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Brampton Guardian
- Nov. 12, 2006 - Peter Criscione Land use dispute will be heard by OMB Tuesday Environmentalists fighting to keep urban sprawl from swallowing up the northwest end of Brampton will take on Peel Region at the Ontario Municipal Board, starting Tuesday. Therese Gain Taylor -- who formed Citizens for Ethical Civic Engagement (CECE) after breaking away from the Peel branch of the Sierra Club last spring -- will lead a delegation contesting a plan to convert 2,400 hectares of rural land into residential space. Of the six groups that initially stood in opposition to the plan, including the Sierra Club, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the City of Brampton, Gain Taylor said she is the only "party" not to settle with the Region of Peel. "We don't want to settle, we want to rein-in sprawl and preserve our best farmland for future generations," Gain Taylor told The Guardian. "It is vital we act now to protect our remaining precious prime farmland and to promote the viability of local farming." The area in question is in the far northwest corner of Brampton, bounded by Winston Churchill Boulevard to the west, Mayfield Road to the north, Creditview Road to the east and the Credit River to the south. The majority of the area historically had been designated agricultural in Brampton's Official Plan. Local politicians, most notably Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell, pushed to have 24 square kilometers of farmland in that area earmarked for residential development, arguing the city needs more space to manage growth. The move to convert the land was given the green light at the municipal level in 2005, despite opposition from environmentalists and other local stakeholders. Opposition to the initiative was formidable but Gain Taylor said politicians succeeded in reaching a settlement with all concerned parties, including the Peel branch of the Sierra Club. Gain Taylor, a founding member of the Peel chapter, said she resigned from that organization because of differences with how chair Peter Orphanos handled the farmland appeal. Orphanos declined to speak with The Guardian with regards to the OMB hearing, except to say the local Sierra Club "wishes Ms. (Gain) Taylor the best of luck on Nov. 14." Gain Taylor, who formed the CECE in October, was granted party status at the OMB hearing. "If the OMB approves a settlement to allow this urban expansion, more cars will fill more roads with more pollution," Gain Taylor said. 'Ignoring taxpayers' Fennell and Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion "are ignoring taxpayers and the daily news by burying farming, sprawl and climate change issues," Gain Taylor continued. "Residents support the goal of curbing urban sprawl and protecting area farmland yet both mayors and their councillors voted unanimously to expand urban sprawl and bury (2,400 hectares) of prime farmland." The City of Brampton has experienced unprecedented growth for nearly a decade. In 2004 alone, council approved close to 10,000 new residential units in accordance with the Ontario government's Places to Grow legislation. Tuesday's OMB hearing kicks off as residents in east Brampton are fighting to stop further development of the Castlemore golf course. The Castlemore Golf and Country Club is situated along Countryside Drive, between Goreway Drive and Airport Road. In 2002, city council approved a blueprint to build 200 detached houses in place of nine of the course's 18 holes. Residents there have formed a group they say is bent on "saving Brampton's green space from the wrath of land development." The OMB hearing will be held at the Brampton Court house on Ray Lawson Boulevard beginning Tuesday. PLEEASSE
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