David Donnelly Letter (or portion thereof)
Blue Mountain Watershed Trust’s case at the Ontario OLT was the only remaining path to meaningfully mitigate flooding risk to the surrounding communities near the Silver Creek Wetland. The Town of Collingwood and the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) have chosen to rely on rudimentary (the developer’s) 1-Dimensional flood modelling—data that fails to capture the scope and direction of water displaced in a major storm. Without our challenge at the OLT, that incomplete picture will stand, and our communities will bear the consequences assuring significant flooding well above today’s levels given a major storm event.
The Trust has already invested over $130,000 in expert studies, legal counsel, and evidence to bring the full story before the Tribunal. To see this case through the OLT process, we need to raise additional funds to pay for our legal team, engineering and planning consultants. Thanks to early generosity, we have raised $30,000, but these monies have already been allocated to cover earlier financial commitments. We are still facing a projected $45,000 – $60,000 shortfall and time is critical.
This fight is about protecting the Silver Creek Wetland from destruction and avoidable flooding. It’s also about protecting existing communities from being flooded out.
We are doing this for all of us, for future generations, and because Collingwood deserves responsible planning that puts public safety and long-term resilience ahead of developer pressure.
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