Protecting a watershed

WCIA pushed aside. Again.

For more than 30 years, a group of County residents have worked to protect and rehabilitate Waring’s Creek and its watershed. Few ever imagined the biggest threat to the fragile ecosystem would be Shire Hall and municipal council. They need your help.

Earlier this year Council approved a pair of developers’ plans to blanket the sensitive watershed with 1,400 homes, streets, sidewalks and shops. The Waring Creek Improvement Association (WCIA) repeatedly explained the risks of paving over the watershed to Council. The group insisted that Shire Hall conduct its own independent study of the groundwater conditions to find out once and for all the challenges of intensive homebuilding in this sodden 150 acres—so that it could assure all County residents that the developers’ plans were defensible and safe.

Council had already committed to doing so in a 2008 settlement with the WCIA—but in the intervening years, Shire Hall found a way to relieve itself of this obligation. After a tortured journey to Council’s table, a majority approved the development plans in February on the condition that the largest plan (Cold Creek Homes’ 900 units) would undergo a thorough hydrogeological (groundwater, hereafter referred to as hydroG) study with the full participation of the WCIA.

Council further committed that if any adverse findings were revealed in the study, changes would be made to development site plans accordingly. The County’s planning staff would safeguard the process and the watershed—in partnership with the WCIA.

Except it didn’t happen.

According to the WCIA’s president, Cliff Rice, municipal planners and the developer’s engineering firm are seeking to curtail their participation.

“They believe we should have no input into data collection, data interpretation, or completion of the study report,” said Rice in a statement. “This will be the second time the WCIA has been cut out of a process voted on and approved by Council.”

Dr. Rice was assured by Council that the WCIA would be fully engaged in determining once and for all the tolerance of this land for development—in terms of the number of homes, density, as well as watershed protection and mitigation measures. But once again, the WCIA feels it is on the outside looking in.

Shire Hall has a different interpretation of events.

“In early 2025, several meetings were held that involved municipal staff, WCIA representatives, and representatives from the developer,” said Matt Coffey, Planning Coordinator. “Through these meetings, a draft terms of reference was developed and discussed among the parties. Those terms of reference were examined by an independent peer review consultant retained by the municipality.”

The WCIA were assured they would be “fully engaged.” Somewhere along the way, the WCIA’s role was downgraded to “in collaboration with.”

Matt Coffey says the final terms of reference and the results of the independent peer review will be presented to Council on June 24.

The WCIA must now take its arguments to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), the only remaining venue. This takes money. About $100,000 worth.

To meet this challenge, the WCIA has just launched a major fundraising campaign.

A crowdfunding site has been set up at Waring’s Creek Restoration and Defense Fund. Donations may be made directly to WCIA via eTransfer to wcia.pec@gmail.com.

On July 26, the WCIA is hosting a dinner and silent auction at the Waring House featuring only County meat and produce. Tickets are available at the Waring House, Casa Lucia in Bloomfield and Langridge’s Fresh Produce on Sandy Hook Road.

Donations may be made directly to WCIA via eTransfer to wcia.pec@gmail.com