Award-winning environmentalist speaks out against incinerator in Brant

We hear it time and time again: it’s not an incinerator; it’s gasification. Or, it’s not an incinerator; it’s plasma-arc.

“They can call it anything they like,” said Liz Benneian, “but the bottom line is it’s all still using fossil fuels to burn things that, in fact, could mostly be reused and recycled.

“Incineration, by any other name, still stinks.”

Benneian, president of Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, knows incineration all too well. In 2008, her grassroots environmental group successfully fought an $800 million dollar incinerator in Halton Region.

She recently spoke to a group of over 25 concerned citizens of Brantford and Brant County at a community meeting to discuss incineration organized by Sustainable Brant. The meeting was planned in response to Section 5.6 in Brant County’s Official Plan, which states the county will consider “energy from waste” programs and be open to “public/private waste to energy projects.”

BIA seeks council's support to improve downtown Paris

By Emma Dillabough, Special to B-cause

Members of the Paris Business Improvement Association (B.I.A.) are seeking council’s support to improve the city’s downtown.

Henry Stolp and Lisa Dalpe put forward to council the possibility of an area study in downtown Paris. Stolp and Dalpe are looking to create a community improvement plan to develop upon things like pedestrian routes and the identity of the core.

“We feel it’s a good thing to do for our downtown,” Dalpe said.

The downtown is threatened by commercial development on the outskirts of town and having a community improvement plan would benefit both visitors and citizens.

Stolp and Dalpe propose a consultation program that would involve meeting with stakeholders as well as preparing a detailed report. This document would then provide a clear direction for the downtown area.

The initial cost of the study would be approximately $5,000 to $6,000 and the B.I.A. is willing to pay $3,000. Stolp and Dalpe are looking for the county to match that amount and to allow a county staff member to join their team.

Councillor Wheat asked, “Is the GRCA working with or against you?”

Stolp answered by explaining that all of downtown Paris is within the flood lines and they are looking for the downtown area to become an exception so that progress can be made.

“There are issues for us to deal with and they are looking for ways to help,” Stolp said.

This item will be brought forward at the next meeting with an eye for finding $3,000 and a staff member to join the team. The motion was carried.

Planning Committee rejects rezoning proposal

By Jenn Tomlinson, Special to B-cause

PARIS - The fate of a twelve-acre area of land in Brant County has been put on hold following tense discussion in Paris Wednesday night. Planning Advisory Committee members decided to stall the proposed rezoning, which would convert the acreage from agricultural to estate residential and sever the land into four lots.

Concerned group wants to save Barker's Bush

By Lindsay Grummett, Special to B-cause

On February 17th, representatives from Barker’s Bush addressed council with one clear goal: to prevent residential development growth in the Nith Peninsula woodlands and wetlands, and more specifically, to save Barker’s Bush.

The room was tense as Grace Larche and Lorna Nowicki-Prime took the floor to voice their concerns on the proposed residential development that is set to place over 400 homes in the Barker’s Bush area.

In addition to raising development concerns, the delegation requested that council hold public meetings before decisions are made for rezoning in order to better maintain green space in Brant County.

“Brant County is a collection of rural communities,” Larche said during her presentation. “If we are going to flourish as rural communities, all planning in the county needs to be driven by a clear vision of what we value about what makes us rural.”

County Budget still under debate

Brant County Council sat down last Thursday for its second 2010 budget planning session. At present, the county is proposing an operating budget of just over $35 million for the year, which represents an increase of 5 per cent to county tax payers.


Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Don Glassford explained that when things like anticipated increases in revenues and average home values – up $13,000 from $227,000 in 2009 to $240,000 in 2010 - are taken into account, the tax increase actually levels off at 3 per cent.

This is in line with the 2009 budget in which tax payers saw a final increase of 3.55 per cent.

Brant County Official Plan Comments

On December 10th, Brant County Council met for a special meeting to present the final draft of its Official Plan and seek feedback from the community. In total, 22 delegations presented at the meeting. Community members raised a number of concerns including the desire to have definitions within the plan clarified and the request to have boundaries on particular tracts of land revised. The issue that received the most public input was the future of development in the Cainsville area. Click below to read the transcribed comments from three speakers.