NEC REPORT CARD

Background:

In August 1998, the CONE Board passed a motion to regularly monitor NEC meetings and to have monitors report back to the Board.

This summary report applies only to the regular meetings of the NEC between January 1999 and March 2000 and does not include the three policy meetings held in 1999.

The purposes of CONE's monitoring efforts are to:

• determine trends in NEC decision-making in order to help identify policy and information gaps;
  
• track voting records of individual commissioners;
  
• act as a means of providing accountability of commissioners to the general public;
  
• identify opportunities for CONE intervention in development control program; and
  
• provide evidence of public interest in NEC decision-making.

Vote Tracking - Overall (January 1999 to December 1999):

Total number of votes taken by NEC on specific applications: 520
- Staff Recommend Approval: 496 (95.4%)
- Staff Recommend Refusal: 24 (4.6%)

Number of times NEC accepted recommendations of their staff: 501 (96.3%)

Number of times NEC did not accept recommendations of their staff: 10 (1.9%)

Number of times NEC amended recommendations of their staff: 9 (1.7%)

Vote Tracking - Individual Commissioners (January 1999 - March 2000):

A - January 1999 vote (motion M566R37/01-99) related to a proposal to construct a major winery resort on prime agricultural land near Vineland including 56 guest cottages, restaurant, and culinary teaching centre.

B - March 1999 vote (motion M569R43/03-99) to recognize an illegally-created Granny Flat in the Town of Pelham (converted from an agricultural barn into a second dwelling).

C - May 1999 vote (motion M572R69/05-99) to recognize an illegally-created Granny Flat in the Town of Grimsby (converted from an agricultural shed into a second dwelling).

D - September 1999 vote (motion M580R41/09-99) related to an application to withdraw lands near Milton from the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area or re-designate them Urban Area within the Plan for the purpose of opening them up for development.

E - October 1999 vote (motion M581R40/10-99) related to a proposal to construct a residence on three lots created by testamentary devise in the City of Burlington.

F - November 1999 vote (motion M583R47/11-99) to permit an intensive maple syrup operation including retail outlet and workshop on agricultural land in Pelham.

G - November 1999 vote (motion M583R49/11-99) on the Beechbrooke subdivision in the Town of Halton Hills.

H - January 2000 vote (motion M585R39/01-2000) to permit a farm retirement lot severance in Flamborough on a property which had already exceeded the lot density limit for the Escarpment Rural Area.

I - March 2000 vote (motion M587R50/03-2000) to exempt a winery in the Town of Lincoln from requiring a Development Permit.

J - March 2000 vote (motion M587R53/03-2000) on an application to erect a billboard on a farm lot in Sydenham Township.

Note:

check mark = vote upheld the provisions of the Niagara Escarpment Plan

" x " = vote was against the provisions of the Niagara Escarpment Plan

"--" = abstained / not present

"*" = term expired October 1999

"**" = term began October 1999

"***" = Chair votes only to break a tie