GUELPH POLITICAST #430 - Caution’s Creek Part 2: The Future

It took a while to get here, but the Grand River Conservation Authority membership last month approved a management plan for the Niska lands, aka: the old Kortright Waterfowl Park, but this is not the end of the journey. For nearly 20 years there’s been a fierce back and forth about what comes next for the property and who’s responsible for its protection, but even with a plan in place now it doesn't mean that the controversy is over.

When we last tackled this topic on the podcast it was October 2023 and the draft land management plan had just been presented to the GRCA board. That plan was adapted by the GRCA board at their June meeting along with its three recommendations: To engage with the City of Guelph and others about future maintenance and use; to manage and monitor the sensitive environmental demands; and dispose the portion called “Agricultural Field B”, which is on the south side of Niska.

Now, what you have to understand is that it’s the plan that’s been approved, not necessarily those directions. Just because it’s been recommended that some land be sold necessarily means that it will be sold, and there’s an entirely separate process that needs to happen before any decisions are made, so let’s talk to some of the decision makers. In this case, Guelph/Eramosa Township Mayor and GRCA Chair Chris White and GRCA Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Lawson.

White and Lawson will talk about the next steps, where responsibility lies for the City of Guelph and the Conservation Authority, and who the other stakeholders might be when it comes to the fate of the lands. We will also talk about protecting the environment, the concerns raised by the public about protecting the area’s ecosystem, the pressures from the provincial government, and how the role of conservation authorities has changed as a result of those pressures.

So let's talk about the Niska Land's future on this week's episode of the Guelph Politicast!

You can rewind to episode #392 to hear the first part of this two-parter with Dr. Hugh Whitely and get his point of view on the issue here. You can see coverage of the issue on Guelph Politico, and you can see the Niska Landholdings Management plan on Grand River Conservation Authority’s website here.

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Programming Note: The Guelph Politicast will be taking the next two weeks off and will be back with new episode on Wednesday August 28.