If Haldimand County Council members wanted to, they could theoretically revisit their recent decision to support Empire Communities Inc., should the company choose to file a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) request for the 4,200 acres of land it owns near Stelco and Imperial Oil.
The issue would have to be brought back to the table within one year, and it would need the support of two-thirds of council – or five of the seven members. The vote in favour was 4-3.
Council’s support was essential for Empire to be able to file the MZO request; under the new legislative framework, any party putting forward an MZO request needs to either have the backing of a government minister, or a municipal resolution for support.
While Empire hasn’t yet confirmed that it will be filing the request, the company has indicated it is very interested in pursuing developing the land it owns in Nanticoke, so it’s a fair bet that will happen.
Many commentors online have suggested that Townsend be developed instead, but as has been previously reported in The Press, Community and Development Services GM Mike Evers explained during the June 18 Council-in-Committee meeting that “the overwhelming majority of lands in Townsend that rest within urban boundaries are owned by the province of Ontario; they’re locked down and not available at this point in time for development.”
Empire can’t develop lands it doesn’t own.
Why not focus on industrial and commercial development for the Nanticoke lands, then?
County staff have been trying to do just that for over 40 years.
In the past several decades, there have been small, medium, and large developers who have looked at the site as a possible place to build commercial and industrial plants. The problem is, the infrastructure (in particular, wastewater and natural gas) is lacking. So, if a company wanted to build a widget-making factory, it would first have to shoulder the cost of bringing those lines down to the site before it would be able to build the factory at all. To date, that’s proven to be a cost-prohibitive prospect.
If Empire were to develop the site, that cost of infrastructure installation would be removed as a factor. Also, as Councillor Rob Shirton pointed out at the June 18 meeting, “40% of the land being sold will remain in industrial zoning.”
Having more commercial and industrial properties operating in the County means a lessened tax burden on residential properties. Until those lands in Nanticoke are serviced, they will likely continue to lie dormant. What we as a municipality have been doing hasn’t been working.
Some residents have raised concerns about other infrastructure in the County, saying that they’re already over-capacity, and adding more will make the problems worse.
That’s likely true.
Let’s take schools as an example. For many years, Caledonia Centennial Public School has been bursting at the seams. It was only a few months ago that ground was broken for the new joint public and Catholic elementary school.
So what took so long, if we knew that the Avalon development was going to be bringing so many new families to the community?
To drastically oversimplify, there had to be overwhelming proof – students actually in the seats of crowded classrooms and portables – that the need was there to loosen the pursestrings. A municipality that is stagnant will have more difficulty accessing infrastructure funding than one that is growing.
So, does all of this mean that The Press is in favour of the MZO?
No.
The Press is in favour of facts.
The previous 550 or so words isn’t enough to capture the nuance of all the arguments for and against the MZO; it’s not even enough space to just name all the different arguments.
If you have questions about the MZO, ask the councillors on both sides of the issue why they landed where they did. Ask county staff. Read the coverage of the debate from reputable sources – ones that are held accountable for what they say. Look at what the other side is saying and try to understand why they’re saying it.
If, after all that, you feel Council should revisit the issue, take that request to the members of council. Should the issue be reopened, by all means participate in the process in a thoughtful and respectful manner.
Remember, we’re all on the same side in the end: we want Haldimand to be the best it can be.
