Realization of any vision is very dependent on actions and decisions by upper tiers of authority. As many peoples’ vision for King, including my own, has as its very foundation, a protected Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM), it is important to me to be assured that the next government of Ontario recognizes the value of the ORM and is ready to not only continue the current legislation but to address deficiencies in it.

If you agree, you can  send a request, from here, to the leaders of the parties asking for declaration of their position on the protecting the ORM and improving the legislation and policies governing it.

In case you doubt the urgency to ensure protection of the ORM I strongly encourage you to read this press release from Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation (ORMF) about a new report “Measuring Success on the Oak Ridges Moraine.”  As you will see the press release provides links for more details.

You will also read that the weaknesses in the current conservation plan (i.e. The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) in either its make up or its execution are so serious that the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation has requested the Environmental Commissioner to review it now as opposed to waiting until the review in 2015.

Here are a few of the issues identified:

• Lack of control of fill importation, site alteration and tree cutting.  Fill from construction sites in Toronto is being dumped in ORM unused aggregate sites without testing or identification of origins.
• Lack of strong direction in the control and management of transportation, utilities and other infrastructure
• Uncoordinated and ineffective management of water resources.  Development may be restricted on the ORM but development can occur immediate adjacent to it with a plan to pipe the necessary water from the ORM aquifers.
• The need to accommodate sustainable lifestyles and livelihoods on the Moraine.  Small scale changes/exceptions to ORMCP i.e. ones by an individual farmer are difficult, if not impossible to make.

Like everything precious, the ORM cannot be taken for granted!