A4C Norfolk Local Urban Boundaries Deputation to Council, Simcoe, ON - May 22, 2024
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
166.60406
Summary
Waterford Ward 7 Councillor Lou Ann Ashe speaks on behalf of the concerned like-minded residents in Waterford on the proposed super-expansion of development on the north and south ends of the village. She speaks on the need to protect and preserve the character and style of small town living, and the need for sustainable development in order to maintain the quiet and orderly way of life that her forefathers and mother secured for us through much prayer, sacrifice, negotiation and hard work.
Transcript
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then our first deputation that has registered I have Lou Ann Ashe you can come on up to the
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podium Lou Ann and if you wouldn't mind stating your name and your address for the public record
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there's a button on the on the right hand side there and just give me one moment Lou Ann yes
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council run thank you madam Mary you we aren't going to ask questions after each step we're
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going to do it exactly the way we did it in the last meeting so that there's no discrepancies
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between the two meetings so when all of the deputations are done clarifying questions
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can be asked not after each thank you consistent as the last time okay name and public sorry name
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and address for the public record and then as soon as you begin I will interrupt when you have one
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minute left I'm Lou Ann Ashe from Waterford Ward 7 what else did you need that's good
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madam mayor counselors and staff I'm here to present brief history current facts and strong
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community opinions concerning the direction in which we are reluctantly being steered and corralled in
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terms of development thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of concerned like-minded residents
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in Waterford for the record I'm a direct descendant of Titus Finch of good at United Empire loyalist
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stock a fourth-generation Waterfordian as well as the proud great-granddaughter of hard-working God
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fearing Dutch and Belgian immigrants who were prosperous tobacco farmers in the Delhi Windham area now a
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great deal of buzz has arisen among newcomers and historic townies alike concerning the proposed super
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expansion of development on the north and south ends of our village I recognize that some of these
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proposed developments will be realized long after I'm dead and gone and thus will not greatly affect me
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my aim now is as an elder in my hometown to preserve the peaceable and orderly way of life which my
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forefathers and mother secured for us through much prayer sacrifice negotiation and hard work let's be
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clear we're not opposed to responsible and reasonable development that keeps the needs of local people in
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mind we're sympathetic to farmers who find themselves in uncertain economic times wishing to sell off portions of
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their property in order to make ends meet we're not unsympathetic towards local developments and local
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realtors who come up with creative ideas to sell their wares and turn a profit we are grateful for
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enterprising business owners who come set up shop fix up storefronts and work hard to make a go of it and
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benefit their customers what we deeply resent is the relentless encroachment into our chosen quiet and
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peaceful way of life by those who do not share our small town rural life values if we'd wanted to live in
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cities we would have moved away there like some of our families did we're not interested in reproducing any
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further suburbia into our village life we don't want to become little Hamilton little Brantford or little
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Mississauga sociological studies clearly show that unnatural enforced growth foments discord and division
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amongst otherwise ordinarily reasonable and tolerant people this produces factions which find it difficult
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to come to equitable resolution and sometimes produces violence and retribution and resentment we in
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Waterford need time to adapt to changes as human beings both as those who hold to traditions and as
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those who are newcomers bringing in different and often conflicting ideas we've seen our village communities
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swell far beyond our imagines and one of our biggest concerns is the preservation of the character
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and style of small town living our town signage states that we are the natural place to be flooding
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nature with people unaccustomed to preservation and conservation of our farmland and wetlands is a
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natural disaster in the making fast-paced imposed urban development is not a natural occurrence rather
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it seems to be spawned by much more ignoble motives and intentions did you know
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that according to stats can our national fertility rate has been steadily declining over the past few
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decades with the total fertility rate reaching a record low of 1.4 children per woman in 2020 this
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is below the replacement rate indicating that our population is not replacing itself through natural
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childbirth what this means is we cannot possibly be having a housing crisis warranting excessive growth
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growth in our municipality let alone in waterford what this let's be truthful in speaking and say that
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we have a national criminal migration problem and a problem with certain visitors overstaying their visas
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and their welcome let's admit publicly and on the record that norfolk does not
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have the needed infrastructure social supports policing medical emergency and fire services to accommodate
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what's in the plan set for out for us by the province waterford's population has already grown exponentially
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in the last 20 years and we don't even have a beat cop on duty most times we townies do not want our town
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to become like downtown simco or brantford where shops are regularly broken into seniors are afraid to
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walk the streets and clientele are disgusted by the dissipation of the area irresponsible development
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is a threat to our core tourism and agriculturally based economy in norfolk county we the people have
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always successfully run and protected norfolk not land speculators and property developers you are our
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public servants we respectfully but firmly ask you to show your allegiance fiscally morally and
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conscientiously to us the people who build and develop and beautify our county for others to visit
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enjoy and leave when the party's over we ask you to help us preserve and protect our quiet way of life by
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listening more carefully to us the ratepayers and taxpayers and to those who profit off our exploitation
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please amend the urban boundary proposal to not include the super expansion of development at the
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north and south ends of our village keep norfolk the precious garden of ontario and waterford the
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protected natural place to be as a memorial to our forefathers for the sake of our great grandchildren