A Win for the East Gwillimbury Landowners Association by Russ Robson, East Gwillimbury

Here are the maps showing the proposed EP zones in East Gwillimbury. Most people will be shocked to find out that there was a clear attempt to regulate these lands without notifying the owners. The East Gwillimbury Landowners Association (EGLA) fought hard to stop these regulations and together we were successful.

We no longer have the proposed EP zones on 25,000 (accumulative) acres of your property, and the appeal is now officially dropped by the LSRCA.

Landowners who were targeted by the strict regulations are now able to enjoy their original land use zones from the 1997 bylaw.

The property “lockdowns” (lands subjected to LPAT appeal as shown in the maps) caused by the 2 year appeal process brought on by the Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority (LSRCA) was stressful to say the least, especially for those of you who had plans in those two years or who may have lost out on home sales or  equity.

This was a major battle and a bittersweet victory. Although we were able to stop the regulations this time around, there will be new regulations that may come in the near future and if we have learned anything from this experience, it is that being notified of unwanted changes or regulations to private property is the greatest tool in preventing them.

I believe it is a property owner’s right to be notified of proposed changes to their property well in advance of any resolutions being passed through council to do so. I will be requesting council to review their ethics on this matter and put a better system in place.

So, thank you for your support during these times and congratulations for putting up one of the greatest fights for private property rights in Ontario!

Many other municipalities were closely watching East Gwillimbury landowners to see how they should proceed with regulations in their areas. Hopefully they are now aware that people like their land and don’t give it up without a fight.