There was plenty to ask about for the residents of Ward 8 last week. Questions on the integrity of the County’s official plan, how to handle growth, and preventing rural rezoning were top of mind at the North Marysburgh Town Hall on Tuesday, October 14.

Ken Morton, Siobhan Harrison, and Tracey Stevens are vying for the ward’s one seat. The three Mayoral candidates, Brad Nieman, Ernie Margetson, and Terry Shortt were on hand as well.

Concerned by a re-zoning application for a proposed cooking school at Lake-on-the-Mountain, residents asked candidates if they would respect the County’s Official Plan when asked to approve development in rural areas. 

The Prince Estate Event Centre proposes  a culinary school, a banquet hall, and 10 guestrooms. The developer is seeking to re-zone the site, which sits along the escarpment overlooking the Adolphus Reach, from Industrial to Tourist Commercial.

The Liberty Entertainment Group, which operates prominent Toronto event venues like Casa Loma, the Liberty Grand, and the new Rogers Stadium, intends to invest $3 million in the facility. 

As one resident put it, “Toronto developers want to develop a banquet hall. They say it’s for 75 people — but it could be 200. That is a lot for a Natural Core Area. 

“The focus of the application was where it was going to get its water from,” he noted. Attempts to drill a well have failed.

“One of the things we didn’t ask for was a cost-benefit analysis,” said Ms. Stevens. “It was not asked for, therefore it wasn’t provided. If amending the Official Plan does come up, we need to look at all of the factors involved,” she said.

Mr. Morton said he would not agree to any future rezoning to Tourist Commercial, but noted that as the land is zoned Institutional, they cannot stop the school buildout.

The next question addressed growth. Ms. Harrison said finding a balance between growing at an acceptable pace and keeping rural areas rural is the answer.

“We need small-scale development, but we don’t need to overdevelop. I personally want to see this community maintain its rural charm. It has to be on the proper scale,” she said.

Mr. Morton said growth is necessary, but avoiding urban sprawl is key.

“As long as we keep our urban development where it needs to be, we’re okay. If you look at Base 31, it’s in the proper spot, it’s basically rock. If you want to dig there, go for it. If they do what they intend with that community, they’re going to create tourism-based jobs, and there will be small businesses there,” he said. 

Picton Terminals

Residents also asked where candidates stood on the matter of Picton Terminals, and if they would support the County’s request for a Ministerial Zoning Order. All three agreed on the MZO portion of the question, stating it is out of the municipality’s hands. They did offer opinions on the handling of the matter prior to that settlement.

“This is another situation where consultation and transparency were missed opportunities. What we can do now is enforce our bylaws and monitor what is within our purview. As for the MZO, there isn’t much we can do. That’s a decision that was made behind closed doors,” Ms. Stevens said. 

“I’m not so sure the decisions were made behind closed doors for devious reasons. It was a legal matter,” noted Ms. Harrison.

Mr. Morton echoed both sentiments. “The decision was made to stop a court case for that would have cost millions of dollars. At this point it’s out of the municipality’s hands.” [Fact check: should the County have taken the Terminals to court for bylaw infractions, the case was anticipated to cost $400,000].

Brad Nieman said council made the only decision it could in asking the province for an MZO. “Based on the information provided to us by the legal team, this was the best option we had. We don’t have a lot of money as a municipality. It could have been a lot worse. Nothing was nefarious,” he said.

But Mr. Margetson said he felt the MZO settlement agreement was “one-sided,” and should have more clearly addressed the needs of both parties.

“When I read the agreement, I feel we could have negotiated for a better outcome for the municipality. When I read it, I thought, it seems like a one-sided agreement.” As for the quarrying at the site, Mr. Margetson noted the province is defending it. “They’re quarrying rock, the excess rock is being processed, and from what I understand they’re selling it. The Ministry of Natural Resources has not yet said this contravenes the Aggregate Resources Act.” The ARA regulates aggregate resources —  such as sand, gravel, clay, and rock — regulates pit and quarry operations, and mandates both land rehabilitation and environmental protections.

“If the Ministry is not intervening on behalf of the citizens and the province to investigate and bring the owner of the site under the appropriate regulations, the municipality has limited authority to impose any restriction on that action.”

Conflicts of Interest

Towards the end of the meeting, Ms. Harrison addressed the concern that she will not be able to be a strong voice for the ward because of potential conflicts of interest. Her husband David Harrison’s  tenure as councillor has been dogged by accusations of conflict.

Referencing an opening remark by Ms. Stevens to the effect that she had no conflicts of interest, Ms. Harrison noted her family’s ties to the County will not stop her from acting.

“If I may go off-topic to address an important issue about conflict of interest,” began Ms. Harrison. “I took it upon myself to contact the County and see if they had data. In total, 72 conflicts of interest were declared during the last council.

“My husband [councillor David Harrison] declared 15 times. To put it into perspective, that means 15 declarations over 1200 votes. 

“I would like to add that if you live in this community for generations, as my family has, the likelihood of someone being involved in this community is relatively high. I can’t predict the future. I don’t know how many conflicts will arise. Nobody here tonight can say they won’t have potential conflicts going forward.”