Robert Brown

Go to the poll Municipal councils make some of the most important decisions affecting Oak Ridges Moraine communities: where growth happens, how farmland and countryside are protected, whether wetlands and headwaters are defended, and who gets a voice in major planning decisions. But in 2022, most eligible voters stayed home Weighted voter turnout within ORM municipalities (Click to expand). Source: AMO’s 2022 Municipal Election – Municipal Data Across Ontario, municipal voter turnout fell to...

Image submitted as part of the residents’ participant statement, showing the "not a barn" referenced in the property history. Was it a drive shed, a barn, an airplane hangar, an apartment for occasional workers, or a luxury rental? And could that complicated history justify the creation of a second residential dwelling within the Oak Ridges Moraine’s Natural Core Area? This unusual line of questioning was at the centre of a recent Ontario Land Tribunal decision that delivered an important win...

Many of the threats facing the Oak Ridges Moraine begin at council meetings and can be found in the pages of planning reports. A council motion, a “temporary” use, a missing study, an unsupported conformity claim, or a staff report that lacks key technical details can all be early warning signs that a proposal may conflict with the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan. Through Moraine Watch, STORM has been reviewing municipal planning decisions, tribunal files, and policy changes across the...