GBA Flipping Book - Spring 2020

5 ≥ www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Spring 2020 By John Carson, GBA President GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS GBA Coastal Protection Initiative Flows from Review of Municipalities I n the last issue of UPDATE , I wrote about GBA’s longstanding vision to develop a consistent approach to planning and environmental protection standards along the eastern coast of the Bay, which could best be achieved by creating a stronger municipality covering much of the coast. With the provincial government’s recent announcement that it has concluded its review of several regional municipalities (including the District of Muskoka) and decided not to impose any changes, the potential threats and opportunities posed by the review have dissipated for now.  Since Norman Pearson wrote the first study on environmental controls and planning in 1975, it has been clear that the largely water-based communities along the eastern and northern coasts of Georgian Bay share common interests and values that are very different from those of inland communities. The Bay’s unique landscapes and ecosystems form the foundation of those common interests and values, making environmental protection and sound stewardship of this pristine natural area vital priorities for our communities. When the potential threat of a forced amalgamation dissipated, along with a potential opportunity to create a larger coastal municipality, GBA recognized that the discussions on the issue generated an important debate about how to improve coastal protection in the face of increasing development pressures. Wanting to keep the momentum going, we concluded that an opportunity exists to establish best practices throughout the coastal region to better meet our common objectives. The main areas we are focussing on now are planning structures, land use regulations, and septic system issues.  Municipal planning structures, planning regulations and management are critical issues. Each municipality has its own distinct official plan and zoning by-laws, which include many different local community plans in some municipalities. GBA will compare all these different plans and rules, as we believe it will be helpful to identify the main differences and similarities and develop best-practice approaches. This exercise would not determine policy, which is the responsibility of municipalities, but the findings would be valuable inputs to municipal planning approaches, regulations and management. That could lead to ongoing cooperation among municipalities on planning matters. Residential septic systems are of increasing concern due to rising water levels on the Bay and throughout the Great Lakes. Towards the end of 2019, Georgian Bay water levels for January 2020 were predicted to be about 11 inches higher than they were in January 2019. In actual fact, we started 2020 16 inches higher, and all indications are that water levels will probably be 10 to 14 inches higher than last year’s levels into the summer. Many low-lying septic systems are at risk and may be flooded by rising water levels, or saturated and overwhelmed by a storm. That would likely release harmful nutrients and bacteria into the water where you swim and draw your water supply.  Residents may not be aware that their septic systems are threatened by changing water levels. Municipal septic inspection systems would be the most effective way to identify problem systems and reduce the risks to water quality. They are also more cost efficient than owners arranging for individual inspections. GBA is reviewing inspection methodologies in comparable municipalities to identify the most effective and efficient approaches. We will be sharing this important information with all the coastal municipalities to help prevent potentially severe water quality impacts from rising water levels. To assist the GBA Board with these initiatives, our Amalgamation Advisory Committee has been repurposed as the Coastal Protections Committee. The experienced members of our Committee (see the Fall issue of UPDATE ) are providing insights and useful ideas on ways to move forward on these issues. See a summary of recent events and the past reports and studies on coastal protection at: www.georgianbay.ca/ government-affairs/municipal-structure-and-protecting- the-coast/ .