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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 1, 20 18 | 14 Halton Region council has voted in favour of supporting the province in a study to fur- ther expand the Greenbelt in the region. The council voted in favour of the move, despite a number of concerns voiced by mayors and council members around a lack of public consultation on the matter. "Halton Hills is 50 per cent protected by the NEC (Niagara Escarpment Commission)," said Mayor Rick Bonnette. "You might as well build a moat around it." He says the Greenbelt expan- sion would affect the flexibility of Halton Hills' long-term finan- cial plans. "To expand this without any public consultation ." he said. "I appreciate Mayor Burton looking at ways to expand it . but the fact remains that Oak- ville has zero space for develop- ment." Oakville Mayor Rob Burton says that he put forth the mo- tion as a way protecting his own municipality from greater den- sity. "We are trying to control growth," said Burton, in order to preserve the livability of Oak- ville for future generations. "If you open up the whitebelt, it's going to unbalance every- thing." The whitebelt regions in question are undeveloped lands that lie south of Georgetown and around Milton. He explained that by allow- ing further sprawl of develop- ment in the white belt areas, this puts greater pressure for further density in Burlington and Oakville. "If this motion was going to go forward, there would have to be more public consultation," said the Halton Hills mayor. "We have a lot of large landowners, we have farmers that could be affected. "Rest assured, we do have a lot of protection in the whitebelt . we have wetland protection, Niagara escarpment," he said, not to mention source water protections and a slew of other regulations. Comments around the horse- shoe were mixed on the motion. Coun. Colin Best said that there is a greater mindset in the province that's fostering unbri- dled growth. "I also disagree that Milton is sprawling," said Best. "What I'd like to see is a provincial plan that matches the growth we have." Others noted a conflict in the purpose of the motion, stating that if it is supposed to focus on agriculture. "It's unfortunate that this is coming from Oakville," said Jane Fogal. "This really does speak to the agricultural lands." Other councillors echoed the need for public consultation, however, the province has set a deadline of March 7 to submit input. Halton Region staff had com- pleted a report that suggested they not comment on the prov- ince's intentions to study ex- panding the Greenbelt. "Were it not for Burton's res- olution," said one lead planner. "We would have let March 7 go by." The conclusion of the staff report states that given the cur- rent level of protections in the area, staff would not be provid- ing comment on the initiative. "We don't come to this con- versation," said Burlington Coun. Marianne Meed Ward. "The resolution doesn't ster- ilize any of the whitebelt lands at this point . all we're saying is that these are important lands for us and they should be in- cluded in the study." Regional chair Gary Carr gave impassioned commentary in support of the motion, stating that the region is facing uncon- trolled sprawl as a result of an incessant push for develop- ment. "The way to stop it is this," he said. The council voted in favour, 12-9. NEWS Halton Region votes to support possible Greenbelt expansion Lack of public consultation problematic, says Halton Hills mayor Oakville Mayor Rob Burton put forward a motion at Halton Region council to support the province in studying an expasion of the Greenbelt protected lands in the area. Alexandra Heck /Metroland A new cemetery for the general public is taking shape for residents in Halton Hills and their families. Devereaux Cemetery is located in a quiet country setting on the 17th Side Road, just west of Trafalgar Road. It's adjacent to the Holy Redeemer Cemetery and open to people of all religious faiths. Contact us for information about available interment options, either at time of need or in advance. 905-877-8500 l www.devereauxcemetery.ca Owned and operated by The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Hamilton SALES SERVICE INSTALLATIONSESA #7003060 DEKEReLeCTRIC ltd. 905-702-0515 www.dekerelectric.ca TIONS SMALLBUSINESSOF THEYEAR protected? Are you Did you know... that an electrical surge can ruin more than just your computer? Your TV, your stove, your microwave, even your furnace, just to name a few, have expensive electronics in them that may be damaged by a power surge lasting less than one millisecond! Call us today for house-wide surge protection. Can you afford NOT to?