2 Friday, February 12, 2021brooklintowncrier.com "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 editorofbtc@gmail.com The Brooklin Town Crier is locally owned and operated and is a publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: 905.706.0482 Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Friday, February 26, 2021 Deadline: Friday, February 19, 2021 During COVID-19 dates are subject to change. Whitby Regional Councillor Rhonda Mulcahy The Places to Grow Act and Agriculture In 2005, Ontario introduced the Places to Grow Act, a result of the approximately 100,000 people per year arriving in the GTA. As well, the plan was intended to intensify living space in order to preserve greenspace and farmland. It was the beginning of the process in which all lower tier levels of government had to adjust their official plans in order to accommodate allotted future growth. In Durham Region, this resulted mostly in growth to the north in our lakeshore municipalities. Whitby is getting its lion's share in west Whitby and Brooklin. In 2009, during the beginning of the Brooklin Secondary Plan (BSP), I was in Whitby Council chambers when then Councillor Don Mitchell argued the boundary line be limited to Brawley Road as opposed to going all the way up to Myrtle Road as some had proposed. It was the right thing to do. The BSP has been a long time coming and has had extensive community consultation. It's happening right in front of our eyes and will go on for some time as regional services reach all corners of the built boundaries. Keeping in mind the other reason for the Places to Grow Act, we've seen over the last year how important our food sources are as we learn about food sustainability and local sourcing. Along with Councillor Lee, I've argued for a sustainable agricultural learning centre and agricultural business incubator hub in the sector. If we're going to grow into the farmlands, which is inevitable, then we need to compensate with advanced agriculture. The only question now is how we will compensate for the loss of farmland through alternate green initiatives and agricultural projects. When the next growth and official plan is decided, which may take us to around 2050, we will have more tough decisions to make about how and where we grow. As in 2005, we will need to tighten boundary borders and look at opportunities to intensity where possible in what will become the new existing community. Development is Coming… North Ward Councillor Steve Lee We've been saying this for years: development is coming - fast and furiously. Council is about to see numerous draft subdivision plans in the next year or two. The Brooklin Secondary Plan shows what Brooklin will look like as it grows. It's available by emailing staff at: planning@whitby.ca. We can expect to see Whitby grow by over 40% in the next 10 years or so, which is unprecedented. Most of it will be in Brooklin. Density has also increased, so we will have more townhomes and condos and more height. There are places in Brooklin zoned for 12 and 18 storey buildings. It's important to note that this growth is not something we can stop, and is guided by the province's Places to Grow legislation (see Councillor Mulcahy's column). What we can do is try to work with the developers to ensure residents' voices are heard. A public meeting was held on Feb. 1 with two subdivision plans of over 700 homes on the agenda. These are the first of about a dozen we expect to see in the next two years. The land west of Ashburn, from Columbus to Winchester, and the land from Ashburn to Garrard, north of Columbus, are the major spots where new subdivisions will go. Often such public meetings are the first opportunity council has to see plans and hear from proponents. Sometimes developers communicate ahead of time to get our thoughts on what they have in mind and to learn anything we might have heard from residents. The public meetings are important for residents to see what is being proposed, to ask questions or to provide feedback on projects. Brooklin is going to grow by about 40,000 people. It will not look the same. This is all guided by provincial legislation and the Brooklin Secondary Plan. We will do our best to inform you of projects as we hear about them and provide links to the public meetings and information as we get them. Brooklin Vet Turning 100 John Graham, a World War ll RCAF veteran and resident of The Court at Brooklin, will turn 100 years old on February 25. The family is planning a "Covid-19" birthday celebration using FaceTime, Zoom and hopefully drive-by visits for him at his son's house in Oshawa. Alternately (given Covid restrictions) then they will celebrate at the Court at Brooklin.