The Kortright Centre Lands Saga

By Gord Miller, Chair of Earthroots

I saw reports that the Grand River Conservation Authority has approved the sale of 20 acres of the Kortright Waterfowl Parklands to developers because the land is designated “surplus” to their needs. This despite the origins of that ownership being a gift to protect those lands as natural heritage in public hands in perpetuity. This is a shockingly disturbing development with profound implications touching on multiple acts of malfeasance perpetrated on our natural heritage by government authorities. I will attempt to describe the extent of those policy attacks but I must first declare my personal history in the Kortright Centre.

I first encountered the Kortright Waterfowl Park 52 years ago as a student in anecology class at the University of Guelph. I was amazed at the exposure tobiodiversity available for educating students of all ages in such proximity to the urban area. It was there that I closely encountered many unfamiliar species like the white North American swans, but also, to my amazement, the black swan of Australia. I went on in my studies, and years later in graduate school, as a teaching assistant I led that undergraduate class at the park. The wealth of educational opportunities was amazing. One could illustrate the concept of convergent evolution by comparing live Mandarin ducks (Aixgalericulata) from China and live wood ducks (Aix sponsa) from Canada [Google pictures if you're curious]. Or, a teacher could explain why the local mallards would be so bold as to be able to raid the food boxes of the confined collection by balancing on the tubular fence railings (wild ducks should be to afraid to come close and web footed birds shouldn't be able to do that). There is intrinsic value to society in that kind of sophisticated learning.

But that was then and this is now. The waterfowl park and the collection are long gone. What do we have to replace that value? The answer, of course, is nothing. But how did this come to pass? The answer stems back to the policy activities of our government. The availability of almost unlimited dollars through dept financing creates a unbreachable gap between the value people place on natural heritage lands and their current perceived economic potential.

The prospect of large cash flows can buy political cooperation and media compliance at all levels. In the financial paradigm, land must be developed to the ‘best and highest use’ and that is residential and the accompanying commercial buildings. If that also means destruction of the integrity of the Conservation Authorities, so be it. If that requires the violation of public trust by overturning the protections of provincial parks and a natural heritage lands, then it must be done. In their system if the value of the Kortright Park lands has increased from $2,750 per acre to $1,000,000 per acre then the decision to sell out is obvious and necessary.

The true values and collective will of the people of the land can only be expressed and protected through our legislative process and public policy. If we the people accept the loss of our biodiversity and the entire natural heritage system piece by piece, it will continue to happen. Government policy has repealed the Endangered Species Act, attacked the Greenbelt, sold a chunk of Wasaga Beach PP, disrupted our Conservation Authorities and made major changes to Crown Forest management whose repercussions are not yet played out.

Earthroots does its best to stand up for natural systems across the landscapes of Ontario. It is time to stand up and support us!

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