King Wally Wants to Expand His Realm

It's arguable, but it is possible to believe that social media can result in a better democracy. Take this conversation on St.Catharines', city councilor Mark Elliott's Facebook pagefor example.

Our mayor of less than six months, rather then proving himself trustworthy and reliable after the dual representation debacle, believes the city boundaries should be "straightened" to extend into the Greenbelt and onto our rich agricultural land.

The discussion, as a result of Mark's post, is intelligent and expansive, referencing city planning, environmental concerns, climate change concerns and economic health. It also has valuable information and links to opportunities for citizen involvement.

I did the land use survey to recommend expanded access to and affordability of public transit, advised against the expansion of city boundaries and expressed the need for re-development of abandoned buildings and the need for infrastructure limitation for better and more cost-effective maintenance.

I followed up with an email to the appropriate provincial authorities at bbellows@stcatharines.ca,landuseplanningreview@ontario.ca, minister.mah@ontario.ca


Being an informed and involved citizen feels good. You should try it. Here is my email and I would like to read yours. Feel free to leave it in the comments below.

Subject: Protection of Agricultural Lands, Infrastructure Management

To whom it may concern,

I was shocked to learn that the new mayor of St.Catharines is in favour of "straightening the boundaries of St.Catharines" to expand the urban community onto Greenbelt and protected agricultural lands.

I believe this plan is short-sighted and harmful from both an environmental and food security point of view. It is also financially irresponsible.

It is short-sighted as it failed to consider world events, including climate change and catastrophic climate events and how they impact us. These include the on-going military actions in the Middle East, which make fuel security and costs unstable and the drought in California that threatens food production for the entire continent.

It is expensive because it demands the creation and maintenance of infrastructure systems and duplication of city services. Water rates in St.Catharines are the second most expensive in the province. Since the department for water treatment has told us that the departure of industry from the area has resulted in less consumption, there is not enough money to maintain the water infrastructure. The same thing must be true for all other utilities and infrastructural elements. With so much land that has to be re-developed, including the two hospital sites and GM (the current plan looks like an absolute and complete fantasy), it does not make sense to expand the boundaries and increase the reach of city infrastructure.

It is difficult to see benefit in this plan for anyone but developers who make cash grabs and run. Since most of city council and the mayor himself are still new -- and controversial -- shouldn't they be trying to prove themselves trustworthy rather than trying to expand the reach of the kingdom?

With kind regards,
etc