Get Concerned Perth County held a community event at the Sebringville Community Centre to update the public about a proposed development in the village.
The group's steering committee along with their hired expert provided updates on their battle to protect their hamlet. The organization was joined by Kevin Thomason, the Grand River Environmental Network vice-chair and a passionate defender of communities.
“We’re a collaborative of community groups and organizations across the watershed, and we basically help communities work together and speak up for a better future,” Thomason explained to the audience.
He told the crowd how amazing the steps that the Get Concerned Perth County organization and the community in general have taken to get to where they are today in the battle to protect the hamlet of Sebringville.
“There are a lot of unfortunate things happening across the province that often might not be in the best interest of the greater good,” Thomason said. “A developer sees an opportunity to take advantage or does something cheaper or worse yet we even seem to have some of our governments that seem to work more for special interest groups than the greater good.”
Thomason is an environmental defender who has acted for years on the Ontario Greenbelt, European Greenbelt, and numerous Waterloo regional protections. He is also the co-founder of Green WR, the past president of Ontario Nature, and he sits on the steering committee of the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance.
He is also a supporter of Get Concerned Perth County, and their battle against the proposed development project in Sebringville.
“My focus is on how do we bring communities together, how do we decide what that vision or future path is going to be, and part of that is deciding what we want and what we don’t want as a community,” Thomason said.
As previously reported the proposed development by a numbered corporation from Mitchell who is being represented by the Baker Planning group will see 302 new housing units on Station Road. The proposed development would see 92 single detached dwellings, 168 apartment units and 42 townhouses.
Thomason says unfortunately a trend is showcasing that develops like this are just the tip of the iceberg
“What we are seeing across the province is a lot of very large and inappropriate developments being foisted on small unassuming communities, it’s not just here,” he said. “It’s just absurd because there isn’t the infrastructure, there isn’t the water, there’s not sewage, and it becomes a lose lose for everyone. It disrupts the quality of life the community had before, farmers can’t farm due to the roads now being clogged with traffic, and it becomes more dangerous for everyone. Likewise, it’s not a great experience for those moving into the community because there often aren't the amenities they’re expecting if they are moving into an urban style development, they are expecting urban style amenities.”
He adds that the influx of newcomers puts strain on nearby urban centres who are now flooded with more and more people using their amenities.
Perth South councillors Rob Wilhelm, Sam Corriveau, and Jim Van Nes were in attendance as was Perth East councillor Andrew McAlpine.
