HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSD-008-04
L..'_"" .,;~..
-'~
/
. Cl~mgron
REPORT
PLANNING SERVICES
Date:
GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
'~O~
'1--- -'
Monday, January 12, 2004 GPA--(J(;Iq ~of
Meeting:
Report #: PSD-008-04
File#: PLN 17,1,6
By-law #:
Subject:
STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee
recommend to Council the following:
1 . THAT Report PS D-008-04 be received;
2. THAT the Manager of Special Projects continue to investigate potential stewardship
initiatives and partnerships with community groups and report to Council on further
actions that have and could be undertaken;
3, THAT the remaining funds be carried over to 2004 and, the guidelines to be used for
stewardship funding assistance be established with the underlying principle that the
funding benefit our partners and ultimately the Municipality;
4. THAT all interested parties listed in this report and any delegations be advised of
Council's decision,
Submitted by:
Reviewed b~J~ en.
Franklin Wu,
Chief Administrative Officer
avi , Crome, M.C,I.P" R,P,P,
Director of Planning Services
FL *DJC*sh
5 January 2004
CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1 C 3A6 T (905)623- 3379 F (905)623-0830
11'
6 "u:_
,.... ,"
REPORT NO.: PSD-OOB.04
PAGE 2
1.0 BACKGROUND
1,1 In the 2001-2003 Business Plan, under goal No, 5, Action number 3 was "Investigate
and implement strategies for land and water stewardship", Stewardship and natural
heritage initiatives is one of the responsibilities of the Special Projects Branch of
Planning Services. The overall policy foundation for these initiatives is rooted in the
Official Plan and a number of ongoing partnerships with community groups such as
Valleys 2000 and Samuel Wilmot Nature Area have been formed. To broaden the
implementation of stewardship initiatives, Planning Services has been asked to
investigate how the Municipality could better facilitate the efforts of the numerous
volunteer groups working on stewardship and natural heritage initiatives, It is
envisioned that implementation strategies would provide a value-added or multiplication
factor to the existing efforts and works,
2.0 DISCUSSION
2,1 Since the arrival of the Manager of Special Projects in April 2003, she has been
attending the meetings of local environmental groups, reviewing the programs that are
in place and examining areas where the Municipality could provide incentives to prompt
further volunteer activities and initiatives, Incentives in the form of funding, volunteer
co-ordination, supplies, education, recognition and communications, etc could be further
developed by the Municipality in partnership with numerous groups,
The stewardship groups and programmes in Clarington, while similar, are highly
diversified and plentiful compared to other locales. Thus, it is difficult to recommend a
one-size fits all incentive programme, In addition, and remarkably many of the groups
are self-sufficient.
2,1 Six Month Scan
During the past six months the Manager has met with and become acquainted with the
initiatives of the:
o Orono Crown Lands Trust
o Samuel Wilmot Nature Area
o Valleys 2000
o Ontario Power Generation, Darlington Site
o Durham Field Naturalists
o Durham Land Stewardship
o Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust and Trail Organization
o Waterfront Regeneration Trail
Of these groups the first four have site specific initiatives underway, The remainder of
the groups are regional in focus and are working in collaboration with others on
localized initiatives, Each group has a specific mandate and while there are
commonalities of purpose other factors, such as geography, set them apart and thus
little duplication actually exists,
64)
"
REPORT NO.: PSD.OOS-04
PAGE 3
2,2 Stewardship Co-ordinators
There are a number of agencies involved in co-ordinating stewardship activities; better
communication between these agencies would assist both the individual groups and the
overall benefit of their activities, The agencies and activities are:
o CLOCA - currently are finalizing hiring a stewardship co-ordinator
o FON (Federation of Ontario Naturalists) - launching a web-based volunteer
listing and activity calendar for members and member groups,
o Clarington - assist community groups (outlined in 2,1) plus school and other
community based organizations (e,g. boy scouts) interested in tree plantings,
trail building, etc,
Staff will continue to provide resources and information to community groups. Staff will
liase with other agencies to ensure there is no duplication of effort, The funding
available is being used to enhance the volunteer efforts of the groups and for projects
where other funding sources have been tapped out.
