- by David McLeish
Recent developments on Lake Erie ought to give Owen Sound City Council pause for thought relative to its recent decision to postpone engaging expertise in Climate Change (CC) in its planning process.
Climate change is not a straight path to warmer temperatures. It is a craggy, twisty, convoluted road full of potholes. These potholes will come in the form of flash floods or hot dry summers, no snow or record snowfalls, etc.. As Owen Sound contemplates it future through the review of its Official Plan, the onslaught of CC behooves it to contemplate scenarios that may be unthinkable today, lest they find themselves in a similar predicament as Chatham-Kent.
"The Official Plan is Council’s contract to our City’s residents, containing the goals, objectives and policies intended to guide land use development and growth in the City over a 20-year time horizon.”
Land use and climate change go hand in glove. Much of Owen Sound lies in a floodplain regulated by the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority under ONTARIO REGULATION 151/06. While this regulation provides a layer of comfort in terms of the review of development plans, the City still needs to be mindful of its obligations. Indeed, the lack of such regulations has allowed much of the city to be developed in areas that I suspect would not be permitted today.
Living in a floodplain has inherent risks at the best of times. Adding CC to the mix calls for not only careful planning of new development, but also being mindful of increased risks to existing development. How well can the City's infrastructure handle a 100 year flood or a 200 year flood? What will happen if 100 year floods occur every 20 years? Do residents living in flood prone areas even know they are at risk?
To its credit, the City has committed to the preparation of a discussion paper on Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change. I'm guessing that the City Manager had this report in mind when he suggested hiring a Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Coordinator. When better to think about CC than when reviewing an Official Plan?
Instead of following the City Manager's recommendation to hire a CC expert, city politicians opted to listen to an unknown number of vocal constituents and defer the decision on bringing this expertise to the table. I don't know whether this deferral will be in place until the review of the OP is completed or even whether a decision is imminent.
Lest City Council want to find themselves in a similar position as their counterparts in Chatham-Kent, I suggest that they engage expertise that can help us better plan for the new realities of CC now, than find us looking back wondering why we can no longer live where we do today. Perhaps a one or two year contract Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Coordinator position would allow the City to “test drive” the efficacy of such a position.