For Immediate Release
May 10, 2016
Sierra Club of Canada Foundation Ontario Chapter (SCO) celebrates the Ontario Government decision to protect twenty-one of Southern Ontario’s waterways by including them in the Greenbelt under the Urban River Valley (URV) designation. Numerous opinion surveys have proven that the protection of Ontario’s water resources through mechanisms such as URV designation is a major reason for the overwhelming public support of the Greenbelt. SCO Chapter Director Dan McDermott said today that “The Greenbelt protection of these twenty-one urban river valleys helps fulfill the Ontario public’s demand for water security”.
SCO’s work has been instrumental in today’s Ontario Government announcement to provide (URV) Greenbelt protection to the publicly owned Credit River Valley lands within the City of Mississauga. The late Peter Orphanos, Founder of Sierra Club’s Peel Region Group, introduced the need to provide Greenbelt protection for the Credit Valley to Mississauga Council in 2010. Councillors Jim Tovey and George Carlson have worked hard to help make Peter’s dream today’s reality. Long-time Credit River advocate, Mayor Bonnie Crombie, led Council to unanimous support for the Mississauga application in 2015.
Today’s announcement to provide Greenbelt status and protection to the Credit Valley is consistent with the Ontario Government’s commitment, supported fully by Ontario residents as indicated in numerous opinion polls sponsored by Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, to protect our province’s water resources. The province’s creation of the URV Greenbelt designation in 2012 responded to this need and demand. The Credit River is an Ontario treasure that enjoys the overwhelming support of the community as a whole and of the elected politicians of all parties who represent the Credit River constituency. The Credit River ecosystem has benefitted immeasurably through the diligent stewardship of Credit Valley Conservation.
The success of the hard work and long-term effort to provide Greenbelt protection to the Credit Valley was greeted today by Sierra Peel Greenbelt advocate Thaia Jones who noted that “Sierra Club, Mississauga residents, government officials and agencies all came together in common cause to achieves today’s designation of the Credit Valley in Mississauga as a part of our treasured Greenbelt”.
SCO Chapter Director Dan McDermott added today that, “With this Ontario Government decision, the City of Mississauga, Canada’s sixth largest municipality, is now a part of the Greenbelt. There is no more fitting way for Mississauga residents to celebrate their natural heritage than today’s inclusion of the Mississauga’s Credit River Valley in the Greenbelt”.
Sierra Club actively supports the City of Thorold’s application to add Lake Gibson area land to the Greenbelt and Thorold residents will celebrate that victory today. The need for a continuing effort to protect Ontario water has been underscored by the reality that the Ontario government has yet to provide Greenbelt protection for the headwater lands of Durham Region’s Carruthers Creek. Sierra Club will continue to work for protection of the Carruthers Creek watershed with Greenbelt advocates in Ajax, Pickering and Whitby.
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For further information contact: Dan McDermott 416-461-4787, (cell) 416-873-3852, email dmcd@sierraclub.ca