Green Orillia Heads Group Asking Questions About Environment Issues

Green Orillia has compiled a lengthy questionnaire for candidates in this municipal election race and made it available to SUNonline/Orillia. It’s a daunting list, and it’s likely some candidates, for various reasons, will not answer all of them. Keep in mind no one can be sufficiently knowledgeable on all issues and smart candidates will acknowledge they just don’t know – at the moment. Green Orillia will be posting candidates responses on their website.

This questionnaire was  drafted with input from community organizations and individuals seeking more information about all the candidates in the 2022 municipal election in Orillia. Answers provided by candidates will be posted unedited and in their entirety to the Green Orillia website, social media platforms, and email newsletter to over 750 engaged local subscribers. Candidates are given 1 month to review and respond to this questionnaire – August 24^th to September 24^th – at which point all submitted responses will be posted and shared. This allows residents a month to review their candidates answers before making their decision on October 24^th.

This questionnaire covers a range of topics, many of which are ongoing Council items, and all are likely to arise during the next term of council. In the interest of transparency and accountability, it is important that constituents know where their candidates and future mayor and councillors stand on the given issues before they are elected. Despite there being 32 questions in this questionnaire, there are still many issues left unaddressed and questions we did not include. At the end candidates have an opportunity to add additional thoughts.

• Please introduce yourself and why you believe you are qualified to serve on council.

• Over the past 20 years, Orillia’s wetlands and woodlands have been degraded to a significant degree by acts such as: downgrading the Orillia Filtration Area wetlands from a provincially significant wetland to a locally significant wetland; approving or otherwise allowing infilling of wetlands/clear cutting of trees on public and private property; pursuing urban development/planning that has a negative impact on natural heritage features (e.g., Grant’s wetlands; Victoria Point; Orchard Point; Inch Farm/Silver Creek). These actions have occurred despite policies designed to protect Orillia’s natural heritage features, suggesting a need for a 1) comprehensive review of policy versus practice and 2) development of an environmental protection strategy that prioritizes identification and protection of Orillia’s natural heritage features, including wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife habitat to ensure the city can achieve its goal to “Continue the city’s commitment to environmental stewardship  ….to position Orillia as a leading municipality in addressing climate change” (Municipal Strategic Plan, 2019). Would you support such a proposal? (yes/no) Do you have any other plans relevant to this concern? Question submitted by Orillia Wetland Watchers

• The City’s original Land Needs Assessment suggested the City annex 939 acres of surrounding farmland/wetlands/woodlands to accommodate Orillia’s growth to the year 2051. Urban sprawl is associated with many negative environmental and human impacts, including increased air pollution, increased water pollution (notably to Lake Simcoe), increased water consumption, degraded human health, loss of wildlife/biodiversity/natural land, increased energy use, increased car dependency, and higher taxes. After significant public opposition from the Stop Sprawl Orillia movement and others, Council voted in March for the Land Needs Assessment (LNA) to be updated and revised to consider a higher minimum intensification target and a higher minimum designated greenfield density target. If elected, would you support the revised LNA and other policies that prioritize smart growth over urban sprawl? Question submitted by Stop Sprawl Orillia

• The Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition (SCGC) and the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition (RLSC), in their newest report Who Will Take Care of Lake Simcoe? highlight the fact that Lake Simcoe’s western shorelines in Simcoe County are not in the Greenbelt, nor is the rest of the County, which has contributed to leapfrog development into Simcoe County. Without protective policies like the Greenbelt to keep farmland in production and greenspace preserved, our natural spaces will be under constant threat to urbanization. If elected, would you support a motion for the City of Orillia to endorse SCGC and RLSC in their aim to expand the Greenbelt into Simcoe County? Question supported by Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition

• The Couchiching Conservancy is a local land trust that since 1993 has helped to protect over 14,000 acres of special natural lands – in some cases globally rare ecosystems. Do you support land trusts, and what actions would you take to support their work to protect the natural environment in our region? Question submitted by Couchiching Conservancy

• The City of Orillia is an official Bee City, a designation provided by Bee City Canada. The City has committed to providing sustainable habitats for pollinators. The City actively supports pollinators through the maintenance of over 70 annual and perennial gardens, 2 community gardens with pollinator species planted throughout, 2 butterfly gardens, and over 140 flowering hanging baskets located in the downtown. The City is committed to the creation of new gardens in parks, recreation centres, parking lots, and other public spaces with the goal of improving pollinator habitats. Are you committed to supporting and expanding this initiative and specifically what would you do to advocate for more pollinator habitat in Orillia? Question supported by Orillia Bee City

• A group is working with Nature Canada to get Orillia a Bird Friendly City designation. If elected, what would you do to ensure that Orillia is a more Bird Friendly City?

• There are two City-supported Community Gardens in Orillia (High Street Community Gardens and Lakehead University Allotment Gardens), among numerous other community gardens tended to by churches, schools and non-profit groups. Despite this, there is reportedly a waiting list for residents to access garden plots. Meanwhile, food prices continue to rise, worsening local food security. Are you committed to supporting both city-sponsored and community-based community gardens and expanding growing opportunities for people in Orillia? What would you do to ensure that nobody in Orillia is waitlisted to access a place to grow food for their families? Question submitted by Orillia Community Gardens

• The Lakehead Orillia campus is located on an 85-acre site in west Orillia, gifted by the City of Orillia. Most of the campus is farmland, the most significant left in Orillia as the rest of it in West Ridge is slated for urban sprawl. A group of Lakehead students, with faculty and community support are working to establish a Recreation, Research and Education Farm (RREF). The RREF is proposing to permanently protect a minimum of 20 acres of the campus’s farmland, or less than a quarter of the campus’ 85 acre footprint. Such an initiative could aid in local food security, outdoor experiential learning, Land-based education for Indigenous communities, and climate change action, among other benefits. If elected, would you support a motion for Orillia City Council to endorse the creation of a pilot project to establish a RREF including allocating City funding to this project? Question submitted by the Lakehead Farm Working Group

1. The Orillia Food Advisory Committee is a new city committee which exists on a trial basis, in part to advise the City on food related matters, including food security in our community. Would you continue to support the Orillia Food Advisory Committee to become a permanent committee, and empower it with a mandate to develop an actionable Food Strategy for the City of Orillia? 

