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Welcome
Wise Communities Stratford is turning the ship around, so to speak, and expanding its horizons. After months of being focused on the controversial float glass factory proposed for Stratford (successfully stopped thanks to civic engagement), we’re now setting our sights on three key areas: Civics, Climate & Environment, and Technology & Media. In the days to come, we intend to continue to renovate our website so that we might provide support to the citizens of Stratford and Perth County across these themes. We welcome your interest and your comments.
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May 5, 2021
There are still a few days left to voice your opinion on the controversial Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) originally granted to Stratford by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to facilitate the construction of the now defunct float glass factory. The deadline for submitting comments to the ministry is this Friday May 7. (We earlier reported a different deadline, but regretfully were mistaken.) Our friends at Get Concerned Stratford, have kindly reminded us of this opportunity in their recent dispatch.
If you’d like to submit your comment for the public record you can do so by e-mailing Tyler Shantz at the ministry offices in London (tyler.shantz@ontario.ca).
As you may recall, Stratford City Council bowed to public pressure and on March 8, 2021 voted to officially request the ministry revoke the MZO, which had rezoned prime agricultural land to industrial use to accommodate the proposed glass factory.
Photo: TVO
Friday deadline to get your MZO comments to the ministry
May 5, 2021
Earlier this week, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson agreed to initiate a federal environmental assessment of the Ontario government’s plans to build a new $6-billion highway connecting suburbs north and west of Toronto.
The proposed 59-km stretch of highway would reportedly disrupt 85 waterways, 220 wetlands, 10 at-risk species and affect hundreds of acres of wildlife habitat, not to mention prime agricultural land.
The group Environmental Defence says: “Ontario’s provincial assessment process has been weakened so much that it can no longer do the job. The province was even proposing to start building ‘early works’ like bridges in endangered species habitat before its limited environmental assessment was completed - which would have been dangerous and damaging.”
This project has alarmed many Ontarians and we add our voice here at Wise Communities Stratford to that concern. We encourage you to contact your elected officials to let them know your thoughts on this controversial highway.
Good news: Highway 413 plan to undergo federal assessment
Photo: trnto.com
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