As high winds blew across Concession 6 east in old Eramosa Township, we really hoped to see rain. But none came and the forecast for a much-needed shower is questionable at this point.
Old-timers talk of years past, when gardens were browned off and second cut hay was sparse. It’s an unsettling feeling, recognizing that drought conditions aren’t just something that happens elsewhere.
Many years ago now, while in the throes of municipal politics, we summed up a conversation suggesting water may well be the issue of our time. It seemed dramatic to some, but it stands today as a point of fact.
Without vision and conservation we risk affecting future generations with poor decisions today.
The outcome of big decisions is now upon us here in Wellington.
The Greenbelt introduced by the McGuinty Liberals in 2003 sounded great, but it has resulted in development simply leapfrogging over that protected zone to our fair countryside.
Recent reports in this Newspaper about population forecasts in the next few decades offer cause for concern. Relatively small towns will turn into small cities and, without sounding entirely defeated before that day actually arrives, we will probably see the expansion of bedroom communities as commuters head off to larger centres for employment.
Still absent from these growth projections is any semblance of a thoughtful roads plan that will include handling larger volumes of traffic that come with development.
Notions of bypasses come and go, but if we are to accept the projections currently on the horizon, local government officials should be acting today to reserve land and options for handling what will be an infrastructure overload.
The same can be said for other public services like water and sewer. Rather than modifying plants and engineering systems to accommodate the influx at that time, it would be interesting to look at it through the lens of sustainability.
The call for thoughtful development is not new – this community Newspaper and others have been championing the concept for decades.
Our best efforts here, and certainly those of organizations that hold developers’ and planners’ feet to the fire, can often be in vain.
News this week that a city in Wisconsin has been granted the ability to draw its drinking water from Lake Michigan – despite objections from Ontario – shows that resources we all share aren’t always negotiated equally.
When it comes right down to it, those in need will take it.
We need to apply good planning foresight now to offset that reality.
