But environmental review says land can be developed

A just-released report says there are no environmental reasons to stop homes being built on land next to the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area.

The environmental assessment study concluded that “subject to proper implementation of the mitigation recommendations … these lands can be developed without impacting the environmental integrity” of the karst.

Those are fighting words to Friends of the Eramosa Karst (FOTEK), a citizens group that insists the karst ecology depends on preserving water flow through the adjacent undeveloped former farmland.

Karst landscapes are characterized by sinkholes, sinking streams and caves created when running water dissolves limestone. The 76-hectare conservation area on Upper Mount Albion Road was created in 2008 to protect what experts consider one of the best examples in Ontario.

FOTEK spokesperson Rita Giulietti calls the environmental assessment report “disappointing but not surprising.” The land is owned by Ontario Realty Corp. and “ORC’s agenda has always been to sell the land,” she said. “They’re just going ahead, unless we can stop them. A lot of money has been spent on studies that have changed nothing.”

Giulietti said yesterday the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Conservation Authority are both opposed to ORC’s remaining 32 hectares being developed, and the city’s new Official Plan designates the site as “natural heritage land” to be preserved.

She also said the ORC-commissioned report wasn’t expected so soon, and she worries the new minister of natural resources, Brampton MPP Linda Jeffreys, may not understand the issues involved.

“This would be a great opportunity for the province to give the land to the conservation authority, which is interested in managing it, and groups such as ours would be happy to help with stewardship.

“Building houses would be short-sighted. It’s more valuable as a piece of natural heritage for this community. It could be like a Central Park because it will be surrounded by a sea of development. The area south of Rymal Road wasn’t supposed to be developed, but it was added to the urban area, so there will be lots more development.”

Stoney Creek Councillor Brad Clark said: “I’m profoundly disappointed with ORC’s position and how it handled the EA (environmental assessment).

“They went into this with a predetermined position that they were going to sell the land for development. Disposing of it for conservation purposes was never considered, which I see as a flaw in the EA from the get go.

“Clearly, the city, conservation authority and residents are all in unison. The feeder area should be preserved so water flow through the karst does not change. There are no studies that conclude with any certainty that it can be maintained with development.”

The report is available for public review for 60 days. Copies are in the Valley Park and Sherwood libraries. It can also be read at the ORC website, www.ontariorealty.ca. Click on What We Do, then Major Projects, then go down the list to Lands Adjacent to the Eramosa Karst.

Anyone with objections can ask that the class environmental study be elevated to a full assessment.

FOTEK has its annual dinner dance on Feb. 20. Tickets can be ordered at www.friendsoferamosakarst.org.