2,3 Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC)
Currently the Region has an environmental advisory committee which reviews various
development applications within the Region, provides input to the Region's Official Plan
and other policy papers, Some of the local municipalities (e,g, Ajax) have
environmental advisory committees as well. Clarington Council have asked whether it
would be advisable to set up such a committee in Clarington,
EAC's are often formed to address either the lack of or weakness in Official Plan
policies as they relate to development and environmental protection, In Clarington's
case the O,P, policies, which have been in place since 1996 are some of the most
stringent and effective in the province, given the current Provincial Policy Statements
and Planning Act. The O,P, policies have served the Municipality well in protection of
natural areas; and will continue to be reviewed and strengthened as needed,
The terms of reference of EAC's vary across the province, they generally address
environmental issues related to development. EAC's are typically composed of
representatives from different environmental fields (e,g, hydrologist, biologist,
environmental engineer, landscape architect, forester) which provides the committee
with professional credibility, If such a committee were constituted in Clarington there is
a concern that because of the limited population an adequate number of professional
advisors willing to serve would be limited and it would be difficult to form a committee to
carry out peer review,
The role of environmental education, stream clean-ups, tree plantings and other "hands
on" environmental works are being carried out by a number of local groups and forming
an additional site specific Clarington wide Committee to carry out such functions would
be counter productive to the existing efforts, Linking individuals in Clarington who wish
to volunteer with existing groups is an issue that the Municipality can assist with by
644
,., ",
REPORT NO.: PSD-008-04
PAGE 4
serving as a clearing house for information, The Municipality can also assist in the
formulation of additional site specific groups for localized environmental activities,
3.0 ISSUES
From the discussions with the community groups involved in stewardship and
observations it is apparent that there are a number of issues the municipality could
assist with to make their efforts more productive and of even greater benefit to the
municipality,
3,1, Grant Applications
One of the hardest items that community groups face is the preparation and
investigation of grant applications to funding agencies, Often it is difficult to figure out
which agencies and foundations are willing to fund the types of initiatives being
undertaken; the second aspect is the actual application and management of the grant.
The recently purchased subscription to the Canadian Centre of Philanthrophy (CCP)
database has made the searching of funding agencies easier; access to this service by
the community groups can be gained through the resource staff, Assistance with grant
application and management is currently provided on an as needed basis and when
time is available,
3,2 Construction and Maintenance of Facilities
The community groups, specifically Valleys 2000, Samuel Wilmot Nature Area and the
environmental groups from Bowmanville and Courtice High Schools have undertaken
the construction of trails and bridges, parking lots, plantings. information kiosks and
signage, Currently the working relationship between the groups is functioning on an
informal basis, Design assistance is provided by Engineering Services and other
agencies (e,g, CLOCA, MNR) a formalized sign-off (of the design aspects) on works
being implemented on municipal property would be beneficial.
Once facilities (trails or planting) are implemented, maintenance is provided by
Operations, Trail clearing, garbage removal and other ongoing maintenance items are
not a first priority for Operations which can be frustrating for the community groups,
3,3 Insurance/Liability
Currently the Municipality has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Valleys
2000 regarding the works in the valley including ultimate ownership of the works and
responsibility. This MOU has worked well for Valleys 2000 and is a model that can be
used for other stewardship groups, The Municipality is ultimately responsible for the
works undertaken by the community groups on municipally owned or leased lands,
Valleys 2000 carry additional insurance for their Board members and liability for works
they are involved with through the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, It is advisable that this
64J
REPORT NO.: PSD-008-04
PAGE 5
practice be extended to other community groups that undertaken works on municipal
lands,
3.4 Collaboration
Environmental Convergence is an initiative undertaken by Ontario Power Generation,
For the past two years they have been bringing various groups dedicated to
stewardship together for an annual workshop (hosted by OPG) and the exchange of
information, There are no regular meetings, due to the busy schedule of many of the
groups and their focus on action rather than meetings, Communiques are sent out via
e-mail and regular post. This initiative could be expanded to include additional web-
based information and communication as part of the E-governance initiative by the
municipality,
Use of the community event listing and volunteer services provided by the Federation of
Ontario Naturalists could be utilized by the community agencies as it is unveiled to the
public and begins to be known among the environmental community,
Greater collaboration between the Durham Land Stewardship Council, Durham Field
Naturalists and local groups on specific projects could expand the base of volunteers
and knowledge of natural areas for the benefit of all,
4.0 CONCLUSIONS
Stewardship initiatives are seen as a growth area for the municipality, There are
numerous projects, from those with local focus such as the Hampton Mill Pond
Restoration and the linking of Salina Park across Black Creek to the more naturalized
portion of the valley, to larger projects such as the continued interconnection of trails in
the valley lands of Courtice and Bowmanville, Municipal wide projects such as the
development of a wildlife habitat corridor along Lake Ontario are set out in policy but to
date little on the ground evidence of their existence can be found, All of these projects
require municipal input in the form of policy development, staff advice, seed funding
ongoing maintenance and land acquisition,
The steps taken to date are enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Clarington
and should be continued, The seed funding provided in 2003 to the Planning Services
Department has provided for the additional plantings, trail construction and
communication/education by the community groups for the benefit of the municipality,
Ideas that are still under investigation are the purchase of supplies necessary for trail
development, clean-ups and plantings that could be shared amongst all the groups and
the further development of a communications strategy and clearing house of information
for volunteers and groups to multiply their efforts, The unspent remaining balance is to
be carried over to 2004 to continue these works,
645
. .
;
REPORT NO.: PSO.QOS.Q4
PAGE 6
The development of an acquisition strategy for targeted, essential properties for
continued protection and enhancement of valleys, environmentally significant features
(areas of natural and scientific interest [ANSI's] and environmentally significant areas
[ESA's]) and wildlife corridors should be developed, While some lands are identified in
the Municipal Acquisition Strategy, the acquisition strategy should be updated in
conjunction with community and other governmental agencies and other municipal
priorities,
Special Projects will continue to work with the various community groups and look for
opportunities to expand activities and initiatives within the time and budget constraints
of the Municipality,
~ -/
6'1 I