Dear Editor:
Congratulations! The people of Alma, Salem and Elora have stood up and said “not here.” The people of Fergus have said no to bike lanes.
To Centre Wellington Mayor Kelly Linton, other politicians, developers and business owners: I have seen the future of Fergus, Elora and surrounding areas … and you’re ruining it.
Fergus, Elora and surrounding areas have been subject to a political and business philosophy based on “keep building until we run out of space to build any more.” It may already be too late to stop the expansion from small towns to nothing more than formidable Toronto suburbs.
Urbanization has been good for business but not necessarily the longtime resident who chose to live in a small town understanding, and in most cases preferring, they might have to travel to access certain goods and services.
We are told this is all progress (“healthy growth” as Linton likes to phrase it) and this unprecedented progress (at one point the third fastest growing area in Canada) is provincially mandated. However, progress is considered “gradual betterment.” There is nothing gradual or better about what has happened to Fergus and Elora. The situation in Fergus, Elora and surrounding areas is more correctly defined as overdevelopment.
Overdevelopment engenders a vicious circle: more traffic promotes gas consumption and increases noise and exhaust emissions, traffic congestion and the need to build even more roads. This in turn facilitates residential property development. It promotes increased energy consumption for heating, air conditioning, and lighting in additional buildings, resulting in additional greenhouse gas emissions.
It results in farmland loss, which is of course a crucial resource for the food supply, forage, energy crops and renewable resources. Rural residents get endangered water supply, urbanization of rural roadways and track side seats to daily urban commuter races with all the associated noise, pollution and impact on quality of life. Sound familiar?
Overdevelopment has given rise to increased incidents of crime, increased traffic accidents – several of them with fatalities – and there seems to be no end to the new subdivisions, both residential and industrial.
Long-established traditional communities are disintegrating and social problems escalating, with an increase in public spending on police, emergency, social services and infrastructure. All of which equals a decline in the overall quality of life. All subsidized by local residents (see property tax increases)!
The time has come to stop the destruction of our rural communities and areas by greedy developers/realtors/businesses.
Linton and his council should be making a concerted effort to put the brakes on “progress” and instead say “Fergus/Elora and area are big enough.” Anything less tells us they’re just part of that greedy group.
Charles Marchegiano,
Belwood