e-3194 (Environment)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• The Town of Erin has been permitted to dump effluent into the West Credit River at one of the most ecologically sensitive areas that will forever change the water temperature and the life cycle of the brook trout in Belfountain;
• The downstream community was not informed appropriately of this project and so were not able to participate effectively in the consultation or the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal process;
• The cumulative impacts and cultural impacts have not been addressed by either the Town of Caledon, the Town of Erin or the provincial Minister of the Environment;
• The West Credit River is one of the last pristine cold-water fisheries in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, home to native brook trout, and providing enriched biodiversity for communities in the headwaters and downstream to Lake Ontario;
• The brook trout spawning grounds (nests) were not counted accurately nor at the appropriate time of year;
• The provincial environmental assessments did not address critical water temperature fluctuations that will impact the life cycle and sustainability of the brook trout, nor did it address the impacts of deoxygenated plumes at the site of the diffuser pipe;
• The Belfountain community is facing multiple threats from the impacts of aggregate extraction, including increased dust, noise, pollution, road salt and traffic; and
• As a UNESCO World Biosphere, more consideration must be given to protect the carbon sink of the Greater Toronto Area.