November 17, 2004
For Immediate Release

Water Policy for the Niagara Escarpment To be Released November 18
Niagara Escarpment Needs Consistency, Says CONE

A coalition of environmental and community groups along the Niagara Escarpment will release a comprehensive Water Policy for the Niagara Escarpment at the regular meeting of the Niagara Escarpment Commission on November 18th. The presentation will take place at 1pm.

CONE's principal recommendation is that the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (NEPDA) and the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) should continue to supercede other provincial legislation (such as the draft Source Protection legislation) but that the NEPDA and NEP should be amended to provide for much stronger protection than already exists.

"The draft Source Protection Legislation," argues Bradley Shaw, CONE Executive Director, "situates Source Protection responsibility in the Conservation Authorities, of which several overlap the Escarpment. There is a real danger that a patchwork of plans of varying effectiveness will develop, endangering the integrity of the Escarpment as a whole."

The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act (ORMCA) and Plan (ORMCP), for example, are much stronger on water protection than the NEP, largely because of the different eras in which they were written. This language should be appropriately included in the NEPDA and NEP.

CONE's other recommendations relate to the implications of the above change, as well as issues related to urban sprawl and commercial water-taking. The set of 22 recommendations provide guidance to both the Niagara Escarpment Commission and the Province.

The Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment (CONE) was founded in 1978. It is an umbrella organization that brings together 32 conservation groups and thousands of individuals. CONE acts as a watchdog for environmentally inappropriate land use on the Niagara Escarpment, works to ensure the Escarpment is protected through legislation and other means, and undertakes educational activities to heighten public understanding and appreciation of the Escarpment.