July 30, 1999
Mayor Keith Shier and Members of Council
Township of Brock
Dear Mayor and Members of the Council of Brock,
I would like to draw to your attention a
situation developing at the Wilfrid Bog. It appears the new land
owner has taken it upon himself to ignore all previous attempts to
preserve the SE corner of the ANSI 6, environmental protected
property, deemed both a regionally and provincially significant, rare
wetland area. Wednesday of last week (July 28, 1999) Pefferlaw Peat
Products entered the property via a makeshift (and up to the time of
this letter) unapproved access and has once again destroyed a
sizeable section of this unique habitat in preparation for peat removal.
I would like to see an immediate stop to this
destructive action upon this EP property. In 1981, an OMB hearing
reversed a zonal change from EP to M4-1 (a zonal change granted
previously by our local council) and also regulated the removal of
peat from this site. Also, there are regional bylaws in place
controlling the removal of peat in Durham region. This should be
checked into and enforced. I will be generating a letter for the
Region of Durham and the OMNR on this matter. These points alone,
along with the existing EP status on the property, should be suffice
to accomplish the halt to this activity, contemptuous to the EP
zoning, the municipalities Official Plan, Durham Regions bylaws as
well as the judgment of the 1881 OMB hearing.
The access he has placed onto the discussed
property along side-road 17 should be removed without hesitation, as
it is unapproved and is currently blocking drainage through this
water filled ditch and consequently increases the possibility of the
already existing threat of flooding along this road and Regional Road
12 into Cannington. Removal of this access may prevent him from
further damage until the other matters can be resolved, and is far
less costly for the region than an injunction, which may be necessary
if continued damage occurs.
The Wilfrid Bog was identified as a significant
wetland site in the early 1970's in an IUCN Man and the Biosphere
survey. In 1972 it was zoned EP under recommendation of this study.
In 1980, the Nature Conservancy of Canada in it's report on the bog
stated ‘Wilfrid Bog provides a vital public service through its
biological and hydrological functions. To destroy it through
deforestation and peat extraction would be contrary to public
interest, the Official Plan, and the environmental well-being of
Ontario. This vital headwater source must be protected'. In 1982 a
study by the local conservation authority recognized the Wilfrid Bog
as an Environmentally Significant Area. The study described the bog
as ‘an exceptional example of a northern bog ecosystem. The
fragility of the bog community and the pressures that are being
exerted on it make this a high priority area of protection'. Also of
note is the fact that the Pefferlaw Peat Products company purchased
this site in 1977, five years after the EP zoning. Since this time it
has been classified by our federal government as an ANSI 6 wetland site.
Due to the time restraint involved here (a large
amount of damage can be occurred in a very short time) I thank you
for your prompt attention on this matter.
Kevin Tipson
