“I always looked at this community as the High Park of the Greater Toronto Area,” resident Patrick Suessmuth said on Monday night at Centre 2000.
He explained Erin, like the Toronto park, is an oasis of green space and fresh air amid surrounding urban sprawl – in this case from places like Peel Region and, to a lesser degree, Halton Hills and Dufferin County.
Suessmuth made the analogy at a public meeting for the town’s Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) in order to point out the importance of protecting Erin’s natural features, historical buildings and many recreational opportunities.
He was one of about 30 residents who attended the meeting, many of whom expressed concern with the possible cost and impacts of a new town water and waste water system.
But Matt Pearson, of BM Ross and Associates Ltd., said any discussions about a new system are premature – especially those about cost.
“We don’t know that yet, because we don’t know what we’re going to do,” said Pearson, whose Goderich firm has been hired by the town to complete the initial study.
He commended the town for proceeding with the SSMP, which he called a huge undertaking.
“Your municipality is very brave to undertake this,” he said. “It’s not cheap … and it’s risky because you don’t know what you’re going to get in the end.”
The town has decided to proceed with the master plan, according to its website, “to determine if, how and where future water and wastewater servicing will occur in the Town of Erin to 2031.”
Erin is one of the largest municipalities in the province with no municipal water and wastewater service.
One of the most common concerns expressed Monday night was a new water and wastewater system would mean huge population growth. But town planner Sally Stull said that is not a realistic probability.
“Large growth isn’t destined for Erin,” Stull said. She told the crowd the town’s highest growth rate was between 1971 and 1981 and the projections for the next two 10-year periods won’t match the growth during that decade.
Most growth in Erin will consist of in-filling certain areas throughout the town that are already designated for development, added planner Jay McGuffin, whose firm, Monteith Brown, was hired by the BM Ross team.
McGuffin said the town’s borders, for the most part, will not expand, as local growth is constrained by the Green Belt legislation. Only a very small portion of Hillsburgh will allow for major growth, he added.
One resident summed up the common sentiments at the meeting when he said Erin has “the best of both worlds.” It’s close to Toronto and the Sports, entertainment and retail opportunities the city offers, while also maintaining the perfect mix of rural and small-town urban character, he explained.
When asked to list what they like about their community, residents agreed on historical charm, clean air and water, great recreation facilities and trails, cleanliness and safety and the friendliness of residents.
The most common dislikes cited were high taxes (including the county portion), a small industrial-commercial base, truck traffic on the main streets, poor ambulance service, a lack of health care options, and gravel pits.
Basically, Pearson concluded, residents like the character of Erin but also want other things – such as improved services and more jobs – that would require more people in the municipality.
Pearson was somewhat disappointed with the attendance at the meeting, but said in an interview on Tuesday morning he thought the meeting was a success.
“The responses from residents were honest and consistent,” he said. “I thought we had a good exchange of information.”
He explained the goal of the meeting was not to talk about specifics of sewer and water, but to hear about residents’ values and opinions of the community.
He said the feedback will be useful in defining the community’s “form and function” for the remainder of the process, which he said will continue to involve the public a lot.
“This is a good start,” he said.
