NIAGARA ESCARPMENT BIOSPHERE NETWORK BLOG

How Can a Nature Corridor Benefit South Georgian Bay?

02/10/2024

If you are hearing the term “Nature Corridor” for the first time, or are simply curious in finding out how the Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA) plans on creating this in South Georgian Bay, you will want to attend the Nature Corridor Summit being held on October 25, 2024 in the Blue Mountains. The Summit features leading experts and provides an opportunity to learn more about how the creation of an ecological corridor can connect and protect wildlife and nature, from habitat destruction and fragmentation. The ECA itself is a very young organization that came into being to protect the Niagara Escarpment in South Georgian Bay.

Many Ontarians don’t realize that the Niagara Escarpment is a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve recognized for its biodiversity and ecological importance. The escarpment is part of Ontario’s Greenbelt and protected by the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP). While the escarpment’s unique ecological and geological significance is well acknowledged, and legislation exists to balance conservation with sustainable development, the NEP includes a problematic land use designation loophole for recreational development and ancillary residential uses. This designation allows residential development in support of recreational development. It turns out that what defines recreational development to trigger residential components is ill-defined and exploitable by developers who acquire sites with recreational use permissions, not for recreation-focused projects but for large-scale housing developments.

The scale of the problem is alarming. Currently, 34 sites, covering approximately 16,000 acres, are affected by this loophole, a problem twice the size of the Greenbelt carve-out that recently troubled Ontario’s government. A case that illustrates the problem is that of the former Talisman Ski Resort in Beaver Valley. Here, a consortium recently acquired the site in the iconic Beaver Valley. This group of builders plans to build over 300 residences, North America’s largest spa, and 900 parking spots on sensitive wetlands beside the Beaver River. In addition, the escarpment is plagued by missing sunset clauses on development approvals that pre-date the protective legislation and UNESCO’s designation. A large developer recently snapped up a 1,530-acre parcel, mostly forested except for a few lakes and creeks, that spans a 3-kilometre stretch along the brow of the escarpment near Collingwood. This site could be developed into 1,600 homes, three golf courses, gas stations, and more. Unfortunately, these potential developments land immediately within the very lands the ECA is fighting to conserve to create a Nature Corridor.

Yet, these two examples are just symptoms of a larger problem. While the ECA was founded two years ago in response to these mega-developments, it has since developed into an organization that realizes that the most innovative approach to conservation lies not in amending existing legislation, fixing single hot spot issues, closing loopholes, and affixing sunset clauses alone. The most comprehensive approach to conservation has been modeled elsewhere, using ecological corridors to recreate ecological coherence out of fragmented landscapes with competing uses. In South Georgian Bay, a region governed by two counties and five municipalities, with a complex mix of public and private land ownership, conservation authorities and provincial parks, an ecological corridor approach can provide the glue that ties existing conservation efforts to new programs geared towards overcoming these fragmentations and complexities with a well-resourced approach to ecological conservation that supports local economic development.

Come join us at the Nature Corridor Summit to learn more and get involved.