Belfountain Community Update – October 10 2020

Belfountain Community Update:

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope everyone finds a way to celebrate, whether it is with your immediate family or virtually.

A new business has opened in Belfountain.  Be sure to stop in to ‘N’ and say hello to the owner Miyeko. ‘N’ is a lifestyle boutique which will be open year-round. You can reach Miyeko by email at miyekosimmons@gmail.com

So much is happening around the community, so much to share.

A Ward Boundary Review is something new to consider. The Town of Caledon information is at this link: https://www.caledon.ca/en/government/ward-boundary-review

The BCO has initiated meetings with representatives of the West Caledon Traffic and Aggregate groups. Forks of the Credit residents’ group has joined Traffic and Cataract representatives have joined the Aggregate group.

On Sept. 29, Caledon Council passed a motion to increase the number of community safety zones with- in West Caledon.  Attached is a link for your review.https://calendar.caledon.ca/Meetings/Detail/2020-09-22-1430-General-Committee-Meeting/. This designation was required for implementation of photo radar in the area. Speeding within a community safety zone has a much bigger impact as fines are doubled in these areas.

Speed limits on the streets of Caledon and the location of stop signs were also defined in this report.

The report also identified that the average daily traffic volume on McLaren between the Forks of the Credit and the park entrance, Mississauga Road between Forks of the Credit and Cataract Road, Shaws Creek between Bush St. and River Road, were 925, 1,103 and 1,141 vehicles daily. 

A red-light camera was approved for the intersection of Highway 10 and Old Base Line Road.

A letter was sent by the Town to Provincial Parks’ superintendents to establish a management plan that will address the many issues that have occurred at Forks of the Credit Park this year. The plan would include issues such as safety, capacity, emergency procedures, parking, etc.

The Region of Peel personnel are currently in the hamlet conducting their annual traffic studies on our  Regional roads.

Yesterday, notice from the Town of Caledon announced that Scott Street and King Street will be closed for rehabilitation from October 9 till November 9. Folks who live on Scott and King will be able to access their homes and park in their driveways.

Our West Caledon Aggregate group has compiled a prioritized list of concerns which will be presented to Municipal/Regional Councils and Provincial partners. The goal of the group is to influence the content of the respective Official Plans regarding aggregate practice.

John Spina, the developer of Manors of Belfountain, has submitted a revised application to the NEC, increasing the number of houses for the development to 75. The BCO has received the relevant documents and Ken Howard, hydrogeologist, has been engaged to review the content of the hydrogeology and functional servicing reports. It will take some time for him to complete as the content is extensive. We need Mr. Howard to verify the daily extraction of water for this development and what the impact will be on the aquifer and the community. We will inform the community as soon as the outcome is known.

The Case Management Conference which is the first meeting and stage of the LPAT (Local Planning Appeal Tribunal) process for the James Dick pit extension has been set for October 26 at 9:00am. This will be a virtual proceeding.

The CMC for the LPAT (Local Planning Appeal Tribunal) for the Erin Wastewater Treatment Plant proposal has been set for November 13, 2020. This too, will be a virtual proceeding.

The CMC for both LPAT’s will establish which groups or individuals will be Party to the action and who will be Participants.  David Donnelly, LLP, will be representing the BCO in both tribunals.

Wastewater treatment Plant:  Benny Marrotta initiated this LPAT. He appealed the delay of plant approval by the Town of Erin at the time we filed Part II orders with the Ministry of the Environment regarding the Environmental Assessment. Our filings are based on the impact of the effluent on the West Credit River and the Brook Trout habitat. At full build out, 7,172m3/ of effluent will be discharged daily into the West Credit River, equating to 3 Olympic sized swimming pools of effluent per day! Despite what is purported by the Erin consultants regarding the state of the water, endocrine disruptors and other chemicals cannot be removed. It is not clear how fish and other species will survive the effluent plume. The Town of Erin has identified the preferred entry port location for the effluent will be at the culvert found on Winston Churchill and Bush Street. This West Credit location was selected because it is the largest river in the area to support the effluent flow of 5,000 new homes plus conversion from wells and septic systems of the existing homes in Erin and Hillsburgh. This should be on everyone’s radar.

LPAT’s are lengthy and expensive proceedings. Mono Mills was involved in such a proceeding for Greenwood. The hearing took 6.5 years to conclude and they await judgement at this time. The overall cost was $600,000.

Covid has curtailed the opportunity to congregate in person. Online fundraising will be the way for the future along with support through donations. The BCO will implement online fundraising  along with Small Change Fund a registered charity, for donors to receive tax receipts for their generosity going forward. We have registered proactively, for the Manors of Belfountain, and are initiating the same for the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Erin Pit Expansion.  Only one project can be done at a time with the SCF.  We listened to your responses in the community survey and started with the number one issue.

As always donations can be made by e-transfer and cheque to the BCO Treasurer, Paula Basciano: paula.basciano@rogers.com.

Enjoy the sunshine and beautiful fall colours! 

Be safe, be happy!

BCO