Ted Emond (candidate for Councillor Ward 1)

1. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026?

Yes.

Work with does not mean the same as being a member of the LSRCA.

2. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to ensure that by 2026, at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows?

Yes.

3. Should the LSRCA establish a process for receiving and reviewing submissions from the public with respect to all Section 28 permit applications pertaining to Lake Simcoe’s wetlands, floodplains and shorelines?

Yes.

4. Should the Development Charges Act be amended to allow municipalities to recover 100% of their additional infrastructure costs to service new residential and commercial projects from their developers?

No.

Current system requires a review at a minimum every 5 years. DCs are just an indirect tax on residential and commercial property buyers. As a pragmatist i can foresee situations where reduced or in some cases no DCs, e.g., industrial DCs may be a legitimate municipal strategy. Moving toward legislated 100% recover would not be aligned with my thinking.

Tshweu Moleme (candidate for Councillor Ward 2)

1. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026?

Yes.

2. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to ensure that by 2026, at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows?

Yes.

3. Should the LSRCA establish a process for receiving and reviewing submissions from the public with respect to all Section 28 permit applications pertaining to Lake Simcoe’s wetlands, floodplains and shorelines?

Yes.

4. Should the Development Charges Act be amended to allow municipalities to recover 100% of their additional infrastructure costs to service new residential and commercial projects from their developers?

Yes.

Jodie Wilson (candidate for Councillor Ward 3)

1. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026?

Yes.

While I'm not well-versed on the issues raised here, I believe we must do all we can to ensure marine life and safe, clean drinking water are available today and for future generations.

2. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to ensure that by 2026, at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows?

Yes.

3. Should the LSRCA establish a process for receiving and reviewing submissions from the public with respect to all Section 28 permit applications pertaining to Lake Simcoe’s wetlands, floodplains and shorelines?

Yes.

4. Should the Development Charges Act be amended to allow municipalities to recover 100% of their additional infrastructure costs to service new residential and commercial projects from their developers?

Yes.

Jay Fallis (candidate for Councillor Ward 3)

1. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026?

Yes.

Absolutely!

2. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to ensure that by 2026, at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows?

Yes.

Yes, at the moment Lake Simcoe is sitting at 39% of natural cover (not all of which is considered high quality habitats) and any opportunity to improve on that number should be explored. Although Orillia, represents a small portion of Lake Simcoe's waterfront, we can always strive to improve. Together I believe we can make it happen!

3. Should the LSRCA establish a process for receiving and reviewing submissions from the public with respect to all Section 28 permit applications pertaining to Lake Simcoe’s wetlands, floodplains and shorelines?

Yes.

I would be open to working with LSRCA and other invested parties to explore this option further to ensure our environment is better protected.

4. Should the Development Charges Act be amended to allow municipalities to recover 100% of their additional infrastructure costs to service new residential and commercial projects from their developers?

Yes.

Any opportunity to offset costs for the average citizen is worth looking into. Seeing as this is Provincial legislation, it will fall outside of a municipality's jurisdiction. It would be up to the Ontario Provincial Government to make this adjustment.

Stephanie Kenny (candidate for Councillor Ward 4)

1. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026?

Yes.

Municipalities are generally mandated by the provincial legislation (and documents such as the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan) to work with conservation authorities such as the LSRCA to protect the environment. Orillia should continue to consult with the LSRCA and other relevant authorities through the regular development planning process to ensure guidelines are met or exceeded. Since most of the funding to Conservation Authorities typically come from municipal levies, I believe local governments should have significant say in what the guidelines are, and how/when they are met.

2. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to ensure that by 2026, at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows?

Maybe.

I would need further information on the current "fragmented" natural cover that does not provide high quality habitat in order to fully understand the situation. I am committed to working closely with the LSRCA and other relevant authorities to fulfill the requirements of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan.

3. Should the LSRCA establish a process for receiving and reviewing submissions from the public with respect to all Section 28 permit applications pertaining to Lake Simcoe’s wetlands, floodplains and shorelines?

Maybe.

While the DG Group example did not occur in Orillia, I would question why a municipality's zoning would allow for any significant development (other than outdoor recreational or parkland uses) to occur in provincially significant wetlands, and why the regular planning process, which includes both circulation to conservation authorities and a 20 day review period, would not allow the public to be consulted and get involved. More information is needed on the specific example before a decision can be made.

4. Should the Development Charges Act be amended to allow municipalities to recover 100% of their additional infrastructure costs to service new residential and commercial projects from their developers?

Yes.

The City of Orillia has a Development Charges background study which was approved in December 2017, and is mandated to keep this updated on a regular basis to ensure that "growth pays for growth". Development charges that are paid by developers generally depend on the location of the development (downtown, suburban area, etc) and the type of development (residential, multi-residential, commercial, etc). I don't believe all development can be painted with the same brush. In many cases, developments have community benefits that extend past those within the area. For example, a new subdivision might provide a new connecting link to the road network making traffic more efficient, or allow for water and wastewater infrastructure to extend to new areas of the community in a more cost-effective way. Municipalities should be allowed to cover 100% of infrastructure costs, however that doesn't necessarily mean they should do so.

One thing I disagree with is the notion of "zero" industrial development charges within the City of Orillia. It is a requirement under the Development Charges Act to make the City's development charge account "whole", meaning if the industrial developer isn't paying any development charges, then the city's tax base must pay. Some may argue that this can create new jobs, generating an economic benefit to the City, however consider the future of industrial development: big, empty buildings, artificial intelligence, automation, and few jobs. There are other, non-financial ways to attract investment to a community rather than subsidizing developers.

Peter Hislop (candidate for Councillor Ward 4)

1. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026?

Yes.

2. Should municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed work with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Government of Ontario to develop and implement a plan to ensure that by 2026, at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows?

Maybe.

3. Should the LSRCA establish a process for receiving and reviewing submissions from the public with respect to all Section 28 permit applications pertaining to Lake Simcoe’s wetlands, floodplains and shorelines?

Maybe.

4. Should the Development Charges Act be amended to allow municipalities to recover 100% of their additional infrastructure costs to service new residential and commercial projects from their developers?

Maybe.