For Immediate Release

"Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Boraks are good examples of the types of people we need on the Commission," said Jason Thorne, Manager at the Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment (CONE), the organization which released the report. "Along with the rest of the NEC, they still vote to approve over 95% of applications because they meet the provisions of the Niagara Escarpment Plan, but unlike several of their colleagues Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Boraks also know when to say 'no'."

The Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) was established in 1973. It is a provincial agency consisting of 17 people appointed by the Ontario Cabinet to implement the Niagara Escarpment Plan, the land use plan which regulates development along the length of the Escarpment from Niagara Falls to Tobermory. Eight NEC members are elected representatives from municipalities within the Plan Area and nine members are citizens representing the public at large.

According to CONE, people like Ian Sinclair and Robert Boraks are finding themselves increasingly in the minority on the NEC. Said Thorne, "In more and more cases, and despite the best efforts of the better Commissioners like Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Boraks, inappropriate developments are getting approved." CONE awarded "F" grades to eight - a majority - of the Commissioners for their poor performance in upholding the Niagara Escarpment Plan.

As an example, Thorne pointed to a recent application for a farm retirement lot severance in Flamborough. Restrictions on lot severances are intended to control urban sprawl and protect the open rural landscape of the Escarpment. "That application was in clear violation of the Niagara Escarpment Plan, but the NEC voted to allow it anyway," Thorne said. CONE appealed that decision, a public hearing was held in April, and the matter will ultimately be decided by the Minister of Natural Resources.

CONE's report card is based on the voting records of individual Commissioners on ten key applications which came before the NEC between January 1999 and March 2000. These applications range from large-scale tourism developments to granny flats to lot severances and subdivisions. They comprise a representative sample of the types of applications which regularly come before the Commission. Grades are based on whether CONE finds the Commissioners' vote to be in accordance with the provisions of the Niagara Escarpment Plan.

CONE released the report card to let the public know how they are being represented at the NEC and to increase the accountability of Commissioners. This is a crucial year for the future composition of the Commission. The terms of five of the nine public-at-large Commissioners, including Robert Boraks, expire this summer, and the fate of the eight municipal appointees, including Ian Sinclair, could be determined in the November municipal elections.

"The Niagara Escarpment is a unique ecological treasure for this region," said Linda Pim, a Caledon resident and member of the CONE Board of Directors, "As citizens, we need to make sure that the Commissioners appointed to protect it do their job properly."

The Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment (CONE) was formed in 1978. It is a coalition of 24 environmental and community groups on the Escarpment and across the province. CONE has worked consistently for the protection of the Escarpment and its many values to Ontario society. CONE was involved in the preparation of the Niagara Escarpment Plan in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in the five-year review of the Plan in the early 1990s. CONE's activities include monitoring development up and down the Escarpment, educational initiatives to heighten public understanding and appreciation of the Escarpment, participation in government-led studies on Escarpment issues, and regular monitoring of NEC meetings. In 1995, CONE received the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario's conservation award, recognizing excellence in environmental protection and resource conservation.