Windsor's mayor continues to tout the positive energy surrounding the partial opening of a city woodlot.
Drew Dilkens announced on his Facebook page Thursday night that the Ford government has partially lifted the "Provincially Significant Wetland" designation placed on a parcel of 150 acres known as the South Cameron Woodlot. This opens 50 acres of that land to development. The mayor had spoken to Premier Doug Ford in December 2018 about removing the designation, saying that the call should not have been made by a "bureaucrat in Aylmer, Ontario".
Speaking to reporters at City Hall Friday morning, Dilkens pointed out that development was always a possibility on that land, located west of Mark Avenue and Kenora Street.
"This area was always scheduled for development," said Dilkens. "It was always planned for development. In fact, part of the provincially-significant wetland designation that they put on years ago included an area that already had sewers put in. The original designation included an area where homes were already built."
Response to the mayor's announcement has been swift on social media, with some commenters accusing the mayor and the city of turning their backs on the environment. Dilkens stressed that the environment has not been taken for granted, but it was all a question of setting the designation correctly.
"By actually having come and put boots on the ground to determine with precision, as they should've done in the first place, where the boundaries of a provincially-significant wetland should be, they've done the right work now," said Dilkens. "They've made the right decision and fifty acres of the originally-designated land has been opened up for development, which is great."
Dilkens had posted on Thursday night that there had been requests made to previous Ontario governments, and there had been no response. Theoretically, development can now be discussed on that parcel but the mayor reiterated that development on that land is not etched in stone.
-With files from Paul Pedro
