Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier yesterday said Ajax residents deserve answers prior to any development on the Carruthers Creek headwaters.
He earlier said there is danger of flooding in Ajax from development in northeast Pickering.
“There are still more questions than answers when it comes to the paving of the Carruthers Creek headwaters in northeast Pickering,” he said in an open statement.
“Myself and my Ajax Council colleagues firmly voted ‘no’ to Scenario 2a and urban sprawl at the May 25, 2022 meeting of Regional Council. Despite our best efforts, Regional Council approved the urbanization of more than 9,000 acres of farmland and made the paving of the headwaters not only possible, but likely,” said Mayor Collier.
On September 25, he wrote a letter to the David Piccini, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks appealing to him to put the Carruthers Creek Headwaters in the Greenbelt, or failing that, protect it by adding the enhanced Natural Heritage System (NHS) boundaries identified in the Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan to the Growth Plan Natural Heritage System. More study is needed to finalize the detailed boundaries of the enhanced NHS, he pointed out.
“With the headwaters in play, the residents of Ajax deserve answers to several important questions: what flood and erosion mitigations will be put in place; how will water quality and quantity be protected; and who will pay for flood mitigation solutions?
“The Town of Ajax cannot be the only voice in the conversation. All parties must come together to find solutions to preserving this sensitive aquatic ecosystem, and to protecting the residents of Ajax from downstream flooding,” said the Ajax Mayor.