‘Procedural check-box’

Dear Editor:

I read with interest a lot of the dissatisfaction with Town of Erin decisions as of late. 

Gravel truck traffic has always been a huge issue with the number of gravel pits. I’m sure it is the major export of the area. I was initially happy to see one pit under consideration for rehabilitation, fooled of course by the sign posted outside that it was an Indigenous-run endeavour. I couldn’t imagine 150 trucks a day added to our already-taxed roads. 

I attended that council meeting on July 18, 2024 with several other delegations on a different matter regarding a commercial land application on agriculturally zoned property surrounded by EP2 protected lands that shares a border with my property in Cedar Valley.

The process, much like the gravel pit remediation, seems quite dismissive to taxpaying landowners. I have received emails with the exact same wording regarding how long zoning applications take the town to complete regardless of the 120 days prescribed by the planning act. Failure of the planning department to schedule the submission and meeting for council in this time frame guarantees the applicant an option to appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal regardless of the decision. 

As I write this it has been 661 days since the council meeting regarding the application that I (and several other delegations) opposed in Cedar Valley. That application that took  547 days to complete .

While residents understand that development proposals require careful review, the length of time these applications have been under consideration raises important questions about fairness, transparency and public trust. 

What is most troubling is the apparent imbalance in how communication is being handled. The municipality appears to be working closely with the applicant to address concerns, revise plans and move the proposal forward, while residents who oppose the application are left feeling unheard and excluded from meaningful discussion. 

I really am hoping that patience is a virtue. The system in place right now grants planners and “bad players” a lot of leeway. Public consultation should not be treated as a procedural check-box. 

Residents who take the time to attend meetings, submit comments and raise legitimate concerns deserve more than polite acknowledgment. We deserve equal access to information, timely responses and confidence that our voices carry the same weight as those seeking approval. 

Residents and affected taxpayers are given 30 days to register as a delegation and present their arguments to council; in our case in Cedar Valley it was 24.

Markus Rabstein,
Cedar Valley