Grimsby Citizens For Responsible Growth

Floreat Grimsby In Medio Horti

Grimsby Wetlands Wins “Brownie” Award For Natural Lands Restoration

Image Credit: Drone’s Eye Photography via Hamilton Naturalists’ Club

The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club (HNC) has won a 2023 “Brownie Award” for its work at the Grimsby Wetlands aka The Biggar Lagoon. Awarded by the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN) under the category of “Reinvest: Financing, Risk Management and Partnerships”, the CBN has recognized the turnaround of these once contaminated sewage treatment lands into an important ecological system within Grimsby and Niagara. This was the first time a “Brownie” award has been given to a volunteer group.

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Staff Report: Council Urged To Ask Province Not To Return Land To Greenbelt

Following a resolution passed in October requesting the Town submit comments to the Province regarding the reversal of the Greenbelt changes, a Staff Report for the consideration of Council on Monday was published today. The report urges Council to request that the Province NOT to reverse the Greenbelt changes in Grimsby (502 Winston and Cline Road) and leave those parcels out for development.

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Province To Review Grimsby Costs of Grimsby and Pickering

Photo Credit: CPAC/Fair Dealing

On Monday, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra announced at Queens Park that after reviewing previous decisions made by the Ministry, it would be introducing legislation to roll back Provincial changes made to Official Plans and Official Plan Amendments in 13 municipalities, including those made to the Region of Niagara’s OP (list of changes here).

For the most part, this applies to urban boundary changes. Calandra said this was part of “building a better relationship” with municipalities. That also includes the Minister “reviewing costs” of Grimsby and Pickering, reversing course on his statements last week that would have municipalities on the hook for incurred expenses.

The costs incurred by Pickering hover around $360K, while Grimsby’s costs have been pegged between $82K to $88K.

While the Province intends on making municipalities whole, officially no “person” will have any recourse under Bill 136 aka “The Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023” should it receive Royal Assent in its current version.

With provisions such as “Proceedings barred”, “No costs award”, “No remedy” and “Retrospective effect”, the Province has attempted to prevent litigation through legislation between anyone, be it the Province, developers, municipalities and other classes related to this whole affair.

Questions Over “Cline Road”, Same Greenbelt Consultant Attends Recent Town Planning Event

Photo Credit: Google/Google Earth, Fair Trading.

While most of the posts here on the Greenbelt flip-flop and its relation to Grimsby have focused on the waterfront lands at 502 Winston Road, not much has been said about the former Greenbelt properties between Oakes Road North/Kelson North and Main Street West/CN rail tracks. That is until now.

Global News has taken a detailed look at some of the lands there. Parts of the lands in question are owned or controlled by an employee (executive assistant) of LiUNA, a large Ford-friendly construction union that has local offices on Hunter Road in Grimsby.

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The $10 Million Waterfront Gamble: Part 4 – That’s Not My Letter!

Well, it’s been about 10 months since the last look at the waterfront Greenbelt land and future development of 502 Winston Road. Needless to say, quite a bit has transpired since. The conclusion in that December 2022 post was that an Auditor General’s report, IC investigation and/or more formal investigative process (RCMP) was needed over the whole Greenbelt process. That suggestion has now come to bear fruit.

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