1. The remaining fill capacity of the Orillia landfill as of May 2019 was estimated to be approximately 504,579m3, which corresponds to a remaining site life of approximately 46 years, although many determining factors remain unknown suggesting that the lifespan may be more or less than anticipated. What is your plan to improve waste diversion in Orillia to achieve Zero Waste?

1. Public transit is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public (in Orillia’s case, our bus system). Active transportation is using your own power to get from one place to another. This includes walking, biking, skateboarding, in-line skating/rollerblading, jogging and running, non-mechanized wheel chairing, and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Research has shown that both better public and active transit benefits our health, society, transportation system, environment, and economy. What is your plan to improve public and active transit in Orillia?

1. Complete communities is an urban and rural planning concept that aims to meet the basic needs of all residents in a community, regardless of income, culture, or political ideologies through integrated land use planning, transportation planning, and community design. What ideas do you have to build more complete communities within the City if elected? Question supported by Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition

The next three questions were submitted by Sustainable Orillia

1. What is your stance on making the switch to electric vehicles (or zero emission vehicles in general) for yourself, the general public, businesses, and the city? How would this be achieved?
2. Orillia Power Generation currently provides renewable energy to the grid, as do many of the surrounding solar farms. Would you support further investment to expand renewable energy generated by Orillia Power Generation (our OPG)?
3. How is Orillia’s Climate Change Action Plan incorporated into your platform? 

• According to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), in the 19 months of available data since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (March, 2020 to September, 2021) there have been 245 opioid-related deaths in Simcoe Muskoka – nearly 70 percent higher than the 145 opioid-related deaths in the 19 months prior to the start of the pandemic (August, 2018 to February, 2020). Would you support the implementation of a Drug and Harm Reduction committee and strategy in Orillia?

• The number of people experiencing homelessness in Simcoe County is hitting record numbers, according to new data released by the County of Simcoe. The 2022 homelessness enumeration, which was done through the County of Simcoe in collaboration with the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness, counted 441 surveys completed and 722 people experiencing homelessness on Jan. 23 – the highest number ever recorded as part of the county’s enumeration process. Additionally, a Youth Homelessness Report from 2016 showed that a total of 294 youth noted that in the past 2 years they experienced some form of homelessness. What is your plan to address homelessness (including youth homelessness) in Orillia?

• Housing affordability in Ontario has eroded at a rate not seen in half a century over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The average price of residential units in Orillia is $799,073, up 24 per cent from the previous year. What is your plan to create more affordable housing in Orillia?

• Crime threatens the safety, health and wellbeing of our community. What is your crime reduction strategy for Orillia?

• Do you support the Truth and Reconciliation Report & 94 Calls to Action? If so, please choose a minimum of three of the Calls to Action you hope to implement and explain how you would work towards them.

• Studies show that 2S-LGBTQ+ people are more likely to either leave their home region to access more inclusive services, or hide their identity from their service provider, resulting in inadequate services and unmet needs. Would you support a motion for all City of Orillia staff to undergo 2S-LGBTQ+ training? How else would you help to support visibility, awareness, and education on the disparities to the following categories of 2S-LGBTQ+ peoples (Question made in consultation with Ivy Beaton, local Trans elder, educator, and activist.):
  • Indigenous/two-spirit
  • Lesbian/gay/bisexual
  • Intersex & non-binary
  • Transgender individuals

Non-Environment Questions

• It was recently announced that Orillia is creating an equity, diversity and inclusion roundtable following months of work and public consultation by council members, city staff, and community members. Do you support the creation and continuation of this new roundtable, and what does equity, diversity and inclusion mean to you?

• Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with different abilities. What is your plan for increased accessibility in Orillia?

• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our world and cost millions their lives. It has disrupted economies and education systems and taken away livelihoods. What is your plan to recover from and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and be prepared for future pandemics?

• Despite human resource challenges and a dated building, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital provides excellent patient care as best they can for our growing community. The OSMH is organizing to build a new hospital in Orillia in order to meet present and future healthcare demand. What is your position on establishing a new hospital in Orillia and what would you do to bring this vision to fruition?

• Because of our country’s aging population and widespread burnout in healthcare, Orillia’s physicians are retiring at an alarming rate. The Orillia Area Physician Recruitment & Retention Committee is working hard to recruit 12 new family physicians by the end of 2023. If elected, what would you do to help recruit family physicians and specialists to Orillia?

• What is your plan to increase public participation in decision making processes in the City and strengthen local democracy?

• How do you plan on promoting fiscal responsibility while on City Council to ensure that our limited resources are spent effectively? 

• Do you plan on advocating for reductions in City spending? If so, what specifically would you reduce or eliminate spending on? 

• What is your plan to ensure greater transparency and accountability for how money is spent by the City of Orillia?

• Is there anything else you’d like to add about your policy priorities and what you hope to accomplish?

(Images Supplied)

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