed planning and climate change).
Given the focus of Friends of One Mile Creek on natural conservation, we’ve been cheering on the efforts of a group called Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara (BCAN) led by Liz Benneian. FOMC is one of several local groups in the Niagara Region supporting BCAN.
The Province now requires that a Natural Environment System (NES) is included as part of the Official Plan. The NES includes a Natural Heritage Systems (NHS) and a Water Resource Systems (WRS). A NES comprises the most significant natural features like wetlands and woodlands, buffers to protect them from adjacent uses and linkages between them.
Unfortunately, the minimum requirements by the Province for the creation of the NES are not enough to protect our natural heritage now and into the future.
Region planning staff developed two options for the NES – 3B and 3C – but BCAN believes only 3C is robust enough to provide significant protection, especially given the development pressure in the Niagara Region.
“Regional Council will be asked to choose between a Natural Environment System that is good enough to meet the low bar set by the Province or one that is connected and robust enough to protect our local ecology into the future,” Liz Benneian says.
For instance, because many natural features cross between artificial municipal boundaries, the 3C option includes small linkages between significant features such as wetlands and woodlands outside of urban areas, as well as inside of them if the linkages are in a natural state. Also, 3C requires buffers along the edge of significant woodlands or wetlands in urban areas, with the size of the buffer determined after a developer pays for a proper study.
Here is a comparison of the options prepared by BCAN:
It’s fair to say that the debate between 3B and 3C has provided a sort of litmus test for which politicians seem to be serious about taking action to protect the natural environment, and those who seem to be more interested in catering to other interests. The region planning staff has not asked for direction from politicians on any aspect of the current plan except for the question between the options for the Natural Heritage System. Instead of making a decision on the NES options as staff requested, the Regional Council has asked staff to do further mapping and policy development for both 3B and 3C.
For Old Town in Niagara on the Lake, the Natural Environment System would cover 9.3% of the land area with option 3B while option 3C would cover 10.7%, according to the April 12 report to the region from consultants North-South Environmental Inc. and Meridian Planning Consultants (report provided below).
On the BCAN Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Biodiversity-and-Climate-Action-Committee-Niagara-114688909983836), Liz Benneian has put together a gallery of the images of politicians who should be thanked and supported for their efforts to support the natural environment because they have made the effort to study the options and voiced support for the 3C option. We’re pleased to note that Niagara on the Lake Lord Mayor Betty Disero is on the list of those supporting the 3C option.
Once again, we are disappointed to see the lack of support for environmental proposals by NOTL Regional Councillor Gary Zalepa.
The next step in the Niagara Official Plan process is for staff to come back to the full Regional Council, likely in September, following the June public information sessions.
The posting on BCAN’s Facebook page about supporters of the 3C option.
To provide FOMC members with more background, we are posting the April 12 report to the region from consultants North-South Environmental Inc. and Meridian Planning Consultants about the natural environment options.
In late March 2021, the Niagara Regional Council voted to support the idea of a Ramsar designation of the Niagara River, under the 1971 Ramsar Convention, with a designation as a wetland of international importance. The Convention on Wetlands of International importance – called the Ramsar Convention because it was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971 – is a voluntary treaty, committed to encouraging education and sustainability by acknowledging globally important wetlands through designation.
But the Niagara Region approval was couched in language that reflects the sentiment of some people who say they do not want to support any environmental measure that might somehow someday possibly be used as a reason to restrict property development or farming practices.
Friends of One Mile Creek (FOMC) supports the Ramsar designation.
“The Niagara River has a long legacy of industrial waste and contamination. Canada has the opportunity to change the narrative of the Niagara River, as the United States did last year, through the designation of a Ramsar site, to a globally recognized area known for its rich biodiversity, health and prosperity,” says the September 2020 submission by FOMC.
“We understand this designation will open up greater opportunities for expanding tourism programming, promote increased public awareness of the River’s importance to global biodiversity through research and development, and allow the Niagara River region to further foster cooperation and partnership between the United States and Canada to ensure conservation both within and around the Niagara River Corridor.”
Unfortunately, the Niagara on the Lake councillor on Regional Council, Gary Zalepa, has been a vocal opponent of the Ramsar designation, but he has not detailed specific reasons why he is opposed.
The Regional approval moves the process along, but was limited in the nature of its support:
” 1. That the Regional Municipality of Niagara ENDORSE the nomination of the Niagara River as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site); “2. That Regional Council RECOGNIZES and SUPPORTS the continuation of legal drawing and drainage of water by the farming community for irrigation and agricultural purposes from the Niagara River; and “3. That there be NO regional financial commitments or staff time attributed to Ramsar.”
Here is the text of FOMC’s support for the Ramsar designation:
