Thank you to those who have added their voices to the now over 450 citizens calling on the Hamilton Conservation Authority to not allow the Ancaster Creek Wetland to be paved over.
Video now available!The scheme to relocate the headwaters of Ancaster Creek and its associated wetland returns to the Hamilton Conservation Authority board at their next meeting on June 3. A decision was expected at the HCA's last meeting, but concerned citizens flooded the Conservation Authority with letters of opposition and successfully delayed it. For our May 26 Conservation Matters webinar, we talked about the importance of this ecosystem, the political context of the fight to save it, and the next moves we can take to win. We had a very engaging discussion with some excellent questions from our audience. The Calls to Action were: 1. Petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-ancaster-creek/ 2. Write to the Hamilton Conservation Authority Board and tell them to listen to their own staff and concerned citizens and reject the proposal to offset this locally significant wetland! Email [email protected] and ask for your letter to be sent to the board and added to the June 3rd meeting agenda. 3.Write to your Hamilton City Councillor and ask them to take action to protect this wetland now and in the future by rezoning it to Conservation zoning under the city of Hamilton's Zoning Bylaw. Find your city Councillor here: www.hamilton.ca/council-committee/mayor-council/city-councillors 4. Ask Tyler Schultz the acting Assistant Auditor General Commissioner of the Environment to step in and review all wetland offsetting policies and offsetting applications since 2018 to ensure this tool is truly being used as rarely as possible. - more information to come SHOW LESS Check out this Spec opinion piece by Thomas A Beckett regarding the proposed development at 140 Garner Road E (location of Ancaster Creek wetland and headwaters.) Beckett is a resident of Dundas, a retired superior court justice, and the first Chair of what is now know as the Hamilton Conservation Authority
REGISTER HERE In our fourth webinar we'll provide updates about the movement to protect Ancaster Creek Wetland and headwaters The webinar will include the following topics: The importance of water and wetlands is being defended within our city. In the face of the threat to the wetland and headwaters of Ancaster Creek, people within the city and beyond are rising up to protect our water and wetlands. Over 60 outraged letters sent to the Hamilton Conservation Authority have succeeded in delaying the decision on permitting relocation of the wetland and portion of the headwaters of Ancaster Creek. Learn more about how this development will effect Hamilton if allowed. The developers want to build five warehouses and massive parking lots on the agricultural and aquatic lands at 140 Garner Road East. This will damage the wetland and headwaters, the species within them, and eliminate an active farm well-known for its pumpkin patch and other produce. Receive personal impact statements, and find out how you can help! We’ll interview Indigenous land defenders, the farm family, the local provincial legislator and Ancaster residents. And we’ll tell you what can be done to convince the HCA board to do the right thing at its June 3 meeting. Our opportunity to engage this local movement in climate action is growing. Reaction to the application to have a wetland moved, and it’s headwaters paved over, is creating a successful campaign to protect Hamilton’s environment and urban boundary. Though the application is still to be heard by the Hamilton Conservation Authority, people power has successfully delayed the application, brought the scheme to our attention, and made the HCA very aware that we both understand and will not allow the negative impacts of such a development to occur. Let's continue to work to save the Ancaster Creek Wetland and headwaters, and hold Conservation Authorities to matters of conservation. #conservationmatters Video now available!Developers want to replace the headwaters of Ancaster Creek with five warehouses and thousands of parking spaces, plus a replacement wetlands. Last night, the Hamilton Conservation Authority deferred this proposal at the request of the applicant! For months, Hamilton 350 and Action 13 have been sharing stories from across the province which show that when we fight we win! Last night our community added our own win to the map! In the face of over 60 letters sent to the HCA Board about the relocation of a wetland and and stream of Ancaster Creek, the applicant requested the decision about their proposal to do so be deferred to the next HCA meeting on June 3rd! There will now be more opportunities to intervene to protect the wetland and stream in the headwaters of Ancaster Creek. If you were one of the letter writers, thanks for helping to make a difference. If you missed last night's emergency rally or want to pass it on to others, check out this video. It will provide information about the (now deferred) proposal, the difficulties Conservation Authorities are facing under the Ford Government, and information specific to the workings of the Hamilton Conservation Authority.
Video now available!For the third session in our Conservation Matters webinar series we partnered with Action 13 and welcomed panelists from the Hamilton Conservation Authority and Wellington Water Watchers. We also watched an excerpt from a talk by Dr. Kelsey Leonard — a water scientist, legal scholar, policy expert, writer, and enrolled citizen of the Shinnecock Nation — on 'Why lakes and rivers should have the same rights as humans.'
Scott Peck, the deputy director of the Hamilton Conservation Authority, detailed plans for reconstructed wetlands in upper Stoney Creek. The in-ground work starts next year and the project is expected to help prevent downstream flooding and erosion, as well as increase public recreational areas. Arlene Slocombe of the Wellington Water Watchers updated the audience on the fight against Nestlé and how Indigenous knowledge has guided their struggle. Learn more about their successful actions, and find out how you can help protect water and wetlands at https://www.wellingtonwaterwatchers.ca/ We host webinars like this on a regular basis. Follow Hamilton 350 on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates on Conservation Matters sessions to come. Video now available!Conservation matters have been on the minds of many when it comes to this provincial government and its attempts to allow MZOs to go against provincial planning. Many people have stood up to protect local areas from development and, in the cases of Stratford and Ajax-Pickering, have been successful in doing so. These local successes show that people power can make changes at a provincial level. When we fight, we win!
In this second edition of our monthly webinar, panelists from Ajax-Pickering join us to make connections between local efforts and their impact on provincial matters. Together we:
Keep your eyes peeled for more Conservation Matters webinars to come! Join us tomorrow for the second edition of our monthly webinar:
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January 2022
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