Community Feedback Meetings

We Want to Hear From You!

The County of Elgin hosted three (3) Community Feedback Meetings to discuss the Draft Natural Heritage Systems Study and Source Water Protection Plan. If you missed these meetings you can still provide comment until November 26, 2021. Comment here or email opreview@elgin.ca.

Watch the presentations from the Community Meetings and send us your feedback.

Natural Heritage Systems Study

Source Water Protection

Background

Natural Heritage Systems Study

• A Natural Heritage Systems Study is a network of interconnected natural features and areas such as woodlands, meadows and wetlands etc.
• The purpose of a Natural Heritage Systems Study is to identify natural heritage features, recognize local linkages and wildlife corridors, improve existing environmental policies to better protect environmentally significant areas, protect and enhance regional biodiversity, help mitigate the effects of climate change, and conserve natural legacy for future generations.
• The Province of Ontario requires municipalities to identify Natural Heritage Systems and preserve the diversity and connectivity of these features.
• The requirement to identify Natural Heritage Systems is translated into Official Plan policies that inform development, environmental studies and conservation efforts.

Source Water Protection Plan

• Source Water Protection Plans contain policies that either recommend or require actions be taken to address activities identified as threats to drinking water sources.
• The Clean Water Act, 2006 was approved by the province as a result of the contaminated water tragedy in Walkerton Ontario in 2000.
• The recommendations of the Source Water Protection Plan include policies that will be added to the County and Local Official Plans to safe guard against uses that may pose a threat to drinking water.

Click here for more detailed information on the draft Natural Heritage Systems Study and to read the associated discussion paper.