Buying back our waterway access points ++

[OldTimer]

(03-20-2014 02:16 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  I'm already thinking bigger, OT. That's my whole point about thinking toward the future...the undeveloped land...which you can actually control going forward. It is the future development that we need to worry about...not the areas that are already developed. The government has control over the land and how to zone or allocate that land. You don't necessarily need to buy back land to control its use.

For example, government do not need to buy back land to build stormwater ponds. They just need to enact a requirement that developers must incorporate a stormwater pond on property of the developed areas. It is very common now in many municipalities.

It is up to MNR, MOE and the provincial government to push for this by creating those legislature and put pressure on developers.

BTW, there is no home town or personal interest in this discussion from the start. If there was any personal interest, I would actually push hard for buying back urban land instead of dumping money to protect access to northern lakes that I rarely, if ever, fish anyways. But my view is broader than just my immediate needs. This issue is about protecting undeveloped lakes that are currently considered "remote" but steadily being developed in "private" lakes surrounded by more million dollar cottages that I will never be able to afford. It is also about protecting access to water when urban sprawl is moving northward and the many smaller creeks, ponds and lakes that will be developed into neighbourhoods in the future. When you have land that is not developed, the government has the most control and it is not necessary to buy back any of it.

Unless your point is to buy back sufficient land to create new parkland areas...

Yes - It is the urban sprawl that needs be addressed - and was my point.................i.e do it now BEFORE it gets rezoned from green space or agricultural to any sort of residential or business zoning.

Rezoning it as "protected" and "unbuildable" is even better and would effectively stop any development WHILE reducing it's value to the owner.

Exactly the kind of thoughts that "should be" promoted my us - and not just to the MNR, or MOE, but to the federal, provincial, regional governments, cities and towns................ all have $.

Creation of parks etc is nice......... but may attract thoughts of improvements,.... followed by "managing" needs and costs, followed by funding needs.... etc........... eventually resulting in parking meters and user fees......... followed by policing costs.......... and the spiral continues. Why cant we just get (or freeze it) and leave it natural as it is - a lot of these areas seem to be doing fine so far.

As a province we had no problem at all dropping 400 to 750 million (or more) dollars to fund power plants that will never exist. That money alone would have bought ..........as an example (and not specifically) - surrounding Bronte Creeks lands from Highway 5 to Lowville... with lots left over.

Cheers,

OT