Environmental Commissioner has High Praise for Plan to Protect Oak Ridges Moraine
TORONTO, March 04, 2003 – The plan for protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine should be a model for land use planning throughout southern Ontario, said Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), in a ceremony held this morning at Queen’s Park. Miller, who monitors compliance by provincial ministries with the Environmental Bill of Rights, presented his annual ECO Recognition Award to the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Ministry staff spearheaded the development of the strategy to protect the Moraine’s key woodlands, wildlife habitat, wetlands and groundwater resources.
“Two years ago, when I released my second annual report to the Ontario Legislature, I warned that the conflict over the Oak Ridges Moraine highlighted our inability to deal with the crises that arise on a landscape nearing its capacity to support the demands of growth and development,” said Miller. “How we resolve the Oak Ridges situation, I said then, will be a test of our ability to change our thinking and embrace necessary new approaches to the land. Today, in acknowledging the dedication and hard work of the staff of several Ontario ministries, we recognize that this test has been met.”
Staff from the Ministries of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Natural Resources, Environment, Agriculture and Food, Transportation, and Finance worked together on the Plan and were recognized in today’s ceremony.
The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, which was finalized in April 2002, aims at protecting the ecological and hydrological integrity of the Moraine, ensuring that it remains a continuous natural landform. Buffer zones will be created between protected natural areas and urban centres. The Plan also provides for a large public park and a recreational trail that will wind throughout the Moraine.
“Thirty years ago the province was faced with the challenge of protecting the Niagara Escarpment from inappropriate development. The resulting Niagara Escarpment Plan was admired around the world,” Miller said. “Today, protecting the Moraine presents a different challenge for different times. The solution to that challenge will again be admired around the world. The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan represents an extremely promising beginning to the task of protecting the Moraine for future generations.”
For more information, please contact our Communications Coordinator at (416) 325-3371 or by e-mail at media@eco.on.ca.