NGFA's Campaign to Save the Forest

One of the ten largest forests in the Lake Simcoe watershed, the North Gwillimbury Forest is a priceless natural asset for the Town of Georgina.  It stretches all the way from the north end of Keswick to Jackson’s Point – an area more than three times larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park.

In 1984 the Town of Georgina passed an official plan amendment to allow a 1,073 unit Maple Lake Estates (MLE) mobile home park to be built on 500 acres in the Paradise Beach-Island Grove wetland in the North Gwillimbury Forest.  The approved development has remained dormant for over 30 years.

In 2004 the Ministry of Natural Resources designated the Paradise Beach-Island Grove wetland as “provincially significant”.  According to Ontario’s Provincial Policy Statement, no development is allowed on provincially significant wetlands in southern Ontario. 

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

The MLE property is owned by the DG Group (formerly Metrus).  To proceed with a mobile home park development, the DG Group would need to obtain a Section 28 permit from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA).

In May 2017, the DG Group submitted a Section 28 permit application to the LSRCA for permission to proceed with its MLE subdivision.

According to the Conservation Authorities Act, the LSRCA cannot issue a Section 28 permit for a project which is likely to have an adverse affect on the “conservation of land” (e.g., a provincially significant wetland). 

Therefore, the LSRCA does not have the legal authority to issue a permit for this 1,073 unit development which would destroy a provincially significant wetland and drive a stake through the heart of the North Gwillimbury Forest by splitting it in two.

On March 23, 2018 the LSRCA illegally approved the DG Group’s application, subject to the condition that it transfer its farmlands between Deer Park Road and Boyers Roads into escrow to be transferred to the Town of Georgina or the Regional Municipality of York.  This condition was fulfilled in June and the LSRCA gave the DG Group a Section 28 wetland destruction permit in July 2018.

On June 18, 2020 the LSRCA illegally renewed the DG Group’s Section 28 permit for an additional two years.  

On August 11, 2020 the NGFA informed the LSRCA and the DG Group that it will seek a judicial review of the illegal permit if necessary.

On August 19, 2020 the DG Group surrendered their Section 28 permit to the LSRCA.  

The Town of Georgina

York Region’s new Official Plan prohibits development in the North Gwillimbury Forest’s wetlands and significant woodlands.  That is, the Region’s Official Plan prohibits development on approximately 90% of the MLE property.

According to the Planning Act of Ontario, the Town of Georgina must bring its Official Plan and zoning bylaw into conformity with the Region’s Official Plan.  That is, the Town is legally obliged to repeal  MLE’s 34-year-old planning approvals for a mobile home park. Unfortunately, the Town refused to do so. Therefore we asked the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (formerly the Ontario Municipal Board) to amend the Town of Georgina’s Official Plan by designating MLE’s wetlands and woodlands as an “Environmental Protection Area.”  On Dec. 19, 2019, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal did so. As a result, the Town is now legally obliged pursuant to Section 26(9) of the Planning Act to amend its MLE Zoning Bylaw to bring it into conformity with the Official Plan’s new “Environmental Protection Area” designation. That means it must create a new MLE Zoning Bylaw that prohibits development on MLE’s wetlands and woodlands. The Town has promised to do so

Development Approvals Swap

The DG Group asked the Government of Ontario to approve a development approvals swap that would allow it to build a conventional subdivision on farmlands and an aquifer it owns between Deer Park and Boyers Roads in exchange for surrendering its development approvals for a mobile home park on leased lots in the Paradise Beach-Island Grove wetland.

We did not support the DG Group’s proposal as these prime farmlands are off limits to development according to the Greenbelt Plan and the Official Plans of the Town of Georgina and the Region of York.  We are very pleased to note that on January 11, 2017 Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, Bill Mauro, said “no” to the DG Group’s request.

There is a better swap option involving allowing DG Group affiliates to increase development density on their lands in the Keswick urban area.  This has the added benefit of reducing sprawl, avoiding leapfrog development, and locating development in a designated urban area rather than on prime farmlands.  Georgina Council has the authority to grant additional density on these lands, so it can offer the DG Group a clear benefit for transferring the ownership of its MLE lands to a public body.   

The North Gwillimbury Forest includes the York Regional Forest and the Arnold C. Matthews Nature Reserve. The Reserve will be cut off from the rest of the forest by Metrus' proposed Maple Leaf Estates.